Hello! I'm Misha
Credentials
I am formally trained as Clinical Psychologist, and am currently based in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. However, where I am currently in my journey means that I travel around the world quite frequently. It has always been a dream of mine to work at different spiritual and retreat centers across the globe. As I grow on my path, I have been offered more and more oppurtuinites to work in different locations. I suppose you could call me (for now!) a travelling healer of sorts….
I completed my Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg). My special interests are in children, adolescents, Mindfulness/Meditation and Art therapy. I have completed several additional courses to supplement my degree in the latter areas. I completed my Art therapy training at Flourish (Chicago based art therapy center), where I gained theoretical and practical knowledge. I also have a Community Arts Counsellor qualification from Lefika Arts Therapy Centre (Johannesburg).
I am a qualified Vinyasa Yoga teacher, registered with The International Yoga Alliance. I have a piece of paper saying that I am a Mindfulness Practitioner, but I also practice meditation in my own life.
Finally, I have given myself permission to call myself an aspiring Artist – please see my website for more details on my work.
How I Work
I was trained psychodynamically, and generally work within this theoretical framework. This means that I work with the client to gain deeper understanding of their own minds, emotions, and how they relate to others. Often we need an ‘other’ to help us understand the strong forces that drive us, which can be confusing. This being said, I find a holistic and multi-faceted approach to wellness is the way to go. We cannot isolate one aspect of ourselves from another, for this means to disconnect. To disconnect means to suffer. Hence I work from a holistic framework, incorporating my formal training and clinical experience with my own personal studies and practices (not to say that these haven’t been backed by much research and ancient knowledge!). I work with spirit, mind, emotions and body.
My role is to help individuals understand and explore their inner selves, assist with diagnosis of mental disorders and relieve psychological distress. I desire to help individuals become more adaptive in their lives, form healthy relationships with those around them and to ultimately achieve a sense of self, a sense of identity and of peace.
