Coram Deo Pastorale Dienssentrum

Narrative Therapy: What It Is and Why It Matters for GBV Survivors

Narrative therapy is a particular approach to counselling that begins from a deceptively simple premise: a person is not their problem. The problem is the problem. People are shaped by the stories told about them and by them — and those stories can be challenged, rewritten, and transformed.

For GBV survivors, this framework has specific and profound relevance. Abusers characteristically impose a story on their partners: that they are worthless, that they deserve what happens to them, that they could not survive without the abuser, that they are "crazy." These imposed narratives, repeated over time, can become indistinguishable from a survivor's own self-understanding. Narrative therapy creates a structured, therapeutic process for examining those stories, identifying their origins in the abuser's perspective rather than in truth, and building alternative stories grounded in the survivor's own values, strengths, and resilience.

Coram Deo is one of the few centres in South Africa offering both narrative therapy counselling and training in this approach at a community level.

Counselling Services

Coram Deo offers individual, couple, and family counselling across the following areas: trauma counselling (past and current trauma, including the effects of violence and abuse); family matters (relationships, conflict, separation, parenting); and a broad range of other areas including depression, anxiety, addiction, and grief. Coaching and mediation are also available through the Coram Deo network.

Fees vary according to the level of the counsellor (from advanced diploma level to PhD), making therapeutic support accessible at a range of price points. Contact the office at 012 998 9083 or info@coramdeo.co.za to discuss rates and arrange an appointment. Video sessions (Zoom) are available on request — important for survivors in outlying areas or who cannot safely attend in person.

Support Groups

Coram Deo hosts a number of support groups at the Pretoria centre, including: Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA); a stroke survivors group (Beroerte); Simcha; Huntington's Disease support; and others. Community referral groups are also facilitated in partnership with Christelik-Maatskaplike Raad (CMR).

Training: Pastoral Narrative Therapy Course

Coram Deo's flagship training offering — the Pastoral Narrative Therapy Course, affiliated with the University of Pretoria — has been running for over twenty years and equips practitioners (including social workers, pastors, community workers, counsellors, coaches, and others) with skills in narrative-based helping. The course is available at Pretoria (main campus), Constantia Kruin, Kempton Park, Durbanville, George, Mossel Bay, Lydenburg, and online via blended learning. A short course in pastoral care imagined by narrative practices and an alumni programme are also available. 2026 intake: email info@coramdeo.co.za or complete the courses interest form at tinyurl.com/coramcourses.

The Hope Collaboration Project (the "Volant hope pin" initiative) extends Coram Deo's reach as a community of practitioners committed to building hope and resilience in South African communities.

Geographic Reach

Head office: Pretoria (143 Leonie Road, Die Hoewes — Mon–Fri 08:30–13:30). Campuses: Constantia Kruin (West Rand), Kempton Park (East Rand), Durbanville (Cape), George (WC), Mossel Bay (WC), Lydenburg (Mpumalanga), Swakopmund (Namibia), global online. For survivors outside Pretoria, online sessions and campus counsellors may be available; contact the main office for a referral.

Coram Deo: coramdeo.co.za. Phone: 012 998 9083 / 012 998 8323 / +27 76 135 7367. Email: info@coramdeo.co.za. 143 Leonie Road, Die Hoewes, Pretoria. Reception: weekdays 08:30–13:30. Trauma counselling, narrative therapy, support groups, training. Campuses: Pretoria, Kempton Park, Constantia Kruin, Durbanville, George, Mossel Bay, Lydenburg, online. Registered NPC. Section 18A tax-deductible.