Cath Rackstraw
Cath originally completed a BA degree in Psychology and Industrial Sociology at UCT and went on to focus on industrial conflict resolution through her BA(Hons) and MA degrees. Her particular focus was on mediation as a form of conflict resolution.
She spent the next fifteen years working in industrial relations and leadership development in corporate and consulting environments as well as lecturing at UCT. During this time, she trained in crisis intervention and trauma counselling and worked for eight years in the Survivors of Crime Unit at the Rondebosch Police Station.
As her children grew and her family needs changed, Cath returned to academic studies to pursue her interest in and passion for healthy therapeutic intervention and completed the Advanced Certification in Counselling at the South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP). Cath continued with her private counselling and worked as a bereavement counsellor at St Luke’s Hospice for the next three years until deciding to focus specifically on her growing private practice.
Cath is trained in and identifies with a core client-centered therapeutic approach and her counselling approach is thus non-judgemental, empathic and congruent. As an integrative practitioner, her approach is also informed by other disciplines such as cognitive and dialectical behavioural therapy, generativity therapy and solution-focused therapy. This ensures that she is able to offer a personalised therapeutic plan to each client which enables the individual to find his/her own way forward.
Cath is also a qualified TIRA facilitator through Applied Metapsychology International (USA) which enables her to utilise Trauma Incident Reduction and related techniques, where appropriate, in order to facilitate emotional healing.