Shani

Ms Shani Senekal

Clinical Psychologist

“I’m a Clinical Psychologist practicing as an independent practitioner in Cape Town. I offer individual psychotherapy (short and long term) to adult clients. I believe in creating a safe space, authentic connection, and endeavour using a collaborative approach when working toward client therapy goals.”

About Me

I offer individual psychotherapy for adults, whether you're seeking short-term support or deeper, long-term exploration. My aim is to create a safe space where you feel truly seen and heard. We’ll build an authentic connection and work collaboratively, setting goals that resonate with your unique journey. This approach helps clients feel empowered to navigate challenges and find their own path forward.

Approach

When we meet in my Cape Town practice, the pace is intentional and shaped by your needs, so we can gently untangle patterns that keep you stuck. Sessions in English or Afrikaans use psychodynamic and schema lenses to notice recurring reactions, link past to present, and clarify choices. I blend reflective dialogue with small, manageable experiments between sessions and offer assessments when clarity helps move things forward. People facing life transitions, burnout, trauma or shifts in identity often say this steady, collaborative rhythm feels both practical and liberating.
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Basic Information

In-person

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Services

Services Offered:

  • Psych & Diagnostic Assessment

    Formal psychological testing to identify conditions, understand cognitive and emotional functioning, and guide treatment planning.

  • Psychodynamic Therapy

    A therapy that explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape current feelings, relationships, and behaviour.

    Learn more about Psychodynamic Therapy
  • Individual Therapy

    One-on-one therapy sessions between a client and a therapist, focused on that person's specific concerns and goals.

    Learn more about Individual Therapy
  • Schema Therapy

    A therapy that identifies deep, long-standing emotional patterns (schemas) formed in childhood and works to change the ones that cause recurring problems.

    Learn more about Schema Therapy

Works With:

  • Adults

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

  • Life Transitions

    Major life changes, such as relocation, retirement, parenthood, or career shifts, that disrupt routine and require psychological adjustment.

    Learn more about Life Transitions
  • Stress / Burnout

    The body and mind's response to prolonged or excessive demands. When sustained, it can lead to emotional exhaustion, detachment, and reduced functioning (burnout).

    Learn more about Stress / Burnout
  • Mood Disorder

    A category of mental health conditions, including depression and bipolar disorder, in which a person's emotional state is significantly and persistently disrupted.

    Learn more about Mood Disorder
  • Self-Esteem

    A person's overall sense of their own worth and value. When chronically low, it can drive self-doubt, avoidance, and difficulty in relationships.

    Learn more about Self-Esteem
  • Personal Development

    The ongoing process of self-awareness, self-improvement, and reaching one's potential, pursued not because something is wrong but to live more fully.

  • PTSD

    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that develops after a traumatic event, causing flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and emotional numbness.

    Learn more about PTSD
  • Codependency

    A relational pattern in which a person's sense of identity and self-worth becomes excessively tied to caring for or controlling another person, often at their own expense.

  • Trauma

    The lasting psychological impact of deeply distressing events, such as violence, abuse, accidents, or disasters, that overwhelm a person's ability to cope.

    Learn more about Trauma
  • Young Adult Issues

    The unique psychological challenges of emerging adulthood (18–25), including identity formation, independence, relationship navigation, and finding direction.

    Learn more about Young Adult Issues

Professional Title:

  • Clinical Psychologist

    An advanced mental health professional trained to assess and treat a wide range of difficulties, from anxiety and depression to trauma and complex conditions.

Credentials

Registrations

Health Professions Council Of South Africa (HPCSA); Board of Health Funders (BHF)

Clinical Psychologist

Verify License

Qualifications

University of the Western Cape

Service Areas

81 Roodebloem Road

In-person

Woodstock

Cape Town, Western Cape

South Africa

Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa