Abbreviated CV

Dr Elna Schoeman-Steenkamp started her career as a Speech Therapist and Audiologist. She realised that there are very often underlying emotional problems that need to be addressed before healing can take place. She furthered her studies in Psychology and obtained a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pretoria in 1985. On completion of her internship at Weskoppies hospital she started a private practice. She joined the cochlear implant team at the University of Pretoria, where she played the role of psychologist on the team for 15 years, working with hearing-impaired people. She attained a Doctorate from UNISA on her work with hearing-impaired people.

Dr Elna Schoeman-Steenkamp has been a speaker at various national as well as international conferences on the topic of spontaneous healing as well as the role of nutrition in emotional well being. She is a founder member of The SHIP^® Foundation, has been a SHIP^® for Adults Facilitator since 2001, and obtained her SHIP^® for Adults Trainer status in October 2004.

Abbreviated CV

Dr Irene Strydom completed two Master’s degrees in Educational Psychology (1991) and Guidance and Counselling (1999) at UNISA, both with distinction and received performance awards from UNISA for both these degrees. In 1995 she received her Doctorate from UNISA. Irene also completed three certificate courses at the University of Johannesburg in 2003 (Certificates in Psychopathology, Neurology and Personology) and a Master’s degree (with distinction) in Counselling Psychology (University of Pretoria) in April 2008.

Irene Strydom is registered as an Educational and Counselling Psychologist and runs a private practice. She used to head the Brooklyn Child and Adult Guidance and Development Centre in Pretoria, where therapeutic and remedial services are offered. Irene was a senior lecturer at the University of South Africa (UNISA) till 2007 where she trained registered counsellors and educational and counselling psychologists.

Irene is registered as a SHIP^®forAdults Facilitator and is an interim trainer of SHIPiC^®, which is an application of spontaneous healing principles in child therapy. She has been instrumental in the further development of SHIPiC^®. She also serves on the Board of Management of The SHIP^® Foundation.
In 2005 Dr Strydom presented two papers on spontaneous healing at international conferences in Cambridge and Cape Town.

Abbreviated CV

Dr Jaco van der Walt obtained his MA (Clinical Psychology) degree at the University of Pretoria and completed his internship at Weskoppies Hospital in Pretoria. He registered as a Clinical Psychologist in January 1992 and obtained his PhD (Psychotherapy) degree in 2001 at the University of Pretoria.

He has been working extensively in the psychotherapy and trauma fields as a clinician, project manager, lecturer and researcher. He is also a former board member of the South African Institute for Traumatic Stress and the Gauteng Business Against Crime Victim Empowerment Management Board.

He has been a member of a psychology private practice in Centurion since 2004. He worked at the Psychological Service of the South African Police Service for more than 12 years, where he was Head of Department in Gauteng and also Provincial Head of the Employee Assistant Services in the same province.

He has given numerous lectures and presentations on a variety of topics and held many training sessions and workshops at various hospitals, clinics, organisations, businesses and conferences.

He is a founding member of The SHIP^® Foundation and is a registered SHIP^®forAdults and SHIP^®forAcuteTrauma trainer and chairperson of The SHIP^® Foundation. He is the founder of SHIP^®forAcuteTrauma and has also written various articles on SHIP^®.

He specialises in psychotherapy for adults (SHIP^®forAdults), trauma psychotherapy (SHIP^®forAcuteTrauma), debriefing and marital therapy.