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Practical, confidential therapy — in Johannesburg and online.

Real change takes investment, effort, and honest work, and you don't have to figure it out alone. Therapy is practical and goal-directed: giving you direction and tools, empowering you to leave each session with something concrete to take with you.

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Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Ordained Rabbi
SAAM Qualified Mediator
SACSSP · PCNS / BHF Registered
In-person & Online
Who You'll Work With

Rooted in
who you are.

Choosing the right therapist requires more than professional qualifications alone. An effective therapeutic relationship combines rigorous clinical training with a genuine appreciation of the values, culture, and lived experiences that shape a person's life. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and ordained Rabbi, I offer evidence-based therapy informed by both clinical expertise and an insider's understanding of the challenges that people face. Combining extensive experience in mental health and addiction recovery enables me to provide care that is compassionate, culturally informed, and clinically effective.

What you gain is not only theory. It is a toolkit refined through hundreds of real-life cases: relationship conflict, family breakdown, crisis, grief, identity, addiction, and resilience. Whatever you are carrying, you will be genuinely seen, spoken to with honesty, and given something real to work with. You should leave with more clarity, more capacity, and a clearer sense of what is possible for you.

You can meet in person in Johannesburg or online from wherever you are; clients currently connect from the UK, USA, Israel, Australia, and beyond.

Yaakov Bolel
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)SACSSP Registered · PCNS / BHF Registered · Practice No. 1260812
Rabbinic Ordination (Semicha)Laws of Shabbos, Kashrut & Nidda
Qualified MediatorSAAM Accredited · Solid Ground Mediation Training
Solution Focused Brief TherapySolution Focused Institute of SA · SACSSP 125/2023
Interactional Analysis & Attachment TherapyInspire 2 Strive · SACSSP 263/2022
Trauma-Informed PracticeChild's Voice Toolkit · SACSSP 126/2022
How It Works

How the work
actually happens.

The more you put in, the more you get out — though it does ask for real time, honest effort, and emotional energy.

01

Bring the work and receive the tools.

You will get practical frameworks, evidence-based techniques, and honest feedback which you can take into your life and use immediately, not just talk about.

02

The whole person, not just the problem.

Your situation does not exist in isolation. The work takes in the psychological, the relational, and the deeper dimensions of meaning and purpose, so nothing important gets left outside the room.

03

Honest and direct.

You need to feel seen, heard, and genuinely understood before you can be meaningfully challenged. That foundation comes first. Then the work gets direct: honest feedback, a push when it matters, and steady movement forward.

The evidence-based toolkit behind your sessions
Solution Focused Brief TherapyAttachment Therapy Trauma-Informed PracticeDialectical Behavioural Therapy Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Unified Protocol)Interactional Analysis Crisis InterventionMotivational Interviewing Spiritual Therapy
Services

What we can
work on together.

Each service is built around practical outcomes. You will leave every session with something concrete: a tool, a reframe, an action step.

Individual Therapy

Structured, goal-directed work for anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, life transitions, and identity. Sessions built to move you forward.

What you'll gain

Coping frameworks, cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, session-by-session goal tracking.

Men's Specialty

Men's Therapy

For those who would not normally sit in a therapist's office, this is built for you. Direct, practical, and grounded in how men actually engage with change.

What you'll gain

Emotion regulation, stress management, communication tools, accountability structures.

Couples Therapy

A structured space where both of you are genuinely heard. For when you are stuck in the same cycles, feeling disconnected, or navigating a crisis together.

What you'll gain

Communication frameworks, de-escalation techniques, conflict maps, shared goal-setting.

Addiction Recovery

Compassionate, practical support at any stage of your recovery — or for your family, if you are the one walking that road alongside someone you love.

What you'll gain

Relapse prevention planning, trigger identification, motivational frameworks, family communication tools.

Teenager Therapy

A safe, confidential space for teenagers, outside family and school systems. A place to process, grow, and feel genuinely heard.

