Hannelie Spies - Educational Psychologist

08/08/2025

𝟱 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱
➡Constant tiredness – even after proper rest
️➡Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly
➡Irritability or sudden mood swings
➡Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed

When we are mentally exhausted, our minds can become trapped in destructive thought loops that further drain our energy. This is where BWRT® (BrainWorking Recursive Therapy®) can help. You don’t have to stay stuck in the cycle of exhaustion.
Learn more about BWRT® and how it can help at www.hanneliespies.co.za

01/08/2025

Emotion-driven responses like anger don’t just impact relationships, they also affect your long-term health. Through , we can interrupt those automatic patterns and create healthier, more constructive responses.

Your emotions don’t just stay in your head—they ripple through your body in powerful, measurable ways.

In fact, just 60 seconds of intense anger can suppress your immune system for several hours. That’s right: one outburst can leave you more susceptible to illness.

When you're angry, your body instantly shifts into high alert. Stress hormones like cortisol surge, heart rate spikes, and inflammatory signals flood your system. These responses may help in emergencies—but over time, they can seriously harm your health.

Chronic anger and unmanaged stress have been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, digestive issues, anxiety, and even certain cancers. According to a 2014 research published in Frontiers in Immunology, our emotional states and immune function are deeply connected. What affects your mind truly affects your body.

The upside? Simple habits like deep breathing, mindfulness, and exercise don’t just feel good—they actively support immune resilience. Taking care of your emotional health isn’t just self-care—it’s body care.

Follow Science Sphere for regular scientific updates

REFERENCE 📄
Samuel Brod et al, "‘As above, so below’ examining the interplay between emotion and the immune system", Immunology (2014)

29/07/2025

𝟱 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
Teens (and adults) with ADHD are more likely to struggle with executive functioning, which is the brain's ability to plan, focus, and manage time. These challenges can affect everyday tasks, learning, and emotional wellbeing.

Here are 5 common signs:
1️⃣ Difficulty starting or finishing tasks
2️⃣ Disorganised thinking or environments
3️⃣ Trouble estimating how long something will take
4️⃣ Emotional ups and downs or impulsive reactions
5️⃣ Forgetting instructions or losing track of steps
These struggles aren’t about laziness or lack of motivation—they’re brain-based, and they can be supported with understanding and the right tools.

In my work, I help adolescents and their families uncover the underlying causes of the behaviours and offer practical strategies to build confidence, structure, and self-regulation over time.

23/07/2025

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?
Many children and teens with ADHD face challenges in making and keeping friends, not because they don’t care, but because of difficulties with social executive function skills like perspective-taking, emotional regulation, and flexible thinking.

In this insightful article, you'll discover practical strategies to support your child in building stronger social connections.

Children and teens with ADHD may lose friends because of deficits in social executive function skills – the underlying processes that are involved in social skills ranging from perspective-taking to reciprocity and cognitive flexibility. Here, learn strategies that help them bolster these skills a...

15/07/2025

An insightful article by Terence Watts on the unique process of BWRT and how it doesn’t have to find its way past the hypothetical guardian of the mind, to remove emotive responses from memories.

Newer brain-based therapies like BWRT offer fast, lasting relief without needing to uncover or discuss painful past experiences.

08/07/2025

As an Advanced BWRT® practitioner, I’m incredibly proud to share that Terence Watts, the founder of BrainWorking Recursive Therapy, has been honoured by the Gift of the Givers Foundation for BWRT’s life-changing impact over the past decade.
From its roots in the UK to its growing global reach, BWRT® continues to transform lives. It’s a privilege to be part of a modality that brings such profound change to those navigating trauma, anxiety, and limiting patterns.

Essex-based Terence Watts, renowned psychotherapist and creator of BrainWorking Recursive Therapy (BWRT®) has been formally honoured by the Gift of the Givers Foundation, Africa’s largest disaster relief organisation founded on the continent.

02/07/2025

6 signs of a dysregulated nervous system
For women with ADHD, a dysregulated nervous system can show up as:

• Constant busyness, even when exhausted
• Restlessness or guilt around rest
• People-pleasing and blurred boundaries
• Emotional hypersensitivity or RSD
• Task paralysis and shutdowns
• Chronic fatigue or burnout

If any of this feels familiar, you don’t have to push through it. Calming your nervous system is possible, and it starts with understanding your unique needs.
This article shares practical tips and strategies to help regulate your nervous system and find ease in daily life.
Read more here: https://shorturl.at/ffvwg

23/06/2025

I always look forward to presenting this course.

