Occupational Therapists
Claire Prowse
BSc Occ.Therapy (1996)
Since graduating from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1996, Claire has been involved in developing, managing and facilitating occupational therapy programs for the treatment of mood, anxiety, personality and addiction disorders in both adults and adolescents. In addition, she has remained involved at UCT, lecturing occasionally and supervising students in psychiatry.
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Claire has been part of the Occupational Therapy Programme at Palm Tree Clinic since 2012, and continues to be instrumental in the ongoing success of the facility's treatment program.
Dominique Jason
BSc Occ. Therapy (2017)
Domonique graduated with a BSc in Occupational Therapy (Hons) from the University of Cape Town in 2017. During her career, she has been exposed to a broad range of mental health disorders and psychiatric illnesses.
She has previously worked in various mental health and addiction rehabilitation facilities, facilitating groups and individual therapy. She focuses on skills-based therapy and also has a strong passion for assisting and supporting those who struggle with substance use disorders and addictions. She has completed training in dialectical behavioural therapy and is a certified DBT trained therapist.
Domonique maintains a holistic approach to treatment. She believes that working in collaboration with her clients enables a safe and trusting space to become empowered, allowing them to develop essential life skills for coping with difficulties and challenges in their lives.
Mariaan Jacklin
BOcc. Therapy (2012), Dip. VocRehab (2014)
Mariaan graduated from the University of Pretoria in 2012, and completed a post graduate diploma in Vocational Rehabilitation in 2014. She has worked in a variety of settings including forensic mental health, injury on duty and return to work intervention, substance abuse rehabilitation and private psychiatric clinics.
She uses compassion-based, goal-directed behavioral approaches in individual therapy; facilitates group therapy using the dialectical behavior therapy approach; and conducts functional and work capacity assessments for individual and insurance purposes. She is passionate about adult and adolescent mental health, and supporting individuals in creating lives that are personally fulfilling and meaningful, and continues on changing lives for the better with her work at Palm Tree Clinic.
Tamsyn Meinking
BSc Occ. Therapy
Tamsyn Meinking is an innovative and energetic mental health therapist. Tamsyn graduated from The University of the Western Cape. Since then she has lived in two different provinces which have exposed her to diverse cultures before returning to Cape Town. She has worked in a variety of mental health, substance abuse and dual diagnosis settings. Tamsyn has had the privilege to manage an Occupational Therapy Department independently as well as work alongside a multi-disciplinary team.
She is passionate about balance, independence and action planning and makes use of a holistic treatment approach. She enables patients to identify areas of concern that interfere with their capacity to engage effectively within their roles. Thereafter, she facilitates positive change and efficient techniques to cope that allows for optimal performance.
What role does occupational therapy play in my management at Palm Tree Clinic?
Occupational therapy forms one component of mental illness treatment, and encompasses both group and individual therapy.
Using therapy sessions, occupational therapy aims to explore various skills in an attempt to do the following:
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Enhance self-esteem and self-image
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Encourage personality development
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Optimize one’s functionality
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Assist with stress and anxiety management
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Build healthy relationships and manage toxic ones
Occupational therapy aims to facilitate a process of growth and healing by encouraging patients to reflect on their behaviors that are not serving them well. By exposing patients to these behaviors, occupational therapy allows one to learn new skills. Additionally, it gives patients an opportunity to ‘practice’ skills they have learned in a safe and comfortable environment.