DR. CHARL DE WET
REGISTERED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
ABOUT
Dr. Charl de Wet is a Registered Clinical Psychologist (R. Psych.) with the College of Alberta Psychologists. He holds a Doctorate in Literature and Philosophy from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Masters Degree from the University of Potchefstroom. He has been practicing for more than 30 years. He is experienced in dealing with children, adults and couples.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Dr. de Wet provided psychological services in the northern war torn South West Africa (now Namibia) in the late eighties for four years. Subsequently he worked in remote northern communities in Manitoba and Alberta. These postings required an objective, generalist approach to a wide variety of problems in very isolated environments. He worked with individuals, couples, families, groups and organizational structures. For the last 20 years he has been practicing in Canmore and Calgary in southern Alberta.
The approach used is no nonsense, objective and solution focused. Dr. Charl is kind and considerate of the unique individual issues that patients present with, accommodating of their idiosyncracies and belief systems. He listens intently and has the ability to focus on the underlying issues. Within this framework he tends to use a variety of therapeutic techniques and strategies to accomplish forward moving progress in a pragmatic, yet respectful, manner. His basic belief about therapy is that he is working with an N of 1 (population group of one, the person or couple he is dealing with in front of him). There are no pre-decided answers or solutions to problems.
The benefits of working with Dr. Charl is the assurance that you are dealt with on your terms, you are really listened to, and he is trying to understand your frame of reference, your motivations, and working with you to help in the best possible way. He really understands that healing is a journey and he is willing to either be a road marker, pointing the best direction, or a travel companion.
Assessment is ongoing for individuals and couples, to determine whether treatment goals are met and also to look at the subjective experience of his patients. He generally works on a short term therapy format, anywhere from one to ten sessions, although, when required he sees patients over a period of years, either continuously or intermittently, as life unfolds.
SERVICES
Personalized Care and Guidance
Private Practice
Dr. Charl de Wet Psychological Services - Canmore
Dr. Charl de Wet in association with Age Management Institute - Calgary
EAP Service through Health Canada
Areas of specialty include: Child abuse, sexual abuse issues, adult assessment and adult problems, ADHD, anxiety, bereavement and grief work, brain health and a holistic psychological integration to your problems, burnout, cross-cultural and aboriginal issues, the treatment of depression, chronic pain syndrome, marital therapy which included training as an Imago therapist and Emotionally Focused Couple therapist, PTSD and critical incident stress debriefing, parenting issues, organizational development work with individuals and groups, weight loss and brain health, and contracted service provider for various Employment Assistance Programs.
GENERAL SERVICES
Provision of a full spectrum of clinical psychological services, which include individual and couple assessment and psychotherapy. Methodology is mainly cognitive - behavioral, with a strong accent on eclecticism. Dr. de Wet has been, apart from being an accomplished clinical practitioner, a relational and marital therapist for 31 years.
Areas of specialty include: Abuse issues, adult assessment and adult problems, ADHD, anxiety, bereavement and grief work, brain health and a holistic psychological integration to your problems, burnout, cross-cultural and aboriginal issues, the treatment of depression, chronic pain syndrome, marital therapy which included training as an Imago therapist and Emotionally Focused Couple therapist, PTSD and critical incident stress debriefing, parenting issues, organizational development work with individuals and groups, weight loss and brain health, and contracted service provider for various Employment Assistance Programs. Dr. de Wet is one of the foremost experts in Canada on Critical Incident Stress Debriefing.
ASSESSMENT
An important area of expertise for many clinical psychologists is psychological assessment, and there are indications that as many as 91% of psychologists engage in this core clinical practice. Such evaluation is usually done in service to gaining insight into and forming hypotheses about psychological or behavioral problems. As such, the results of such assessments are usually used to create generalized impressions rather than diagnoses.
There exists literally hundreds of various assessment tools, although only a few have been shown to have both high validity (i.e., test actually measures what it claims to measure) and reliability (i.e., test is consistent—internally, over time, and regardless of administrator). These measures generally fall within one of several categories, including the following:
Clinical observation.
The clinical interview is at the heart of psychological interventions and is a vital part of assessment, even when using other formalized tools, which can employ either a structured or unstructured format. Such assessment looks at certain areas, such as general appearance and behavior, mood and affect, perception, comprehension, orientation, insight, memory, and content of communication. One common example of a formal interview is the mental status examination, which is often used as a screening tool for treatment or further testing.
