Juliana Mendonça: Educational Psychologist
Education in Sandton

Ju. Juliana Mendonça is a registered Educational Psychologist Practicing in Johannesburg's northern suburbs.She offers various Therapeutic Services including: Play Therapy, Subject Choice Assessments, School Readiness Assessments, Neurodevelopmental Assessments, Educational Assessments, Adolescent Therapy and Group Therapy.She administers a range of Psychoeducational Assessments including Cognitive Assessments, Art Therapy, Career guidance and IEB/GDE concessions and accommodations.Juliana currently works at Curro Helderwyk School and Lefika La Phodiso offering therapeutic services.

Juliana believes in using a gentle yet boundaried approach in therapy. She believes in the importance of viewing each person as an individual and adjusts her techniques to meet the needs of her clients. Juliana obtained her Masters degree in Educational Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand. Juliana is currently practising in Rivonia and Bryanston where she is the director of the Spero Wellness Centre. These can do done on the school premises or a private venue can be arranged. Play is perhaps the most developmentally appropriate and powerful medium for young children to build adult-child relationships, develop cause-effect thinking critical to impulse control, process stressful experiences, and learn social skills. Play can provide a child the sense of power and control that comes from solving problems and mastering new experiences, ideas, and concerns. As a result, it can help build feelings of confidence and accomplishment. Play therapy involves the use of play in the interaction between the therapist and child. Through the play the child is able to address and process difficult emotions in a non-threatening environment. Play allows children a safe psychological distance from their problems and allows for the expression of true thoughts in a way which best suits their developmental level. Play therapy helps children with a wide variety of emotional, behavioural, social and developmental problems. Art therapy allows for the expression of feelings and thoughts in a way that can be less threatening than strictly verbal means. Art therapy provides clients with a safe and contained space where they can express and explore their thoughts and feelings through a variety of art materials. Parent-Infant Psychotherapy focuses on the relationship between parents and their infant. This is done by the therapist providing the parent with a safe space to explore their feelings about parenthood, thoughts on how they were parented and concerns about their relationships with each other and their infant. Parent-Infant Psychotherapy allows parents to explore and to try to understand the meaning of their babies communications and their responses to these. Parents experiencing feelings of low mood, anxiety or difficulty in adjusting to parenthood. Parents experiencing tension and conflict resulting from relationship difficulties. Parents who are lacking confidence in baby care or parenting abilities. The family is treated as a system where relationships are addressed and explored. Communications between family members are explored and challenged by the therapist. Group therapy can be arranged for people who would prefer working therapeutically in a group setting. After school groups that give children time to express their emotions and be active in a contained setting.