🧠 BWRT® with Adolescents & Young Adults

Working with teens and young adults requires more than just textbook knowledge – it calls for empathy, insight, and the right tools.

Join Hannelie L Spies – BWRT® Supervisor & Educational Psychologist – for a focused, practical workshop that will equip you to better support this unique age group in therapy.

📅 Saturday, 2 August 2025
⏰ 09h30-12h30 SAST (via Zoom)
💻 Register now: www.bwrtsa.co.za/courses
💸 R1650
Early Bird: R1400 (9 - 25 June 2025)
📚 2 General + 1 Ethics CEUs

Perfect for BWRT® practitioners ready to deepen their work with adolescents and young adults. 💡

18/06/2025

𝟱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗
Struggling to get to work on time, even when you try your best?
If you’re living with ADHD, chronic lateness often stems from time blindness, underestimating how long tasks take, or getting stuck in routines that don’t serve you.

This insightful article by Maureen Dennis explores five practical strategies to help manage morning routines and improve on-time arrival. From shifting your time management mindset to building in accountability, these tips are small but powerful steps toward better mornings and less stress.
Small changes can lead to big wins.

How to stop being late to work with ADHD: change your time-management mindset, prepare the night prior, and seek accountability.

09/06/2025

A 5-Step Plan to Support Self-Esteem in Children with ADHD
Children with ADHD are often subject to frequent correction, criticism, and misunderstanding, experiences that can gradually erode self-esteem. As an educational psychologist, I understand the importance of developing confidence and emotional strength in children.

The Cycle of Excellence framework consists of five steps designed to help parents build their child’s self-esteem by identifying their strengths, fostering connection, and reinforcing effort over outcome.

🔹 1. Connect Emotionally
Performance should never take precedence over spending quality time with your child. Devote your time to being present with your child through observation and listening activities without any specific goals. The development of trust enables you to discover their authentic nature.

🔹 2. Identify Strengths
Children who have ADHD usually demonstrate exceptional abilities that set them apart from others. You should look past their behaviour to identify what makes them feel excited or interested.

🔹 3. Reinforce Effort
The focus should move from achieving results to understanding how things get done. Genuine self-worth develops from praising both persistence and creativity, along with progress.

🔹 4. Enable Success
Establish regular opportunities for your child to achieve success through small accomplishments. The accumulation of these moments helps children develop both competence and confidence.

🔹 5. Celebrate Neurodiversity
Help your child understand that their ADHD is part of what makes them unique, and valuable. Children with ADHD will thrive emotionally and academically when we provide them with regular support that focuses on their strengths.

29/05/2025

Understanding Defiance Differently
When a child with ADHD appears defiant or explosive, it's not about manipulation — it's a signal that they’re struggling to meet expectations. Rather than reacting with punishment, we can take a more compassionate and effective path.

The Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) approach invites parents to work with their child to uncover and solve the root of the problem before it leads to a meltdown. This evidence-based method helps reduce conflict and build stronger, more trusting relationships.

This article provides insights into how we can shift the lens from control to collaboration.

A defiant child can upend family dynamics. Here, learn collaborative problem-solving skills for explosive kids from ADHD expert Ross Greene, Ph.D.

21/05/2025

Recognising the Early Signs of Postpartum Mood Disorders

Postpartum mood disorders can affect anyone after birth, and awareness is essential, not only for new parents but for all of us. From postpartum depression and anxiety to OCD and psychosis, early identification and support can make a profound difference.
Research indicates that women with ADHD are significantly more susceptible to postpartum mood disorders. A Swedish study found that nearly 17% of women with ADHD were diagnosed with postpartum depression, compared to 3.3% of women without ADHD. Similarly, about 25% of women with ADHD experienced postpartum anxiety, versus 4.6% without ADHD.
Reducing the stigma starts with education. By learning the signs, we can help create a more compassionate and informed community where no one has to struggle in silence.

Postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum OCD are all perinatal mood disorders impacting women with ADHD.