About

Emile hiking
Tools for Health and Wellness is designed to enable you to achieve on-going dynamic growth and happiness throughout the course of your life.

The site is owned and written by myself, Emile du Toit. I am a clinical psychologist in private practice in Cape Town, South Africa.

Emile hiking
Health-Articles

What to expect from this site

It unpacks a useful and creative toolbox of techniques and strategies for you to utilize both in everyday situations and also when coping with specific psychological and physical conditions.

These cognitive, behavioural, physiological and emotional coping skills will enable you to convert areas of dissatisfaction in your life into a meaningful and self-nurturing lifestyle change. This site will take you on your own unique journey of improved health and happiness, and will put you on a path of self-discovery that will allow you to reach your potential and be all that you wish to be!

About Me

I am wildlife fanatic and photography enthusiast, who would spend more time in nature reserves if I could! I rabidly research pretty much anything, and over the years have spent an increasing amount of time getting better equipped within related health-based fields to be able to help my clients from the perspective of a more holistic model of psychological health.

Biography

After completing my schooling at the Diocesan College I achieved my B.soc.sci at the University of South Africa (UNISA), before finishing my honours in psychology at the University of Cape Town. I then decided to do my masters in clinical psychology at Rhodes University as they were particularly strong in cognitive-behavioural therapy and neuropsychology at the time. I graduated cum laude and completed my internship at Fort England psychiatric hospital and my Community Service year through the military in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

My dissertation as part of my master’s degree was ‘An evaluation of the MMPI-2 using South African pre-trial forensic patients: Prediction of criminal responsibility and assessment of personality characteristics’, and I would very much like to consult with the legal and penal systems some day on how to rearrange resources to benefit correctional services, the prisoners and society.

I worked with adolescents for a while in an inpatient setting, and then in an adult addiction unit. As a cognitive-behavioural therapist I became increasingly interested in stepping outside of a puritanical Minnesota model for addiction treatment and combining cutting edge research under the CBT banner.

I worked with adolescents for a while in an inpatient setting, and then in an adult addiction unit. As a cognitive-behavioural therapist I became increasingly interested in stepping outside of a puritanical Minnesota model for addiction treatment and combining cutting edge research under the CBT banner.

Around this time I was head hunted to be director of an inpatient addiction rehab centre in Tulbagh, just outside of Cape Town and spent a year heading this up. After this I started up my own psychotherapy private practice in Kenilworth.

A colleague and I also directed an outpatient drug rehab in Lavender Hill (one of the formerly disadvantaged communities in Cape Town), for around 3 years and it was a truly uplifting experience taking quality addiction theory and treatment to people that so badly needed it!

Somewhere along the line I also was invited to contribute chapters to a book on addiction, Recovery RSA, where I was given license to provide a detailed look at a CBT model of addiction therapy for psychologists in private practice. I examined ‘The science of recovery: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in addiction recovery’, as well as ‘Relapse prevention in recovery’.

Current Practice

I currently practice CBT with adults, adolescents and couples with a broad range of issues.

Issues I tackle with my clients

Addiction

Trauma / crisis counselling

Anxiety disorders

Mood disorders

Stress-reduction techniques

Couples therapy

Online therapy

Medico-legal assessment

General neuropsychological assessment

Life coaching and other health and wellness based modalities.

Current Practice

I currently practice CBT with adults, adolescents and couples with a broad range of issues.

Issues I tackle with my clients

Addiction

Trauma / crisis counselling

Anxiety disorders

Mood disorders

Stress-reduction techniques

Couples therapy

Online therapy

Medico-legal assessment

General neuropsychological assessment

Life coaching and other health and wellness based modalities.