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Woolf Solomon Verified
Psychotherapist, MA, PhD | Individual and Relationship Counselor
Telehealth Available
Woolf Solomon
Credentials
Type of Therapist:
Psychotherapist

Individual and Relationship Counselor

Primary Degree(s):
MA, PhD
Finances
Average Cost Per Session:
500-700 NIS
Insurance:
None
Discounts Available:
N/A
Licensed Abroad
Licensed Abroad (not USA)
Office
  • 31 Hahayil Street
  • Raanana
Telehealth Available
Office
  • 31 Hahayil Street
  • Raanana

Woolf Solomon Verified Verified

Credentials
Type of Therapist:

Psychotherapist

Individual and Relationship Counselor

Primary Degree(s):

MA, PhD

Finances
Average Cost Per Session:

500-700 NIS

Insurance:

None

Discounts Available:

N/A

Licensed Abroad
Licensed Abroad (not USA)

ABOUT THE THERAPIST

I have over 40 years of experience helping individuals and couples address relationship, intimacy, sexual, anxiety, and life-transition challenges through practical, solution-focused therapy.

My Approach to Helping:

I believe therapy should be practical, focused, and helpful in addressing the difficulties you are experiencing in the present, while also recognising that understanding the past can often play an important role. My work is primarily solution-focused. Together, we identify what may be maintaining the difficulty and develop clear, workable ways of addressing it. The aim is to help you cope more effectively and bring about meaningful, lasting change in your life and relationships. My approach integrates supportive therapy, insight-oriented work, cognitive and behavioural strategies, and positive psychology, depending on your particular needs and circumstances.

Specific Issues I'm Skilled at Helping With:

A central part of my work is marital, relationship, and sex therapy. I work with couples and individuals experiencing communication difficulties, conflict, emotional distance, intimacy concerns, sexual difficulties, in-law dynamics, and issues relating to pornography use and its impact on relationships. I also work with individuals struggling with compulsive pornography use and the emotional, relational, and sexual difficulties that can arise from it.  Excessive pornography use can significantly impact self-esteem, intimacy, trust, emotional connection, and sexual functioning, both for the individual and within relationships.

My approach is practical, non-judgmental, and focused on helping clients better understand and manage these patterns in a healthier and more constructive way. I have extensive experience working with both male and female sexual dysfunction.

Over the years, I have also worked with many couples experiencing difficulties consummating their relationships and have successfully treated more than 120 couples whose relationships remained unconsummated for periods ranging from a few weeks to many years.

I also work extensively in the area of grief and bereavement, helping individuals navigate profound loss and gradually reconnect with life in a meaningful and hopeful way. I recognise that healing from significant loss is a deeply personal process that takes time. In addition, I work with anxiety in its many forms, including panic, generalised anxiety, phobias, stress, burnout, loneliness, and major life transitions, particularly during mid-life and later years.

My Role as a Therapist:

I see therapy as a collaborative process. My role is to guide and support you in a focused, practical, compassionate, and respectful way. My aim is to help you gain greater clarity, feel more emotionally equipped, and navigate your life and relationships with increased confidence, resilience, and self-understanding.

Additional Information About my Practice:

I work exclusively online with English-speaking clients, both locally and internationally. I am a psychotherapist with over 40 years of clinical experience in private practice and am registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Clinical Psychologist.

Throughout my career, I have worked extensively with individuals and couples across a broad range of emotional and relationship difficulties, including anxiety, grief, life transitions, intimacy concerns, and sexual challenges. Over the years, I have developed a strong professional reputation in the fields of relationships, intimacy, sexuality, and emotional wellbeing.

In South Africa, I was widely recognised for my work both clinically and in the media, hosting the radio programme "Sexually Speaking" for eight years, reaching hundreds of thousands of listeners, as well as the television series "Sex Talk", viewed by over a million people. I was also regularly featured in newspapers, magazines, and radio interviews, contributing to public understanding of relationships, intimacy, and psychological wellbeing.

I was the founding president of the South African Sex Therapy Institute and authored a book on enhancing intimate relationships. My professional work has also included extensive experience in the psychological aspects of infertility and the emotional impact this can have on individuals and couples. I have worked online for many years and have considerable experience supporting clients internationally.

I am now based in Raanana. I aim to provide a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space where you can speak openly and honestly about the challenges you are facing.

QUALIFICATIONS

Degree
Education
Year of Graduation

MA

University of the Witwatersrand

1978

PhD

Rand Afrikaans University

1993


Degree
MA

Education
University of the Witwatersrand

Year of Graduation
1978

Degree
PhD

Education
Rand Afrikaans University

Year of Graduation
1993
Years in Practice

45

LICENSED ABROAD
License Category
License Number / State
Psychologist
PS 0007595 - South Africa

License Category
Psychologist
License Number
PS 0007595 - South Africa
Learn more about GHI's verification of therapists here.

