Counselling that meets you where you are - in Jeffreys Bay, or wherever you are in the world
Taking the first step towards counselling takes courage – especially when you’re not yet sure whether you can trust the person you’re reaching out to.
My name is Storme Brand. I’m a registered counsellor based in Jeffreys Bay, and I’ve been working with people through difficult times since 2012. I see clients in person at my practice in Jeffreys Bay, and online – across South Africa and with South Africans living abroad.
What I offer is a private, professional space where you can be completely honest. There is no situation too small or too large to bring. Whatever you’re carrying – whether it has a name or not – you don’t have to carry it alone.
What brings people to counselling?
People come to me for many different reasons. Some know exactly what they’re dealing with. Others just know that something feels wrong and can’t put their finger on it. Both are valid starting points.
I work with individuals dealing with:
- Trauma – including the kind that builds quietly over years, not only single events, and including crime-related trauma, workplace trauma and vicarious trauma
- Anxiety and the way it takes hold of thoughts, sleep, and daily decisions – including anxiety connected to safety, emigration, and the anxiety of return
- Depression and life challenges – including the low-level kind that makes everything feel heavier than it should, loneliness, and the emotional side of living with HIV
- Grief and loss – of people, relationships, places, or versions of yourself, including the grief of emigration, job loss, retirement, and the end of a relationship
- Relationship difficulties – with a partner, family members, or at work
- Major life transitions – emigration, career change, new parenthood, divorce
If what you’re dealing with doesn’t fit those categories, reach out anyway. A conversation costs nothing.
But what is counselling?
Counselling is a facilitated process – a structured space in which to understand a challenge more fully, and to find ways to move through it. It is not simply a conversation. A session requires you to engage honestly with what is difficult, often from angles you might not have considered before.
It also requires work outside the session. We will identify tools and approaches that are relevant to your specific situation, and these need to be practised and integrated into daily life. I will be alongside you through the process, but the change comes from the work you put in.
How I work - narrative therapy and CBT, integrated
I work integratively, drawing on two main approaches depending on what’s most useful for the person in front of me: narrative therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Narrative therapy helps people re-examine the stories they hold about themselves and their lives – separating the person from the problem, and creating space for a different kind of understanding. It’s non-blaming, respectful, and treats you as the expert in your own life.
CBT works with the same difficulties from a different angle – looking at specific thoughts, beliefs and behaviour patterns that sustain anxiety, low mood, or unhelpful responses, and working through structured, practical steps to shift them.
Neither is “the” approach. Most people benefit from some combination of both, and which leads – and when – depends on what’s useful for you. See the About page for more on how this works in practice.
Where is therapy offered?
I work with clients online across South Africa and with South Africans living abroad. Online counselling is conducted via Zoom, though I’m happy to discuss other secure video platforms if you have a specific preference or requirement. Sessions remove the barriers of distance and travel time while remaining private, confidential and effective.
Online counselling is available to clients across all South African provinces, as well as to South Africans living in the United Kingdom and Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Ireland, and to digital nomads and remote workers wherever they are.
My practice is based in Jeffreys Bay. I see clients in person from Jeffreys Bay, St Francis Bay, Humansdorp, Hankey and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). In-person sessions are always my preference when circumstances allow – building a therapeutic relationship is meaningfully easier face to face.
I also see clients online from across the rest of South Africa, including Cape Town and the Western Cape and Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Workplace and organisational counselling
I also work with organisations that need professional support for their teams. This includes trauma debriefing after a difficult incident – a robbery, a serious injury, or the death of a colleague – ongoing staff wellbeing support, and counselling for individuals navigating workplace challenges. See the Trauma Counselling page for more on how this works. Sessions can be conducted in person in the Kouga and Gqeberha area, or online for teams elsewhere in South Africa.
If you’re an employer or HR professional looking for trusted, confidential support for your staff, please get in touch to discuss what’s needed.
About me
I have been a practising registered counsellor since 2012. I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Honours in Psychological Counselling through UNISA, followed by the supervised practical work required for HPCSA registration (Registration no. PRC0023531). As part of maintaining this registration, I undertake ongoing professional development – including an Advanced Programme in Narrative Pastoral Therapy through the University of Pretoria – which means my clients benefit from an approach that continues to grow.
My sessions are recognised by most major South African medical aids. Clients receive an invoice with the necessary codes to submit a claim directly to their fund.
Before moving to Jeffreys Bay, I lived and worked in Gauteng – in Edenvale and Bedfordview – and completed my community service through Lifeline in Benoni. That background shapes how I work, particularly with clients navigating the pressures of city and urban life. See the Johannesburg & Pretoria page if this is your context.
My own family background is Zimbabwean – my family emigrated to South Africa when I was young, and much of my extended family has since emigrated again to other parts of the world. That gives me a personal, as well as professional, understanding of what it means to build a life far from where you started. See the About page for more.
Outside of work, I’m most likely to be found outdoors with my family. I value the kind of relationships that are honest and unconditional – which is, I think, not unrelated to why I do this work. If you’d like to know more about me, please see the About Storme Brand page.
Storme Brand Counselling – Jbay Therapy Hub, 16 Oosterland St, Jeffreys Bay, 6332, South Africa
Ready to take the next step?
You’re welcome to send a WhatsApp message if you’d like to ask something first. There’s no obligation in reaching out – sometimes a first conversation is all it takes to know whether this is the right fit. You can find current session fees on the pricing page.
If you’re unsure whether online or in-person counselling suits your situation, or whether counselling is the right support for what you’re going through, please ask. A good decision made slowly is worth more than a rushed one.
Frequently asked questions
A registered counsellor is a mental health professional registered with the HPCSA who works with people experiencing psychological distress, trauma, grief and life challenges. A psychologist is registered at a higher clinical level and can diagnose and treat more complex conditions. Both are regulated by the HPCSA. Counselling is often the appropriate and more accessible first step for many people. See the About page for more.
Sessions with an HPCSA-registered counsellor are recognised by most major South African medical aids. You pay per session and receive an invoice with the necessary ICD-10 codes to submit a claim to your fund. Cover depends on your specific plan – check with your medical aid provider regarding your benefit options. See the pricing page for current session fees.
There’s no particular state of readiness required. Most people arrive uncertain. What’s needed is a willingness to engage honestly with what’s difficult – that’s enough to begin. The first session is largely about getting to know each other and understanding what you’d like to work on.
My online practice is focused on individual counselling. In-person couples and family sessions can be discussed for clients in the Jeffreys Bay area – see the About page or get in touch to discuss what would be appropriate. If you’re navigating the end of a relationship or a divorce, individual counselling can be a valuable space to process that – see the Grief Counselling page for more.
A combination of narrative therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), integrated and adapted to what each person needs – see the “How I work” section above for more detail.
Yes. I work with organisations on trauma debriefing, staff wellbeing support and individual counselling for employees dealing with workplace challenges. Sessions can be arranged in person in the Eastern Cape or online for teams elsewhere. See the Trauma Counselling page for more, or get in touch directly to discuss requirements.
Yes – this is a significant part of my practice. See the Online Counselling page for an overview, and dedicated pages for the UK and Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Ireland, and digital nomads and remote workers.