Meet the Happy team

 Elsie is the owner, founder, and creative force behind A Happy Place Counselling Services.

Elsie is an autistic counsellor and mother who focuses on assisting young adults, teenagers, and children in overcoming obstacles in life. Her sessions are practical and tailored to your interests and strengths, ensuring that you feel supported, learn practical and useful skills, and learn more to understand yourself better in a judgment-free setting.

Elsie has completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Social Science Honours Degree in Psychology. She has also received extensive training to support individuals with a Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (PDA) profile, facilitate socio-emotional screenings, incorporate Cognitive Behavioural interventions, apply Internal Family Systems (IFS) techniques, DASEL screenings, support authentic and robust AAC, understand Gestalt Language and Cognitive Processing, and facilitate trauma incident reduction (TIR) sessions. She is currently developing her skills as a registered student social worker with a major in psychology and practicum focused on clinical social work.

Her special interests include:

• Working with autistic tweens, teenagers, and young adults
• Supporting high-masking and late-diagnosed neurodivergent individuals
• PDA (Pervasive Drive for Autonomy or Pathological Demand Avoidance) support
• Improving connection between young children and parents

Specialist Wellness Counsellor, ASCHP: SWC21/878

Student Social Worker (Nr for Practicum Use Only), SACSSP: 4062975

 Our office manager has over 30 years of experience as an educator, with a deep commitment to remedial education.  Aletta ensures that you receive compassionate care throughout your experience with us. 

Aletta is available virtually on our WhatsApp line to ask questions, communicate feedback from the counsellors, and manage your payments, booking of sessions, and contracting. She takes pride in ensuring the practice is orderly and that you feel comfortable.

Her expertise in managing both people and our processes is vital to the supportive atmosphere of our practice.

"Kindness is doing what you can, where you are, with what you have. Kindness is a silent smile, a friendly word, a nod of encouragement. Kindness is the most powerful thing we can teach children." - Raktivist

Nadia is a highly experienced mental health counsellor with over 20 years of expertise spanning the corporate, NGO, and community sectors across Africa. Her extensive background includes couples counselling, change management implementation, and training programme facilitation. Nadia offers a personalised and solution-focused approach tailored to each individual's unique preferences and needs.

Nadia’s trauma-informed expertise encompasses:

- Navigating change

- Trauma debriefing

- Abuse recovery

- Infidelity and betrayal trauma

- Couples counselling

- Narcissistic abuse recovery

Nadia is based in Rosebank, Johannesburg. You can learn more about her services at https://themindspace.co.za/home and book a session with her via WhatsApp on +27 69 889 9518