DISTANCE COUNSELING

Online Therapy

PRIMARY SPECIALTIES

Couples / Relationship / Marriage Counseling

Grief

Life Transitions

Phobias

Sex Therapy

ADDITIONAL SPECIALTIES

Infertility

Sleep / Insomnia

Stress Management

Trauma / Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

CLIENT FOCUS

Population

Adults
Couples
Men
Women

Languages Spoken

English
Yiddish

Native Language

English

TREATMENT APPROACH

Body-Mind PsychotherapyBody-mind psychotherapy is an integrative approach to psychological treatment that draws from both psychotherapeutic and somatic/body-based approaches. It emphasizes the interconnection between physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual aspects of being. This approach seeks to help individuals explore how physical sensations, emotions, thoughts and beliefs influence their behavior and well-being. Through this exploration, individuals can gain insight into how the body and mind interact to create patterns of behavior, and how those patterns can be changed to promote healing and wellness.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on how one's thoughts, feelings and behaviors are connected and can be changed. It is based on the idea that how we think (cognition) and how we feel (emotion) can influence how we behave. CBT helps people identify and challenge distorted thinking and replace it with more balanced thinking, leading to improved mood and behavior. ‘Homework’, usually containing practical writing exercises, is often completed by the client between sessions to reinforce the therapy. Examples of tools that practitioners often use are journaling, challenging beliefs, and mindfulness.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by Marsha Linehan to help people learn to better manage and cope with emotions and stress. It focuses on developing skills and strategies to help regulate emotions, improve relationships and communication, and reduce self-destructive behaviors. Through DBT, people learn to identify and modify unhealthy thoughts and behaviors, while also learning to accept and validate their own feelings. DBT teaches skills to help individuals become aware of and accept and regulate their emotions, tolerate distress, and improve interpersonal relationships.

Emotion-Focused TherapyEmotion-focused therapy (EFT) is a type of psychotherapy that is based on the idea that emotions play a key role in a person’s mental health. EFT focuses on helping people to identify, accept, and manage their emotions in a healthy and productive way. The goal of EFT is to help people identify and express their emotions, understand how those emotions impact their behavior, and learn how to manage their emotions in a way that is adaptive and healthy. EFT is a research-based approach to psychotherapy that has been found to be effective in helping people manage a variety of mental health conditions. It has been used successfully in the treatment of individuals, couples, and families, as well as with groups. EFT is particularly beneficial for people who struggle with emotional regulation, mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, and relationship issues.

Guided ImageryGuided imagery is a form of visualization used for relaxation and healing. It uses the power of the imagination to create positive changes in a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is also used to reduce stress and anxiety, cope with physical and emotional pain, increase motivation, confidence, and self-esteem, and to improve focus and concentration. During a guided imagery session, the practitioner will guide the client through a series of visualizations, using words and descriptions to help them create mental images in their mind. These visualizations can take many forms, such as a comforting place from the past or the client’s future goals.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)IPT focuses on the relationships and interactions an individual has with others. It is based on the premise that the way that we interact with others can have a significant impact on our emotional well-being. During IPT sessions, the practitioner will work with the client to identify patterns of behavior and communication that may be contributing to their emotional distress. They will then help the client learn new ways of interacting with others, as well as teach them coping skills to manage difficult emotions. It is a time-limited therapy, typically lasting between 12-16 weeks, with the goal of helping the client develop long-term coping skills.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a form of therapy that combines cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness practices. It is based on the idea that our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations can affect our mental health. MBCT helps individuals become aware of their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in order to gain insight and control over them. MBCT helps clients learn how to recognize their sense of being and see themselves as separate from their thoughts and moods. This separation can free the client from thought patterns in which the repeated negative messages may be dominating the client’s focus. After developing an awareness of the separation between thoughts, emotions, and the self, people in treatment may find that while the self and the emotions may exist simultaneously, they do not have to exist within the same dimension. The healing can take place when one learns how to interject positive thoughts into negative moods and thereby create a shift in mood.

Reality TherapyReality Therapy suggests that all human issues occur when one or more of five basic psychological needs are not met and that an individual can only control their own behavior. This approach encourages clients to take responsibility for their thoughts and behaviors, and to identify and address the issues that are causing them difficulty. Reality Therapy emphasizes solutions and the development of interpersonal skills, rather than examining the past. Reality therapy is based on the premise that people experience mental distress when their basic psychological needs have not been met. These needs are: power, love and belonging, freedom, fun, and survival. According to reality therapy, people are constantly striving to meet these basic needs, and when a person feels bad, reality therapists maintain it is because one of the five needs have not been met. People participating in reality therapy might learn ways to be more aware of any negative thoughts and behaviors that are potentially preventing them from meeting their basic psychological needs.

Relational PsychotherapyRelational psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on a person’s relationships with others and the dynamics between them. It emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist, and it explores the meaning and purpose of relationships in the client’s life. Relational psychotherapy seeks to understand how the client’s past relationships shape their current experiences and how the client interacts with others. The goal is to help the person develop healthier relationships and better communication skills so they can become more emotionally connected to others.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)Solution-focused therapy is a type of therapy that focuses on what is going right in a person’s life, as opposed to what is going wrong. It is based on the premise that when a person can identify what is working, they can build on it and make positive changes to the areas of their life that need improvement. A therapist using this approach will often ask questions designed to bring out a person’s strengths and resources, rather than focusing on problems or past issues. The aim of this type of therapy is to help people find solutions to their current problems, in order to build a better future. A solution-focused therapist encourages those in treatment to develop a vision of the future and offers support and guidance as they determine the skills, resources, and abilities needed to achieve that vision successfully.

SERVICES OFFERED

Individual Therapy
Couples Therapy