Personality tests.
Tests of personality aim to describe characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings that remain relatively stable throughout a person's lifetime. They generally fall within two categories: objective (offering restricted, measured responses, such as yes/no, true/false, or a rating scale) and projective (which allow a person to respond to ambiguous stimuli, presumably revealing non-conscious psychological dynamics). Typical objective tests used today are the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III, and the California Psychological Inventory. Common projective tests include the Rorschach inkblot test and the Thematic Apperception Test.
Neuropsychological tests.
Neuropsychological tests consist of specifically designed tasks used to measure psychological functions known to be linked to a particular brain structure or pathway. They are typically used to assess impairment after an injury or illness known to affect neurocognitive functioning, or when used in research, to contrast neuropsychological abilities across experimental groups. Examples include the Stroop test, the Bender-Gestalt Test, the Trail Making task, and finger tapping.
PSYCHOTHERAPY
The art and science of psychotherapy in especially individual and relationship context has been practiced by Dr. de Wet for in excess of 31 years. If you are serious about effecting change in your life and are willing to work at it, then you are welcome to contact Dr. de Wet for help.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education
D. LITT. ET PHIL.
1995 - 1997
University of South Africa
M.A. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
1984 - 1985
PU for CHE (Potchefstroom University)
B.A. HONS.
1983
UOFS (University of the Orange Free State)
B.A.
1980 - 1982
UOFS (University of the Orange Free State)
PSYCHOLOGICAL WORK EXPERIENCE
PRIVATE PRACTICE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
1997 - Present
Canmore/Calgary, Alberta
PRIVATE PRACTICE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
1996 - 1997
High Prairie, Alberta
PRIVATE PRACTICE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
1991 - 1996
Norway House Hospital Manitoba
Cross Lake Nursing Station
Shammatawa Nursing Station
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
1986 - 1991
South African Medical Services
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
1996 - Present
COLLEGE OF ALBERTA PSYCHOLOGISTS REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST (#2300)
1996 - Present
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF ALBERTA
EXTENDED WORK EXPERIENCE
Professional Career
PRIVATE PRACTICE CLINICIAN
2006 - Present
Private clinical psychologist operating in the Bow Valley and Calgary area.
CLINICAL SERVICE PROVISION TO NAKODA NATIONS (PART-TIME)
1998-2006
Working first two days a week and later one per week providing the full spectrum of psychological services to First Nations on reservation.
FEE FOR SERVICE PRACTICE (ALBERTA)
1996-1997
Private practice in High Prairie and Lesser Slave Lake area (Grouard, Whitefish Lake, Sucker Creek, Joussard, and Kinuso). Full spectrum of applied clinical psychology work with children, adults and families.
FEE FOR SERVICE PRACTICE (MANITOBA)
1991-1996
Work as a clinical psychologist in the aboriginal communities of Norway House, Cross Lake and Shamattawa. Full spectrum of applied clinical psychological practice work; assessment, report writing, treatment and program development with children, adults and families. Applied cross-cultural psychology. Working as an EAP counselor in communities in Manitoba above the 53 rd parallel and involved in Critical Incident Stress Management Services, Medical Services Branch (MSB) as a debriefing specialist in the whole of Manitoba, debriefings especially for MSB nurses and RCMP.
PRIVATE PART TIME CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE IN SOUTH AFRICA
1990-1991
Full spectrum of applied clinical practice work including assessment, treatment and report writing.
DIRECTORATE OF PSYCHOLOGY, SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL SERVICES
1990-1991
Head of Therapeutic Services. Administrative and functional supervisor of approximately 180 psychologists in the Directorate of Psychology, South African Medical Services.
SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL SERVICES, SECTOR 10, OSHAKATI
1987-1990
A remote war torn region in northern South West Africa. Working as a psychologist in the military, involved in community psychology, military psychology, organizational development, and clinical service provision. Development and implementation of a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Management Program to service members and civilians.
CONTACT ME
Calgary Location:
Age Management Institute
#113 – 7015 Macleod Trail SW
(Entrance on the north side of the building)
Calgary, AB, T2H 2K6
Canmore Location:
Suite 207B - 1205 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, AB, T1W 1P5
Email: charldewet@shaw.ca
Phone: 403-609-1380
