Donita Rodrigues – Online Psychologist (London): Adult ADHD Assessment, Expat Psychotherapy, General Psychotherapy

In my online practice, I specialize in treating anxiety; depression; bereavement, including complex bereavement; and trauma, including complex childhood trauma (Complex PTSD); as well as facilitating growth during life transitions. I have a special interest in working with expatriates, guiding them through the complexities of relocation and acculturation.

In addition to working with individuals and couples, I offer psychotherapy to parents, including expectant parents, to grow nurturing parent-child relationships and enhance parenting practices that may be complicated by family separations, divorce, death, mental illness or other circumstances.

Clinical Training & Professional Experience

Following undergraduate training in Psychology and Criminology, Donita travelled to London where she worked as a spinal homecare assistant before settling into the role of Clinical Support Worker at an in-patient child psychiatric facility in London. Upon returning to South Africa, Donita continued her clinical focus and interest in working with children by registering as a Trauma Counsellor with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) in 2012. During this time, she provided trauma counselling and support to abused women and children at the Saartjie Baartman Centre in Manenberg, Cape Town.

In 2014, Donita completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of Cape Town (UCT). During this time, she was trained in various modalities of psychotherapy as well as psychological assessment through the UCT Child Guidance Clinic. Furthermore, she completed her master’s thesis, titled, “My kids are then my life: Mothering in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence,” and presented these findings at the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Health Professionals (IACAPAP) Conference.

During her clinical internship, she was based at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town. Working across in-patient, out-patient and community health settings, she offered individual, family, and group psychotherapy, as well as neuropsychological assessments to adolescents and adults with psychiatric conditions.

She later served as a Community Service Clinical Psychologist for the City of Cape Town. In these specialised health clinics, Donita offered psychological services to clients with psychiatric conditions and co-morbid medical conditions, such as HIV and/or Tuberculosis.

In the education setting, Donita established the Student Wellness Department at Cedar House Independent School in Cape Town, offering psychotherapy services, psychometric assessments and classroom interventions for students with scholastic / psychological difficulties. She also implemented mental health awareness programmes into the educational curriculum.

Following this, Donita entered into private practice. During this time, she also worked as a Sessional Clinical Psychologist for the Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatric Service at Valkenberg Hospital, providing criminal capacity assessments to inform court proceedings and psychiatric treatment for child offenders.

Donita has since established a full-time independent practice where she continues to work psychotherapeutically with adults, couples and families.