Supporting your resilience and wellbeing
A holistic, body-based approach to healing


Anni Barrett

Trauma Healing Practitioner (SEP)
Occupational Therapist
Polarity Therapist
Integrative Baby Therapist

HPCSA OT13960
Practice number 660357

Anni-2

Drawing on my training in trauma healing, occupational therapy, polarity therapy and integrative baby (pre and perinatal) therapy, I offer a unique blended approach tailored to your specific needs and preferences.

My work is rooted in the appreciation that our body and mind are deeply interconnected and influence one another.

I identify as being neurospicy and have a special interest in working with neurodivergent clients.

I work with children, adolescents and adults:

  • who wish to have a greater sense of wellbeing and balance in their life
  • who experience emotional challenges (past or current) such as trauma, stress, anxiety and depression
  • who have physical conditions, syndromes and symptoms such as migraine, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia
  • who long to experience a deeper sense of connection with themselves, others, and the world

What you as a client can expect:

  • My intention to create a sense of safety and connection in the therapeutic relationship
  • A body-oriented approach that facilitates the resolution of traumatic experiences; regulation of your nervous system and a greater capacity to respond to daily stressors
  • Shared psycho-education to enhance your holistic understanding of wellbeing
  • A number of helpful exercises and tools that support the regulation of your nervous system and promote your sense of wellbeing
  • Therapy sessions that take your specific needs and preferences into account

Choosing a therapist is a deeply personal decision.  I offer a complimentary 15 to 30 minute phone consultation allowing us to get a sense of whether it feels like I would be a good fit for your needs and your therapeutic experience.

Facilitation
I facilitate workshops and training sessions on request. Topics include for example, sensory regulation, nervous system regulation and meditation. My style is experiential and participatory and includes take-away tools.

Contact me


About Anni

I am passionate about learning and sharing my extensive knowledge and experience. In therapy sessions, I hold the intention to embody curiosity and compassion, and to honour my intuition. I actively encourage my clients to cultivate and embrace these same qualities.
My personal journey with mindfulness began in high school when I started exploring Buddhist teachings. Since my early twenties, I have sustained a regular meditation practice. Coupled with Tai Chi classes, these practices deeply nourish my body, mind and soul.
My journey and approach
Navigating personal challenges and trauma led me to explore a range of therapies in adulthood. Experiencing these modalities firsthand made me realize that I resonated with and benefitted most from body-oriented, somatic approaches. 
    • Somatic Experiencing (SE): I am a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), having completed a three-year training programme through Somatic Experiencing International in the Western Cape. My primary teacher was Rachporn Sangkasaad. Developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine, SE is a nervous-system-based, “bottom-up” approach. Unlike traditional “top-down” talk therapy that focuses primarily on the mind, SE works directly with the “felt senses” experienced in the body. SE provides a structure to assess whether a person is stuck in fight, flight and/or freeze. Clients are educated and empowered to be able to be aware when they move into these states, and how to support themselves in and through them. This modality is gently powerful and facilitates the release of held patterns of stress and trauma.    
    • Occupational Therapy (OT): I obtained my degree in Occupational Therapy from Wits University in 1984 and have been registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) since 1985. I have extensive experience working as an OT with a range of all ages, many nationalities and diverse situations in South Africa and in the UK. I have worked in adult focussed and child centred community clinics and projects, state hospitals (including the NHS), pre, primary and secondary schools (for neurodivergent children as well as those with a learning disability) and private practice. In relation to mental health, OT facilitates the development of more effective ways of responding to stressors, enhanced life skills and a more robust emotional resilience which all contribute to a sense of an improved quality of life.
    • Polarity Therapy: In 1994, I completed a diploma in polarity therapy in South Africa under Dianne Vaness, the former Course Educational Director of the Polarity Therapy Trust UK. Created by Dr. Randolph Stone, this complementary healthcare system is a form of energy medicine that beautifully blends Eastern and Western healing traditions. It aims to enhance the flow and balance of energy, and to support a sense of wellbeing and vitality.
    • Integrative Baby Therapy: During 12 years of living and working as an OT in the UK, I trained as an Integrative Baby Therapist, receiving certification in 2016. My training included courses facilitated by Karlton Terry and Katherine Meir through the Institute of Pre and Perinatal Education (IPPE), with most modules taught by Matthew Appleton and Jenni Meyer of Conscious Embodiment. This work is based on the premise that babies in utero are conscious beings who respond somatically to perceived stress and trauma. Because these early events register in the baby’s body and nervous system, this may lay the foundation for unconscious, life-long beliefs and behavioral patterns. Where there are traces of early trauma that present themselves, integrative baby therapy work can be done with a client of any age.