Meet Kegan
Of utmost importance to Kegan is the spending of time with his family. Outside of this, he also loves being both active and contemplative. When active, Kegan enjoys surfing, trail running, mountain biking, playing tennis and gardening. In a more reflective space, Kegan can be found reading a good book on personal development, watching inspirational videos, or having meaningful interactions with others. Kegan considers his ability to support others as a psychologist as a truly rewarding privilege.
So where did Kegan’s journey to becoming a psychologist start?
Kegan began his tertiary education at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in South Africa in 2003. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and qualified as a Registered Counsellor in 2007. In 2008, he worked at the Student Counselling, Career & Development Centre (SCCDC) at NMMU, offering a range of psychological services to young adults, including: counselling, assessment, and psycho-educational programmes. In 2009, he worked at the Centre for Access Assessment and Research (CAAR) at NMMU, where he assisted with the assessment (aptitude and career) of prospective university students.
In 2010 he successfully completed his Master of Social Science in Counselling Psychology at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. Kegan returned to Port Elizabeth in 2011 to complete his internship at NMMU plying his trade at two University Psychology Clinics (UCLIN) in both an urban and rural community settings. This involved the provision of a diverse range of psychological services to best support mostly young adults and their families. These families came from a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds with a broad range of challenges.
During the period spanning from 2012 to 2017, Kegan worked as a researcher in community mental health (NMMU). Apart from research conference presentations, Kegan co-published six mental health research articles in various peer reviewed journals. With a passion to assist shaping the bright young minds of future leaders and generations, Kegan was also able to provide psychological support to health care students.
Keen for a new challenge and an opportunity to work more exclusively with young adults and their families, Kegan secured part-time employment at a renowned High School in South Africa from 2018 to 2021. Apart from providing individual therapy to learners and their families, interventions typically involved psycho-educational classroom-based programmes (e.g. emotional intelligence and adaptive learning strategies) and caregiver workshops (e.g. how to motivate your teenager, managing technology and peer pressure).
In addition to the above, Kegan managed a successful psychological private practice from 2012 to 2021, prior to immigrating to New Zealand. Kegan specialised in assessment and therapy with people 16 years and older across a wide range of mental health and personal challenges.
Kegan and his family emigrated to New Zealand in 2021 where he continues to enjoy his online practice from sunny Hawkes Bay.
Keen to Explore, Adapt, Thrive?
Let’s start this journey together.