About Me
I am a multidisciplinary clinical neuropsychologist and sleep scientist dedicated to the care of individuals from all walks of life. With a wealth of experience in both the private and public health sectors, my mission is to provide expert assistance to patients, their families, and referring clinicians through specialised, assessments, diagnoses, and psychoeducation. I have gained local and international experience in various domains throughout my clinical journey, including neuropsychology, psychology, sleep medicine, and psychiatry. I also have experience in clinical research focusing on areas such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. The combination of clinical training and research experience has given me unique insights into the intersection between health, mental health, and behaviour, enriching my clinical approach and care.
My Approach
“Patients are people, people who are suffering, perplexed, and fearful. Patients need proper diagnosis and treatment, but they also need understanding and care; they need human relationship and existential encounter”
I have an interest and experience in assessing patients from all stages and walks of life. My approach is based on clinical training and experience, current scientific evidence, as well as continuous academic research of my own. Most importantly, I take the nuances of each individual’s journey into account and therefore ensure that I spend sufficient time discovering and understanding each patient’s unique personal and clinical history. I consider an individual’s subjective experience of, and living with, their symptoms along with objectively observed signs and symptoms. I view my patients as unique individuals with complex clinical and personal histories and take time to get to know them individually. I am equally interested in them as people, their journey that led up to us meeting, as well as the aspirations they have for their life going ahead. Therefore, I take all of these into consideration during assessment, diagnosis, and management of each person. I welcome working alongside other professionals like clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. Importantly, I run an inclusive practice - I welcome individuals from all backgrounds and walks of life.
Qualifications
BA Psychology (SU)
Honours, Psychology (UCT)
MA Clinical Neuropsychology (UCT)
PhD Neuropsychology (UCT)
Affiliations
Health Professions Council of South Africa
Board of Healthcare Funders
SA HIV Clinicians Society
American Psychological Association
Positions
Clinical Neuropsychologist, Private Practice
Researcher, Department of Psychology, UCT
Sleep Scientist, UCT Sleep Sciences
Reviewer: Journal of Sleep Research & Frontiers in Psychology
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publications
van Wyk, M., Thomas, K. G. F., Solms, M., & Lipinska, G. (2016). Prominence of hyperarousal symptoms explains variability of sleep disruption in posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Trauma, Theory, Research Practice, and Policy.
van Wyk, M., Mcreesh-Toselli, S., Williams, S., & Ibrahim, I. (2019). The distinct roles of obstructive sleep apnea and depression severity in day- and night-time symptomatology in OSA. Sleep and Breathing.
van Wyk, M., Solms, M., & Lipinska, G. (2019). Increased awakenings from non-rapid eye movement sleep explain differences in dream recall frequency, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
van Wyk, M., Lipinska, G., Henry, M., Philips, T. K., & van der Walt, P. E. (2022). The development and validation of the Resilience Index. International Journal of Testing.
van Wyk, M., Mason, H., van Wyk, B. J., Phillips, T. K., & van der Walt, P. E. (2022). The relationship between resilience and student success among a sample of South African students. Cogent Psychology.
van Wyk., M., Solms, M., & Lipinska, G. (2024). A novel method for objectively classifying sequential emotion within dreams: A proof-of-concept pilot study. Frontiers in Psychology.
Upcoming Manuscript
van Wyk, M., Ortscheit, M., Phillips, T. K., van der Walt, P. E., & Lipinska, G. (2024). Resilience as a protective factor against the exacerbating effects of anxiety on depression. Psychology, Health, and Medicine.