What you'll gain

Emotional regulation, social skills, anxiety management, age-appropriate coping strategies.

Spiritual Therapy

For when you are navigating faith, religious identity, doubt, or the meeting point of Torah and your personal life.

What you'll gain

Integration frameworks for faith and psychology, halachic consultation where relevant, meaning-making structures.

Men's Specialty

Men's Group Therapy

Grow alongside men who show up for each other. A structured therapeutic and support group offering psychoeducation, social stimulation, accountability, and honest conversation.

What you'll gain

Curriculum across mental health, relationships, identity, purpose, and resilience.

Mediation

Resolve separation, divorce, co-parenting, and family conflict through a process both sides can trust and keep dignity intact.

What you'll gain

Structured negotiation framework, communication protocols, documented agreements. SAAM accredited.

Public Speaking & Training

Bring practical psychology to your organisation, school, community, or team through talks, workshops, and training with content tailored to the audience.

What your audience gains

Mental health literacy, addiction awareness, resilience, men's wellbeing, communication, conflict, and tailored topics on request.

Community Work

Programmes for your community,
organisation & business.

These programmes are already running and changing lives beyond the therapy room. If you want one for your people, team or community, it can be designed and facilitated accordingly.

Men's Specialty

Empowerment Groups

Therapeutic group · Tailored curriculum

Built to reach those who wouldn't necessarily walk into a therapist's office. This programme can cover mental health, relationships, family dynamics, communication, financial stress, anger management, identity, and purpose, with every curriculum structured around the specific needs of the men in the room.

Want a group of your own? Your shul, organisation, business, or community gets the full package: curriculum, structure, and facilitation, fully tailored to your context.
Curriculum tailored to your group
Communities, businesses & organisations

Community Learning & Connection

Weekly programme · Adaptable format

A recurring programme that sits between a learning and a therapy group. Informal enough to lower the threshold, structured enough to create real value. Format, frequency, and content are fully adaptable to the setting and the people in the room.

Your community, organisation, or business can launch its own version, including staff wellbeing programmes, leadership development, and workplace learning initiatives.
Format adaptable to your needs
Communities, businesses & organisations
FAQ

Common questions.

Fees are discussed and confirmed when you book. After every session you receive a detailed receipt with everything your medical aid needs for a claim.
Think of the first session as a conversation. We'll talk about what brought you here, I'll ask a few questions to better understand your situation, and we'll both get a feel for each other. I'll explain how I work, and together we'll decide whether it's the right fit. Most people find it far less daunting than they expected.
Yes. Confidentiality is fundamental. Everything stays between us, with narrow exceptions required by law, such as imminent risk of serious harm. I explain these at the outset.
Not at all. My rabbinic background is available when it is relevant and meaningful to you. It is never assumed or imposed. I work with people of all backgrounds.
This varies. My core approach is goal-directed and efficient. Some people see significant shifts in a handful of sessions. Others benefit from longer work. We review progress openly as we go.
The practice is PCNS / BHF registered, so after each session you receive a detailed receipt with everything your medical aid needs. Reimbursement depends on your specific plan and available benefits, so it is worth confirming with your scheme.
Online sessions are available to all clients, new and existing, anywhere in the world. I work across time zones.
24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. Late cancellations and no-shows may be charged at the full session rate. I apply this with flexibility where there is a genuine reason.
Contact

Ready to invest
in yourself?

Reach out in whichever way suits you. Response time is generally within one business day.

yaakovbolel@gmail.comResponse within one business day.
+27 78 281 6690WhatsApp or call. Your choice.
Johannesburg, South AfricaPractice No. 1260812
Online & InternationalSecure video sessions worldwide.
Sunday–Thursday, by appointmentMorning & evening slots. Closed Friday afternoon & Shabbos.

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Not for emergencies. This form is not for urgent matters or crisis situations. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call 0800 567 567 (SADAG) or your nearest emergency services immediately.