I have had the pleasure of coming into contact with Joanne in the year 2012. I addressed her on an issue which came to my attention regarding my son’s behavior. My son had developed an extreme fear around water. He refused to bath in the bath tub and even had panic attacks when he was around a pool and the seaside.
During our initial meeting Joanne came across as helpful and showed eagerness to assist my family. She has the ability to make one feel at ease and we immediately felt free to discuss our issues. We spoke freely and she listened with concern. Joanne provided us with vital information regarding our problems and she at all times advised us that she would guide us to a solution.
Her interaction with my son has had a positive impact on our entire family. She helped ease away his fears and made him feel comfortable at all times. He has now come to love the water and is also growing to be a calmer little boy. She helped us realize how important it is to raise your child with a more positive attitude and to help them develop a stronger character.
Joanne’s expert advice on children’s behavior is remarkable and her ability to create a sense of calmness around a child is quite unique. The therapy sessions we had with her has played a great role in the positive atmosphere surrounding our family. I recommend Joanne to any person seeking a solution with regard to their child’s behavioral problems.
Joanne clearly is an expert in her field and I sincerely hope that she continues doing her work with all those in need.
Mrs. Kulsoem Govender
Joanne Galliven: Our special experience:
My family and I met Joanne (JoJo) in a very stressful and difficult time in our lives. I was currently teaching in a preschool and facilitating my own children in the same environment. My son was battling to emerge from under my wing and finding no respect for the other adults in the school environment. He was clamming up emotionally, had few connections with his peers and had become academically bored. The staff at the preschool gave up on trying to connect with him and left any form of guidance and direction to me. So I was both professional educator and mother simultaneously in the same environment with little support from colleagues.
This led to much strain on me and my son. Joanne gave us such a safe, warm supportive and understanding platform from which to help my unhappy son and facilitate a few more months of this unusual and stressful situation. I had subsequently resigned and my children were moving on to formalised schooling in a new environment. My son looked forward eagerly to his afternoon sessions with JoJo and became excited and animated to see her. He slowly began to show signs of emotional growth and began to voice his unhappy feelings and distress (previously unknown to anyone). I finally got insight into his busy mind and body through Joanne’s diligent and intuitive understanding of him and his growing ability to share his thoughts and feelings. Both my son and I felt no judgement from Joanne and were able to work through the last six months of the school year with her ongoing support and guidance.
Today my son attends a new school and I am a stay at home mother. In stark contrast to last year when he wouldn’t get out the car at preschool, groaned about being bored and socially opted out-this year he is a bright-eyed, enthusiastic member of his Grade R group. He has such energy for school and has grown in independence and self assurance. He is making friends, participating in group activities and is demonstrative and articulate in his thoughts and feelings. We will always hold a special place in our hearts for Joanne and how her support and love has helped our family develop a happier, more balanced and harmonious lifestyle. We have our gorgeous young boy back who loves life and is a joy to have in any environment. Joanne is a very special, gentle natured and kind-hearted lady who we as a family have the greatest respect for and gratitude towards.
Robyn and family
I would not hesitate to recommend Joanne for her sessions. A lot of her feedback was an eye-opener for me as a parent. It made me see the world through Ethan-James eyes and I am so grateful for that. Joanne is friendly and very efficient too. My boy loved his sessions with “JoJo”.
George Family
My husband and I consulted Joanne Galliven seeking help for behavioural issues we were having with our 8 year old daughter.
Joanne met with to me, my husband and our daughter separately.
She was incredibly easy to talk to and our daughter felt very comfortable with her.
Joanne was sympathetic and very insightful. She gave us incredibly helpful feedback in a tactful and non-judgmental way.
We have all benefited hugely from our sessions with Joanne and our relationship with our daughter is improving thanks to Joanne’s advice.
I would unreservedly recommend Joanne to everyone seeking relationship and behavioural counselling.
Justine Guyton, Cape Town
Joanne is extremely passionate about her work. She is patient and has unconditional love for all children. She has determination and incredible perseverance and is able to communicate in a fun and playful manner which children respond to very well. Joanne is always in her integrity in her interactions and has deep compassion for the child and his journey. She creates a trusting relationship with the child whereby the child is seen for who he truly is and is then confident to express from a more self empowered place.
Pastal Kolevsohn– Montessori Teacher
“The minute I met Joanne I knew we’d come to the right person. The energy that surrounds her is beautiful and tangible. She gave me the tools to help me parent my son in the correct way. And helped him find his self confidence and come out of his shell. After a few sessions with Joanne his temper tantrums are now short lived and more infrequent, and my husband and I now know how to deal with them without crushing his spirit.”
Bronwyn, Cape Town
The first time I met Joanne, I was struck by her confident self expression and her commitment to authenticity. Joanne has been an incredible support to my teenage daughter by holding space for her with a valuable sensitivity and gentle integrity. My daughter was struggling to engage with the “real world”, deep in her own fantasy, her school work, friendships and general well-being were compromised. Joanne’s sessions have given my daughter a safe place to express the intensity of emotions that move through her (especially now, as her body changes), as well as a place to heal her anger, sadness and loss around my separation from her father. Joanne has engaged with my child on a mental, physical and spiritual level, and this well rounded approach has been a perfect match for her and she wishes she had her “own little Jo”, to fit in her pocket, (like a Vassalisa doll). This relationship is strengthening her self-confidence, her friendships at school, her work ethic, and she is able to engage with me and the rest of her family with much more warmth and affection. I can highly recommend Joanne’s conscious approach to children and her powerful presence, and am truly grateful for the role she has played in my daughter’s life.
Carey, Cape Town
“I entrust one of my most important and precious relationships to Joanne…..My relationship with my child. Joanne has the ability to reach the areas in my child that I cannot, no matter how uncomfortable it is to say that. With love, understanding and great respect Joanne guides my child through growth, change and adaption.”
A Bakkes – Coach
Joanne est une thérapeute à l’écoute, que ce soit des enfants ou de leurs parents.
Son approche de travail est toujours positive, très douce mais ferme et en profondeur.
Elle parvient au travers de méthodes éducationnelles efficaces à redonner des outils aux parents trop épuisés
ou en perte de confiance pour gérer les difficultés comportementales de leur enfant.
Et lorsqu’un petit retrouve ses repères, c’est l’équilibre de tout le foyer qui se remet en place.
Francophone, elle peut ainsi aisément traiter des enfants qui ne sont pas suffisamment à l’aise pour effectuer leur thérapie en anglais.
Un vrai cadeau pour toute la famille.
Joanne is a therapist who is attentive to children and their parents.
Her approach is always very positive and soft, but also solid and deep.
Through efficient educational methods, she succeeds in giving back tools to parents who are too exhausted or who have lost their confidence, and are not able to manage their kid’s problematic behavioural attitudes anymore.
And when a child gets better, it is the entire home who feels better and rebalanced.
As she speaks French, she can easily treat children who are not comfortable enough to have their therapy in English.
A real gift to the whole family.
Pom Madendjian, Cape Town