Cecilia Engelbrecht
Counsellor
I specialise in:
About me
I am a relationship and intimacy counsellor supporting individuals and couples online. My work focuses on relationship strain, emotional disconnection, communication difficulties, intimacy concerns, betrayal recovery, relationship uncertainty, and the emotional impact of relocation or expat life.
My background includes a BA Honours in Psychology, a Bachelor of Education, and many years in education, learner support, communication, and psychoeducation. This has shaped the way I work: clearly, respectfully, and practically, with a strong focus on helping clients understand themselves and their relationships more fully.
I work with clients in English and Afrikaans. My sessions are counselling-focused and psychoeducational. I do not diagnose or provide medical or psychiatric treatment, and where a client’s needs fall outside my scope, I support appropriate referral to a psychologist, psychiatrist, doctor, emergency service, or other suitable professional.
I speak:
Location:
Approach
My approach is warm, structured, respectful, and practical. I aim to create a calm, non-judgemental space where clients can speak openly about sensitive relationship and intimacy concerns without feeling blamed, rushed, or dismissed.
In individual work, I support clients in understanding their emotional patterns, relationship needs, boundaries, self-confidence, and decision-making. I often help clients find clearer language for what they are experiencing, identify what feels stuck, and consider practical next steps.
In couples work, I help partners slow down difficult conversations, recognise recurring conflict cycles, improve communication, rebuild emotional safety, and explore what is needed for repair, reconnection, or clearer decision-making. My focus is not on taking sides, but on helping each person feel heard while also encouraging responsibility, honesty, and respectful communication.
In intimacy-focused work, I support clients with concerns around desire differences, emotional distance, sexual confidence, shame, trust, betrayal recovery, and the impact that stress, past experiences, parenting, relocation, or relationship conflict can have on closeness.
My work is informed by counselling, person-centred principles, solution-focused support, psychoeducation, and relationship-focused tools. I work at the client’s pace while still helping the process remain focused, safe, and useful.
