Gael

Ms Gael Beckett, MA

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

Verified

“An experienced psychoanalytic psychotherapist with a strong academic interest and commitment to helping fellow humans navigate the toughness of life with compassion.”

About Me

I am an experienced Clinical Psychologist, offering psychoanalytic psychotherapy to adult individuals and couples. Working with our inner world, with its past unconscious layers, helps us to understand our lives in the present. Our relationships enrich and traumatise us. We work to understand repetitive patterns that bind people to lack of fulfilment. Psychotherapy is a process of opening yourself to your Self, and to an-Other, of honouring yourself as a unique and wonderful human who can grow through exploration. Our inner world exists in a social context. In a setting that aims to build safety through empathic listening, we work with the integration between inner and outer, body and mind, different aspects of self, and within relationship. Psychotherapy addresses the relational, between patient and therapist, between parent and infant or child, between romantic or parental partners, and within families.

Approach

My interest is in fellow human beings and I combine curiosity, warm safety and compassion in working with whatever each person presents. Therapy is never a one-size fits all process and the length of therapy depends on your needs and emotional availability for exploring your inner world while linking this to your being in the outer world. Whether you are suffering from loss, ill health, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, traumas, relational breakdown, identity challenges, isolation, a sense of existential meaningless, lethargy, and all of the other attacks that make life so painful and difficult, it is you I am interested in. Those factors are not the whole of you and we will work so that they do not define your whole existence. I work with people of all ethnicities, gender and sexual orientations. Having run a family practice and worked in diverse settings in a highly traumatised country, I bring my clinical experience as well as my keen academic interest together in helping my patients.
Contact Gael

Ask a quick question or arrange a time to meet.

Basic Information

In-person & Online

Services

Adult individual psychotherapy Couple psychotherapy Family relationship therapy Parent counselling Supervision of students and fellow practitioners Collegial consultations Couple Workshops Singleness Workshops Talks to the public on Couple Relationships

Services Offered:

  • Relationship Counseling

    Counselling for couples or partners focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and strengthening emotional connection.

  • Family Therapy

    A form of therapy that works with family members together to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relationships within the family system.

    Learn more about Family Therapy
  • Group Therapy

    Therapy conducted with a small group of people who share similar concerns, using peer interaction and diverse perspectives as part of the healing process.

    Learn more about Group 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
  • Psychodynamic Therapy

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

    Learn more about Psychodynamic Therapy
  • Supervision

    Professional oversight for therapists and counsellors, providing guidance, ethical support, and reflective space for their clinical work.

    Learn more about Supervision

Works With:

  • Adults
  • Couples
  • Families
  • Groups
  • Individuals
  • Organisations
  • Parents

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

  • Family Issues

    Difficulties within the family system, including conflict, communication breakdown, blended family tensions, or intergenerational patterns, that affect individual and collective well-being.

  • 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
  • Grief, Loss & Bereavement

    The emotional, physical, and psychological response to the death of a loved one or another significant loss, varying widely in duration and expression.

    Learn more about Grief, Loss & Bereavement
  • 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
  • Relationship Issues

    Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.

    Learn more about Relationship Issues
  • Intimacy Issues

    Difficulties with emotional or physical closeness in relationships, including fear of vulnerability, avoidance of connection, or sexual concerns.

    Learn more about Intimacy Issues
  • Depression

    A mood disorder marked by persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, and changes in energy, sleep, or appetite that impair daily functioning.

    Learn more about Depression
  • Anxiety

    Persistent worry, nervousness, or fear that is disproportionate to the situation and interferes with daily functioning.

    Learn more about Anxiety

Professional Title:

  • Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

    A psychotherapist who integrates psychoanalytic understanding into therapy, exploring unconscious dynamics and relational patterns.

Credentials

Registrations

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

Clinical Psychologist

Memberships; SAPC, SAPI, ACCP, JPACP, ICPPJ

Clinical Psychologist

Qualifications

MA Clinical Psychology

University of the Witwatersrand

Year: 1979

BA Speech and Hearing Therapy

University of Witwatersrand

Year: 1971

Psychology Honours

University of Cape Town

Year: 1973

Working with Groups: Introductory course, recognized by the Institute of Group Analysis, London

Ububele

Year: 2006

Career and Executive Coaching

UNISA

Year: 2007

Service Areas

My Practice in person AND Online

In-person & Online

Constantia

Cape Town, Western Cape

South Africa