Nadine Dantu (counselling)

I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and then went onto graduating with my Honours degree in Psychology a year later. Both my Psychology degrees taught me many skills for my career as a counsellor such as crisis intervention, understanding and treating mental health disorders a behavioral problems, understanding how diversity plays a role in treating someone, and how to write case reports and create treatment plans for therapy. 

I started mentoring and facilitating teenagers in a catechism programme at my church a few years ago. My role was to catechise, facilitate group discussions, engage in relational ministry, and be a go-to person for any teens struggling with any challenges, especially as I was the only person with a degree in Psychology. In addition to this I have volunteered as a counsellor for two different counselling centres. I conducted sessions with clients face to face and telephonically. I have dealt with anger management cases, addiction recovery cases, depression and anxiety cases, crisis intervention such as suicide and self harm and rape, behavioral issues, stress management, etc. 

My previous formal and paid role was as an addiction recovery coach. I worked mainly in tobacco cessation, but in my volunteer work I helped people using harder drugs and alcohol. My responsibilities as an addiction recovery coach or quit coach was to conduct coaching calls, provide constant support and help to my clients, provide them with NRT or any other forms of harm reduction when quitting smoking, and help them with their quit through CBT therapy. In this role, I also had some cases where clients struggled with depression and anxiety which became more challenging when they were quitting so I had to help them cope with both their mental health and quitting at the same time.