Pretoria · Nationwide · Online
Healing begins where the body feels safe enough to stay.
Trauma-informed psychotherapy, equine-assisted work and independent medico-legal assessments, grounded in polyvagal theory and 13 years of clinical practice.
About
Mind, body and everyday life
Sasja van der Merwe is a clinical psychologist in private practice at Brooklyn Office Park, Pretoria, with 13 years of experience as a clinical psychologist. Before that, she spent a decade as an occupational therapist in psychiatric, educational and clinical settings. This dual background shapes her work: she attends to both mind and body, and to how people function in their everyday lives.
She qualified as an occupational therapist at the University of Pretoria, and completed her Honours in Psychology (cum laude) and her MA in Clinical Psychology (summa cum laude) through UNISA. Her internship was at Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital, followed by community service at clinics in Bronkhorstspruit and Dark City.
She specialises in trauma and nervous system regulation, trained in polyvagal theory with Dr Stephen Porges and Deb Dana, and serves as South African ambassador for the Polyvagal Equine Institute (PVEI).
Congress presentations
- International Congress of Psychology, Prague (2024)
- Investigating the effects of a group therapy programme designed for a ward with in-patients in a forensic setting diagnosed with severe mental illnesses (with Dr DCJ Hoffman and Prof U Subramaney). PsySSA South African Psychology Congress (2013, 2015); IAGP African Regional Conference (2015)
- The importance of differentiation of the self of the psychotherapy trainee. International Congress of Psychology (2012); Southern African Students' Psychology Conference (2013); European Congress of Psychology, Stockholm (2013)
- Ensuring viable structural coupling with a community by gaining entry from a respectful position of informed not-knowing. Southern African Students' Psychology Conference (2013); European Congress of Psychology, Stockholm (2013)
Therapy
A safe, steady space to heal
All therapy is trauma-informed and grounded in polyvagal theory, helping clients understand their own nervous system responses and build lasting capacity for regulation, connection and resilience.
Individual therapy
Working through trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions and relational wounds.
Couples therapy
Moving out of cycles of conflict and withdrawal, repairing ruptures and building a relationship where both partners feel safe enough to be known.
Family therapy
Support through conflict, change, loss and transition, restoring communication so the family can be a source of safety.
Equine-assisted psychotherapy
Horses respond honestly to a person's inner state. Offered to individuals, couples, groups and organisations, especially where talking alone is not enough.
Assessments
Medico-legal and forensic evaluations
Independent, thorough psychological evaluations, written to the same clinical standard regardless of the instructing party.
Medico-legal
Road Accident Fund claims, personal injury and medical negligence matters.
Forensic
Criminal capacity and fitness to stand trial assessments.
Assessment rates depend on the nature of the assessment. Attorneys and instructing parties are welcome to contact the practice for rates, terms and availability.
Training and consultation
For professionals, teams and organisations
Clinical supervision
For psychologists and mental health professionals: case conceptualisation, ethical practice, trauma-informed work and the practitioner's own wellbeing.
CPD training
HPCSA-accredited training for health professionals in trauma, polyvagal theory and equine-assisted work.
Nervous system regulation
Workshops that translate polyvagal theory into practical, embodied tools for daily life and work.
Group processes
On-site facilitation for staff teams and organisations navigating stress, conflict or change.
Recorded trainings will be available through Wings with Roots.
For organisations · Wings with Roots
You cannot fly until you are grounded.
Wings with Roots, co-founded with neuropsychologist Liza Prinsloo, helps organisations understand and restore their people's capacity. When the brain registers that demands outweigh available resources, access to clear thinking, creativity and connection narrows. Our work helps teams shift that balance: not through willpower or positive thinking, but by working with how the brain and body actually respond.
Build the people, and the business follows.
Neuroscience-informed practice
Nervous system literacy grounded in contemporary neuroscience and polyvagal theory.
The Enneagram
A living map of personality and motivation, used to understand patterns rather than to label.
Equine-assisted learning
Horses respond to our internal state, not our titles, offering immediate and honest feedback.
Recorded trainings will be available on the Wings with Roots website. Wings with Roots is presented with The Siloah Project and the Polyvagal Equine Institute (PVEI). Follow: Facebook · Instagram
Get in touch
Psychotherapy is charged at medical aid tariffs; the practice is contracted out. Assessment rates depend on the nature of the assessment. Please contact the practice for details or to book.
Therapy is offered in person in Pretoria and online. Medico-legal assessments are conducted across South Africa, and equine retreats take place in the Western Cape through The Siloah Project.
Brooklyn Office Park, Block C
488 Fehrsen Street
Brooklyn, Pretoria, 0011