Jacqui is an occupational therapist specializing in the assessment and treatment of adolescents and adults with psychiatric conditions. She obtained her occupational therapy degree at the University of Pretoria with distinction and was a member of the Golden Key Foundation. Jacqui completed her community service year at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) in Soweto and continued working at CHBAH in the psychiatric unit for an additional two years and four months before staring her own private practise. Working in the psychiatric unit at CHBAH, Jacqui intervened with a range of adult psychiatric difficulties such as substance abuse, bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety and psychosis due to medical conditions such as HIV. She also supervised final year occupational therapy students and community service OT’s while at CHBAH.
Jacqui ran work rehabilitation programmes and helped developed and conduct a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme for clients experiencing their first psychiatric episode. Due to her dedication and expertise in the areas of psychiatry, Jacqui received CHBAH’s Occupational Therapist of the Year award in 2013. In 2013, Jacqui became an executive committee member of the interest group, Psychiatric OTs (POTS). Jacqui has done private work for organisations such as Life Riverfiled Lodge and Akeso Clinic.

Currently, Jacqui is in private practice with The CBT Group, working with  teenagers and adults.  This involves running various group and individual sessions and conducting cognitive, sensory, vocational and functional assessments.  Jacqui also facilitates the vocational rehabilitation process with clients who been off work due to psychiatric conditions.

She completed the 3-day Sensory Intelligence Practitioners Course in 2015 and provides individual sensory assessments and coaching to clients.

Ida has been working in the field of paediatric sensory integration since qualifying in 1998 as an Occupational Therapist. To her, sensory integration is the most powerful and addictive tool to achieve emotional and social wellbeing. Owning a thriving private practice for almost 15 years has embedded a daily sense of awe for Ida regarding powerful bottom-up sensory strategies in both the individual and group setting.
She completed a Mphil in Industrial Psychology in 2005 and has always been interested in working in adult mental health and corporate wellness. Overwhelmed and stressed parents as well as adolescent siblings of children seen in her practice are often on the verge of burn-out and have benefitted from sensory assessment and sensory self-management.

Her own bottom up strategies include napping, training, spicy foods, her well-worn track suit with a hot water bottle, as well as vigilantly guarding her need for silence at the end of a long day.

Ida believes that we all need the empowering wisdom of understanding our unique sensory assesss.

“If anything makes me tick, it is to establish meaningful relationships and equipping people to self-regulate and function at full throttle; and having fun while they’re at it.”

As an Occupational Therapist with more than 20 years’ clinical experience, Takkie’s ongoing passion is to be part of the healing process of her clients and patients.

“During rehabilitation, it is so fulfilling to see how an individual (especially with a mental health condition), is led through a process to better understand their strengths and challenges, and how to either overcome and/or manage their challenges. The Sensory Intelligence Tool is amazing in that it opens doors for our clients in the process of rehabilitation.”

“With my extensive clinical experience, ongoing passion in vocational rehabilitation and my training in the Sensory Intelligence Tool, I am excited to use this tool and be part of a positive change in people’s lives.”