Mandy Rodrigues - Clinical Psychologist

19/02/2026

Infertility is less a straight line and more an Everest climb. 🏔You begin with hope — the dream of becoming a parent.But not every journey reaches the summit in the way we imagined.Some pause at base camp.Some reroute.Some climb again and again.And yet — every climber is courageous.This National Infertility Awareness Week, I’m honouring every version of the journey. The visible summits. The hidden grief. The strength it takes to keep going.If you are on this mountain, you are not alone.

13/02/2026

Practical skills you can use that make sense ⚠️

Infertility affects more people than many realise and no one should face it alone.

Come to Understanding Infertility (in-person) for honest conversations on fertility biology, treatment options, emotional wellbeing, and hope through the journey.

📍 Rivonia, Sandton | 📅 28 Feb 2026 | 🕘 9:00am–1:00pm

For more details, contact saskia@ifaasa.co.za

29/01/2026

Welcome to the New Year.

For those dealing with infertility ‼️

I look forward to speaking at Infertility Awareness Association of South Africa on the 28th of February. We all know the challenging journey of infertility. But are there any practical skills we can implement to make it easier?

Yes

💬 By planning when we feel calm and contained, we ensure we have a map and a foundation. So when we feel overwhelmed by the hormones or the lack of support or the waiting; we can know that there is a net to fall back on.

🏠Houses are built on foundations that are solid. If the foundation is not solid, then the house will not withstand the wind or the flood or the cold.

Allow me to give some insight into how to build a solid foundation that can hold you up when the journey gets tough.

26/01/2026

👉I urge you to book as this is an important topic for anyone trying to conceive or considering fertility treatment. I would like to give some practical coping skills and dispel some myths.

INTRODUCING ONE OF OUR SPEAKERS: MANDY RODRIGUES

Mandy is a a Clinical Psychologist specialising in infertility and loss.

She will be covering topics such as:

* Infertility as invisible and recurring grief
* Emotional toll of treatment cycles
* Impact on identity, intimacy and partnership
* Practical communication tools

Date: 28th February | Event time: 9am - 1pm
Venue: 5 Mellis Road, Rivonia | Tickets from R100pp

Click here to book tickets: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1586882685

13/01/2026

Very proud of you Matt!

17/12/2025

05/12/2025

I wrote a post a few years back about my son, Dylan Ross Wolff, who was studying Medicine at WITS. I had discouraged him ever since he was four years old. He never faltered. He remained committed. He worked throughout Covid, volunteering at a Clinic in Hillbrow. He first contracted Covid in May 2020. I never saw him during hard lockdown, and he had to isolate in an apartment in Parktown- with no access to medicine or care. Fortunately I was also allowed to work during Covid; and once he was able to walk to the basement, I would drop his groceries off, and watch from the entrance as he walked to collect the bags.

He has made the Dean's list every year. He got his results yesterday- Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with Distinction 🌟 And tomorrow he marries his long term girlfriend Imogen. I am so proud of who you are. You passionately fight for causes, but in a quiet way. You don't like attention. You are a man of few words. But when you talk, we listen. And you make all your patients feel heard and seen. Congratulations Dr DR Wolff!

15/11/2025

‼️

02/10/2025

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢…
𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚." 🐘

A short fable about avoidance, strength, and the courage to face what we fear.

30/09/2025

The ways we respond to each other aren’t 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑚 — they’re 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯s. We can use other manners of connecting with others transiently or with deliberate thought, but we are likely to return to our innate way of communicating.

Knowing this 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱. It is not an anomaly. It is not a failure. It is how life is.

🐭 Sometimes we pull away. We might feel unseen or unheard. We anticipate traps. We feel afraid.
🐘 Sometimes we try to fix.
🦔 Sometimes we lash out.
🐕 Sometimes we simply stay beside.
🐢 Sometimes we stonewall. Not out of malice. But coping.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨 prompted me to write a fable. A universal, relatable, simple story.

After I wrote the initial fable, I realised there is always a lion 🦁 . A leader. A driver. Someone who roars. Not out of malice or arrogance. But born out of necessity. Lions are necessary for societies, ecosystems, companies, and relationships to work. We all have a role. They are all meant to work together.

🌳 Discover more at www.empathy-toolkit.com

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23/09/2025

This is just the start 🌳The original Cards that I have used for years in therapy.

I found it worked in couple therapy where I would give each person the same cards. Each card would have a description of a reaction to infertility. I would get them to put down their personal reactions - on the table - and then create discussions about the differences in reactions.

As the years passed, I started using animal pictures. It was less threatening to use animals. I have expanded the game and written a fable around the Empathy Animals. The website is almost complete at

The Empathy Toolkit: a story-based guide with simple tools that help you understand, practice, and grow empathy in every relationship, including compassion for yourself