Tarryn Kelmovitz

My journey towards psychology began as a child with immeasurable curiosity about the world. I often asked philosophical questions and sought understanding which wasn’t always positively received. I remember the first time I had stumbled upon a psychology textbook, it was as if all the lightbulbs had come on! Through the process of studying psychology, my quest towards understanding others led to a deeper search towards understanding myself. Developing a sense of self-awareness has been an important part of my journey as a psychologist and my therapeutic approach in therapy.

 

I obtained my Masters Degree in Educational Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand and completed my internship at an accredited NPO within the East Rand. These institutions provided me with an extensive amount of training and a well-grounded foundation in psychodynamic therapy, solution focused therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and systemic therapy. I have worked with a diverse population and have been supervised in working with adults and families. I’ve met various people who, although have similar experiences, have attached different meanings to their experiences and therefore have been impacted differently.I therefore view people within their context, circumstance and individuality. This means I work from an integrative approach, tailoring the therapeutic approach to the the needs of the client.

 

I find it interesting that we as humans are adaptable and have the ability to learn from each other – whether through stories passed down through generations or through personal interactions. This also means we are able to unlearn patterns and behaviours that we have learned from others and are able to change the narrative. 

 

Being a person of colour, I have experienced and witnessed the generational difficulty within our communities in not knowing how to cope with traumatic and/or difficult life experience. Therefore, I hope to empower people and provide them with the necessary tools to process and overcome their challenges in hopes that these tools may transcend through generations.