Dr Ingrid Artus

My story

After backpacking through Europe, I started my studies at the University of Johannesburg. I obtained a BA (Humanities) in 1997 and completed an Honours (Psychology) degree a year later. During my MA (Community Psych) training, I worked with psychiatric outpatients in the Orange Farm Clinic. This interaction prompted me to do research on the healing that I witnessed in this little community. The dissertation “Co-creating community with chronic psychiatric patients: The evolution of texts of identity” was the result of hours of group work, interviews and creative activity.  During this time I was also involved in development projects with children and adults in Soweto and Mamelodi.

After completing my master’s, I continued with a doctoral degree whilst working as a student counsellor at the University of Johannesburg. Here I developed a particular interest in the issues of life facing young adults and adolescents. These include career and subject guidance, relationship and family issues, working with trauma and abuse, assisting clients with personal growth as well as coping with life-stage developmental challenges.

In 2004 I obtained my D. Litt et Phil (Psych) degree. My doctoral thesis entitled “Women in prison: The communal (re) construction of crisis and the (trans) formation of healing identities”  was the result of a two-year relationship with a core group of women in the Johannesburg Female Prison. The formation of identity, the importance of healing communities and the possibility perspective of crisis were core features of this work. In 2007 I was awarded a fellowship with PEPFAR (The Unites States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief). I gained much experience in the field of HIV/AIDS care while working within community HIV clinics. I developed HIV counselling toolkits to assist healthcare workers to prepare patients for ARV treatment.

in 20211 I trained healthcare professionals at the Healthcare and Hospital Management Conference with a focus on the topic “The crisis of loss and practical grief management in the healthcare setting” .

As a Christian psychologist, Radio Pulpit has invited me on various occasions to do interviews on current topics. Some of them include:

I am passionate about assisting my clients to live their lives to the fullest potential. My vision is to positively impact our society by focusing on hope, forgiveness and possibility. My core values are to treat all people with dignity, respect and potential. I have leant that the journey of life is filled with many teachers – the only thing is, we often cannot identify them as such since they may enter our lives in the most unsuspecting guises. I have learnt the greatest lessons from the poor, the imprisoned and the psychiatric patient. My hope is that you too may be challenged to experience this journey called Life as a pathway of developmental possibilities!