Nardus Saayman, Ph.D

I am a clinical psychologist licensed in the UAE and South Africa, and I specialize in working with adults who grapple with a variety of difficulties. I trained at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I also obtained a PhD in psychodynamic psychotherapy. I mainly work from a psychodynamic perspective, but the focus for me is the relationship between myself and my client.

I work primarily with adults who experience anxiety, depression, acute stress and burnout, relational difficulties,  autism, psychosis, and sexual difficulties. I also provide couples and family therapy. Furthermore, I work with individuals who want to obtain a better and deeper understanding of themselves in order to learn how to engage life in an enriching and fulfilling manner – often this can mean working through what life doesn’t offer, or has taken away.

My Philosophy

Life can be joyous and profound, but it can also be deeply painful. In the many years that I have practiced as a psychotherapist I have found that people only really heal from past injuries and discover ways of building the lives and relationships that they want when they can be truly honest with themselves. In order to be truly honest with ourselves we need to know and understand ourselves. We need to explore the different ways in which our relationships and experiences have shaped us to shed light on how we view the world around us, and on the areas where we do not see so clearly.  This is what makes therapy a deeply personal process for each individual as we all find unique ways of carrying suffering and pursuing meaning. Therapy is as much about learning who one truly is as it is about finding better ways to live. 

Couples are often confronted with who others think they are, as they get this feedback from their partner. Many couples in Dubai also face challenges that are unique to expat life. Being removed from support structures like family and friends, culture and the familiarity of one’s country of origin means that the relationship has to carry the weight of these absences. This dynamic can make a relationship grow and deepen, but it can also reveal unhealed injuries and hidden expectations that both individuals brought into the relationship. This is where couples therapy can provide a non-judgemental space to support a process of understanding, healing and growth.

Educational Qualifications:

• Honours in psychology from the University of Pretoria (SA) (2009)
• Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (SA) (Cum Laude 2011)
• PhD in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (SA) (2021)

Licenses and Professional Memberships:

• Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
• Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
• Member of the Ethics Committee of the South African Psychoanalytic Confederation (SAPC)
• Member of the International Advisory Panel of the British Journal of Psychotherapy

Languages

• English
• Afrikaans