Lisa Padfield | Clinical Psychologist

Stellenbosch, South Africa

My role as a clinical psychologist is to facilitate working through the stuck and painful places in your life and to help you cope with crises, relationship difficulties (including same-sex) or emotional struggles, within a safe therapeutic relationship.

I work with adult individuals and groups in both English and Afrikaans. Whether for the treatment of psychological conditions or life problems in general, I understand psychotherapy as a journey toward healing and wholeness.

However, it is a journey that requires energy, emotional investment and commitment from both client and therapist and should not be undertaken lightly. I take the unconscious seriously; believe that the past influences the present and that we can all benefit from a deeper understanding of what makes us tick and who we are in the world.

Not everyone who consults a psychologist has specific problems, though. Some people enter therapy to grow as individuals and ultimately to live more fulfilling lives.

I also offer supervision for psychotherapists (psychologists, counsellors and other psychotherapists).

Why see a clinical psychologist and not just talk to a friend?

People often ask me why they can’t just talk to a friend. While doing so can be very helpful and bring relief, a therapist offers three things friends and family may not be able to: total confidentiality in a safe environment, honesty and the benefit of training.

Firstly, knowing that therapy is completely private may help you to speak freely. It can be very difficult to talk about personal things that are embarrassing or that you’ve never told anyone before.
Secondly, friends and family are often unable to be completely honest with you, for fear of hurting your feelings. My job is to be direct in a gentle way, to help you move forward.
And last but not least, therapists are trained: to see patterns, to recognize serious conditions like depression and perhaps most importantly, trained in how to treat people. You might not be aware of either your good behavioural patterns, or your more self-defeating ones. For example, many people wonder why they tend to have the same kinds of relationship problems again and again, whether with colleagues, friends or their intimate partner. A therapist can help you understand how you relate to others, help you improve your interpersonal skills and help you choose a partner more wisely.

Therapy is ideal for helping people with relationships, because that’s what it is: a relationship. So you have an opportunity to try out new ways of being, but in a safe space with someone who can give you valuable feedback.

I work with people to address personal problems by helping them to discover solutions which often lie within but may be hard to access.

I treat people who are experiencing difficulties in their personal lives, families, working life or relationships.
I help people cope with and treat serious clinical conditions such as depression or post-traumatic stress.
I help people achieve personal growth through introspection, self-awareness and improved interpersonal skills.

Here is more information on my therapeutic approach.