Marita van der Riet

“Marita has an extraordinary ability to facilitate complex in-depth pshychological concepts and make it accessible within a non-judgmental atmosphere.” Anonymous Feedback Form

Marita has over forty years’ experience in many different disciplines of transformative psychology and integral health, which prepared her well for facilitating Mitra’s Employee Well-being and Resilience Programme, the Thrive Programme, as well as present “Recovery from Burnout” Information Sessions. Focusing on practical steps for recovery, Marita utilises her considerable skill set to build sustainable physical, mental and emotional resilience in leaders and teams.

In 1975 Marita completed her degree in Nursing at the University of Stellenbosch. While recovering from major surgery herself, questions arose about the root causes of illness and the quality of emotional support patients receive. This became the motivating factor that led her to obtain her Masters’ degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pretoria in 1979.

During her time as a psychotherapist in Canada and the US, her love for creative arts intersected with psychology as she completed a course in art and movement therapy at the Naropa Institute. Her interest in the work of Carl Jung was deepened when, in 1992, she attended a training seminar by Marion Woodman and Robert Bly.

On her return to South Africa, Marita lectured part-time at Rhodes University, after which she established an Integrative Practice, currently called Hummingbird Health, with her husband, Dr Fred van der Riet, where she incorporates play therapy and nutritional healing as some of her main modalities. She also completed an Advanced Diploma in Psycho-Analytic Psychotherapy through the South African Institute for Psychotherapy, and a two-year course in Infant Observation.

Marita is an experienced couple’s therapist and mind-body psychologist. In recent years, she has become a SoulCollage® facilitator, integrating psychotherapy, art, symbolism and spirituality.