Realistic Counselling Services

Our Caring and Supportive Social Workers / Counsellors are always  there for you, every step of the way.  Visit one of our offices or you can chat with one of our Social Workers. 

Bereavement Counselling

Facing a  loss of a loved one is one of the hardest challenges and transitions that we confront in life. It is however inevitable that each of us in our lifetime will experience loss through bereavement. Helping people to cope with loss, grief and bereavement is one of the many services that Realistic offers.

We can note  take away the loss or grief feelings but our highly experienced and trained Counsellors and Social Workers will walk alongside you through your journey of grief, whether you come to us as an individual, couple or family.

We are there to help you through the process of healing after the loss of a loved one.

The loss may be that of a parent, spouse, sibling, a close friend or a colleague. Sometimes we overlook or disregard the significance of a loss. For instance, the loss of grandparents, stillbirths, miscarriages and abortions.

Where appropriate we also offer sessions to groups, families, and organizations where there is an opportunity for sharing what the deceased meant in their lives. Each person deals with loss in their own unique way which is neither “right” nor “wrong”. Some may respond to the loss immediately, while others may take longer. There is no definite time frame within which people need to come for counselling. Some come soon after the loss, whilst others may realise they have unresolved grief much further down the line. Sometimes we only discover much later in life that we have not dealt with our losses. This could lead to blockages in our ability to form, develop and maintain meaningful relationships.

How we respond to death could depend on many factors – this could be the relationship we had with the deceased and whether the death was “sudden” through an accident or suicide, or whether the death was “inevitable” due to a terminal illness, or old age. Whatever the situation you find yourself grappling with we are there to help, support, and guide you through the process.

Trauma Debriefing and Counselling"

Trauma is an unfortunate reality of living in our society.Trauma occurs when we are exposed to a life threatening event. It often has devastating effects on our life. Trauma can have a range of short term and long term effects, not always only on the individual who has experienced the trauma but also at times on those close to the person. We sometimes are not aware of these effects until much later.

Trauma is usually an experience we would prefer to forget. Unfortunately this is not always possible or helpful. Intervention can be of great help after you have experienced trauma. Talking about the traumatic event in a safe and supportive environment with a warm, understanding and non-judgmental counsellor can help you deal with the effects of the trauma. We can help you make sense of the traumatic experience, looking at why we react the way we do and why our bodies react as they do. Our counsellors will help you to look at how to cope with the effects of the traumatic event and how to start the healing process.

Divorce Counselling

Ending a relationship can be a very painful and traumatic process. Not only do we loose the person who made out such a large part of our lives, but we also loose everything about him or her. We can suffer the loss of families, income, our house, our neighbourhood, friends, the loss of a partner and friend, and so much more.

Considering whether or not to end a relationship can also be very stressful. Sometimes our relationships can be very conflicted, filled with hurt and abuse. At times we might feel that we just want to end the relationship and start over. However, we also hesitate as we still love our partner so much and there are so many good memories as well. Ending a relationship is a very big decision. This is a decision that we are not always able to make by our selves. There are so many thing that we have to consider like our families, our children, where we are going to stay, what are our friends going to think, what are our community going to think and say…

At Realistic we realise that ending a relationship is not something to be taken lightly. We are there to help support you through the decision making process. Our counsellors will guide you through the process whilst helping you to consider all the factors relating to ending a relationship. Our Social Workers / Counsellors will support you in the warm and caring environment that you at times so desperately want.

Unfortunately divorce effects so much more people then just our selves. Realistic  also offers you the opportunity to come for counselling with you partner or family. Although it is not always that easy to accept, our partners are also part of the decision to end a relationship or not. It can be of great value having our partners as part of the decision making process. Your family can also greatly benefit from entering the counselling process with you.

The divorce/ separation process can be traumatic, for children and other family members. We can guide you as a family through the process and help you to find support within your family.

Domestic Violence Counselling

At Realistic , we realise that domestic violence affects many families with devastating effects. Many of us go through this in silence. We often fear what others might think or say or whether the people we confide in will believe us. We are also sometimes scared of further abuse, should our partner find out. We may fear for the safety of our families.

It has been widely publicised that one in every three South African Women are beaten by their intimate partners, and almost 400 women are killed by their partners each year. It is accepted that South Africa has the highest rate of femicide on the African continent, and the highest incidence of rape worldwide.These alarming figures have called Realistic  into action to assist individuals, couples, families and communities affected by domestic violence. Domestic violence has been recognised and addressed by us since 2004 when the importance of working with both perpetrators and victims of domestic violence was highlighted.

How we can help you:

Counselling and support for victims of domestic violence.

Counselling for perpetrators of domestic violence.

Group treatment programmes for men who are violent towards their partners through our MSAV programme.

Play Therapy

Plato (429‐347 B.C.) reportedly observed  “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”

Play therapy is generally used with children aged 3 through 11 but can also be very effective for teenagers, it provides a way for them to express their experiences and feelings through a natural, self‐guided, self‐healing process. As children’s experiences and knowledge are often communicated through play, it becomes an important vehicle for them to know and accept themselves and others.

Play is a natural and spontaneous part of people’s lives, especially children. Children learn through play, about their physical surroundings, their own capabilities and limitations, social rules and the difference between fantasy and reality. Play helps children communicate and can show what could be worrying them when it seems to be too complicated for them to verbalise.

Children are brought to play therapy at a stage in their lives when they have exhausted all their own capabilities for solving problems and no longer know what to do. By this time, children may be acting out at home, with friends, and at school.