Educational Psychologist / opvoedkundige sielkundige

Chereen Cloete

Hours

Mon-Fri
by Appointment Only

Contact number

Chereen Cloete

Chereen Cloete is an Educational Psychologist currently in private practice. In 2005, she obtained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from UNISA, after which she went on to teach in the foundation phase for three years. She attained her Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Pretoria, completing her internship year at the Centre for Psychological Services and Career Development (PsyCaD) at the University of Johannesburg in 2012

Before venturing into private practice, she first worked at the ADD Lab and then at Pretoria Boys’ High School where she was employed as a Psychologist. Her task portfolio at the school involved learning support and guidance to educators, learners and parents, as well as collating and submitting the concession applications to the Department of Education. Chereen is a Tomatis Level-One Practitioner, as well as an Interactive Metronome (IM)Practitioner.

She has co-authored an article in the Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and has presented at the PsySSA Conference in 2011 and the ICP Congress in 2012. She has written articles for a number of magazines and has been interviewed on radio. The focus of her practice is assisting children by using an integrated approach in identifying and addressing any learning difficulties or behavioural obstacles that may interfere with their ability to realise their full potential.

Treatments and Diagnosis

Psycho-educational Assessment

Psycho-educational assessments are recommended when a child may be struggling at school and performing below that which they may be capable of. An assessment will be able to assess if a child may have any learning difficulties, scholastic difficulties or executive functioning difficulties. Psycho-educational assessments evaluate a child’s thinking/reasoning abilities and underlying psychological processes (e.g., memory, attention, processing, and executive functioning), academic achievement (e.g., reading, writing, math, and oral language), behaviour and social-emotional functioning in the context of their stage of development and in comparison to children of the same age. The goal of a “psycho-ed” assessment is therefore to identify areas of strength as well as the barriers learners may be experiencing, be it ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia to name a few. Once the barriers have been identified recommendations can be made and these areas targeted through intervention or additional support.

School Readiness Assessment

Besides the obvious implication that a child who is not school ready may simply not cope in class. A child who is not ready for grade 1 most likely feels completely overwhelmed in class, and may develop a fear or dislike of school all together. It is thus crucial to establish that a child is indeed “school ready” before enrolling them for Grade 1. If a learner is to repeat grade 1 the Department of Education requires an assessment be done by an educational psychologist recommending that the child is at this stage not ready for formal schooling and for what reason, i.e. cognitive readiness, emotional immaturity or perceptual immaturity. During the assessment process, a child’s cognitive development, physical and sensory motor development, as well as social and emotional development, are assessed to determine whether a child has the necessary skills to meet the demands that formal schooling poses.

Accommodation/Concessional Assessments

Concession or accommodation assessments by an educational psychologist are required by schools, education departments and the IEB when applying for learners to be granted concessions or accommodations during examinations. The type of concessions/accommodations will depend on the results of the assessment. The aim is to allow a fair and equal opportunity for the learner to perform academically, without giving them an unfair advantage. Assessments for GDE Concessional/Accommodation applications as well as IBE Concessional/Accommodations applications can be assisted with.

Subject Choice and/or Career Guidance

Subject choice and/or career assessment are tools that are designed to help individuals understand how a variety of personal attributes (i.e. interests, values, preferences, motivations, aptitudes and skills) impact their potential success and satisfaction with different career options and work environments. The assessment will aid an individual in the discovery and exploration of potential subject choices as well as study and career opportunities.

Tomatis® Listening Therapy and Interactive Metronome (IM)

I am a Tomatis® Level-One Practitioner, as well as an Interactive Metronome (IM) Practitioner. Please visit www.integratedkids.co.za or www.tomatis.com or www.interactivemetronome.com for information on these therapies.

Testimonials

Chereen is n wonderlike opvoedkundige sielkundige wat ek enige tyd sal aanbeveel. Sy stap werklik die ekstra myl vir haar pasiente. Ek het uit radeloosheid een aand op n lys af gegaan van sielkundiges en gehoop ek kom by n persoon uit wat my weer hoop sal kan gee, vir my besige seun, wat so sukkel om sy skool werk te doen. Sy was ‘n wonder werker. Met een psigo-opvoedkundige assesering het ons tot by die wortel van die probleem uitgekom en met bietjie meer as n maand se terapie, het ek vandag n ander kind. Die boodskappe wat jy stuur om te hoor hoe gaan dit, dit maak dit net meer spesiaal. Baie baie dankie Chereen. Baie dankie dat jy werklik belangstel in jou kliente/pasiente. Jy maak die veg die moeite werd.

My first contact with Chereen was to schedule an educational assessment for my young son. She was friendly, professional and excellent in communicating what we would be doing and managing our expectations. Since then Chereen has become my go to person with regards to any advice or guidance I need around my sons schooling. What I most appreciate about Chereen is that even though she always remains professional, she is hugely empathetic. Being a parent is both a blessing and a challenge, especially so if your child does not quite fit the average box. Chereen’s psycho-educational assessment was thorough, her recommendations solid and she has remained both a supporter and a sounding board who took a personal interest in our sons progression. She really does go the extra mile for her young patients. I can whole heartedly recommend Chereen’s services as not only as an experienced professional in her field but also as voice of support and guidance

We are eternally grateful for meeting Chereen! We needed our son to be assessed for IEB concessions. Chereen was affordable, very helpful and the reports were provided swiftly. She really went above and beyond what we expected – she guided and motivated our son with his subject choices. She even scheduled an appointment with all the subject teachers at our son’s school to give feedback on his assessment, in order for them to understand his learning difficulties. We would recommend Chereen Cloete to any parent.