Petra Jerling

Petra is a registered music psychotherapist and positive psychology practitioner in private practice since 2013, after teaching music for 22 years. She has worked with Cerebral Palsy (CP), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Alzheimer's, autism, dementia, depression, stroke survivors, grief, physically and mentally disabled, and, most recently and predominantly, substance use disorder. Currently, she works at rehabilitation facilities and mental health clinics where the wellbeing of the patients is her priority. She also has weekly music making sessions at various retirement institutions.

Petra holds an M. Mus in music therapy from the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and an MA Positive Psychology (cum laude) from the North-West University. She completed her PhD with MASARA (Musical Arts South Africa: Research and Application) under supervision of Prof Liesl van der Merwe at North-West University. The research focus is people’s experiences of music and imagery as a therapy method during the pandemic, as everybody’s wellbeing had been influenced profoundly.

As a member of SA-ACAPAP (South African Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions), she was involved in a research project with adolescents who were directly or indirectly influenced by substance abuse. She is a committee member of the European Association for Music and Imagery (EAMI) serving as continuous training and education guide.

She also loves conducting her school choir at Helderberg International School. She feels blessed that God has granted her so many opportunities to realise her dream of helping others through music.