Kirsten Meyer

South Africa

Kirsten Meyer is a registered member of the Health Professions Council of South Africa. She obtained her Postgraduate Diploma in Dramatherapy from the University of Hertfordshire (UK) in 1999.  She has worked extensively throughout South Africa in various fields as therapist, facilitator and educator.

She is co-founder and co-director of the Zakheni Arts Therapy Foundation and has run Dramatherapy groups with diverse communities including: female offenders, children and adolescents living with HIV and AIDS. At present, much of her NGO work is focussed around the FireMaker Project; a development project that aims to skill care workers working with children affected and infected by HIV, to use drama, art and play in psychosocial support.

She has run Dramatherapy groups for children and adolescents living with HIV and on antiretroviral treatment for the past five years, developing psychosocial programmes for children and their caregivers.

Kirsten runs a small private practice and regularly conducts workshops on Dramatherapy for interested organisations and individuals.

Before qualifying as a Dramatherapist, Kirsten taught drama at St Barnabas College, for six years. After qualifying as a Dramatherapist her education work has continued. She has worked in a percentage capacity for Wits University School of Education training drama educators for 18 months.  She also lectures part time at Wits School of the Arts in Applied Drama methods.

She regularly conducts workshops for the Curriculum Development project with Arts and Culture educators around the country.

She consults as a therapist for AFDA Johannesburg (the independent school of live and motion picture), as well as lecturing there part-time.

Kirsten is a registered facilitator with the Skills Development SETA.  Her experience and expertise lies in creative group facilitation.  She has been facilitating corporate and organisational workshops over the past seven years for various training and development companies.

She brings with her a sound understanding of the creative arts and how they can be used effectively in education, healing and transformation.