University of Cape Town

Cherith Langenhoven-Heber is a Registered counsellor with a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of the Western Cape and a Masters in Research Psychology from Stellenbosch University. She is currently a doctoral fellow at the University of Cape Town funded by the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI) II.

Cherith has worked in addiction, trauma intervention, community development, youth development, psychoeducation, family counselling, and secondary education. She conducted part-time child development research for the University of Cape Town, and participated in tertiary education within the field of applied psychology with a focus on Family work, Trauma work, Community development, Needs assessment in a SA context, Ethical principles and Social psychology at the South African College for Applied Psychology. Her qualifications and higher education career sparked further interest in family mediation practices because it consists of challenges around family dynamics and best practiced in the interest of the child. She completed her FAMAC mediation training in 2018 and has since conducted multiple successful family mediations at Children's court.

Cherith’s main research interests are child mental health, child adoption, child abandonment, and family mental health. Her doctoral thesis is focusing on school-based universal mental health programmes for children aged 6-9 years old who are living in South Africa. She aims to investigate universal pathways to mental health promotion for children in low resourced schools in South Africa.

Supervisors:

• Prof Katherine Sorsdahl, University of Cape Town

• A/Prof Claire Van der Westhuizen, University of Cape Town

• Dr Emily Garman, University of Cape Town