In 1994 Micki Pistorius obtained her Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology and registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as a psychologist. Her thesis covered the clinical topic: “A cross evaluation of theories regarding the Oedipus complex by example of a case study”. Upon registration, she was immediately appointed as the first psychological profiler to the South African Police Service. Two years later she completed her Doctorate Philosophiae Psychology on the forensic topic of serial killers with the thesis: “A psycho-analytical approach to serial killers”, within her second year of appointment.
For the next decade she practiced applied and forensic psychology in the SA Police Service and later at a private investigative firm. She often visited prisons to conduct research on some of the world’s most notorious criminals, lectured to detectives, psychology students, psychologists and members of the legal professions on international podia and she testified in various high profile court cases as an expert witness.
She authored five books, focussing on different psychological angles of crime, all published by Penguin SA. Dr Micki Pistorius made a conscious decision not only to produce articles for scientific journals, but she envisioned that her books could serve as a modem to explain intricate psychological concepts to the layman. She believes the general public can benefit from educational reading and certain common myths regarding psychology needed to be dispelled.
In 2005 she opened the doors to her private psychology practice and consultancy. Guiding regular people to deal with psychological afflictions such as depression, bi-polar disorders, anxieties, post-traumatic stress and other adjustment problems, was a welcome change for Dr Pistorius, who had by then reached a satiation point in working with criminals. Her therapeutic practice expanded rapidly and besides the above disorders, she found herself occupying a niche in relationship counselling and divorce therapy, as well as neuro-psychology and stress management.
Her previous experience gained by working alongside mostly male detectives for a decade, prepared her for understanding the male psyche and men declared themselves comfortable baring their souls in her consulting rooms. This led her to develop an interactive book, called “Heroes, a psychological insight into men’s perceptions on relationships” launched on the website www.heroes-warriors.com in 2016. Dr Pistorius applied Greek mythology as instrumental in exploring men’s views on relationships, dating, feelings, female friends, marriage, divorce and second marriages.
Readers can discover more about the underlying psychological dynamics of concepts such as Introversion vs Extraversion, Parental Alienation Syndrome, the impact of male hormones, and so much more on this book-website.
Dr Pistorius also has a great enthusiasm and affinity for developing eager young minds and has guided hundreds of learners in selecting appropriate careers. She applies several psychometric tests to profile the learner’s individual intelligence and aptitude capabilities, as well as personality and interest matches. Parents have been bringing 2nd generation younger siblings for the past ten years and Dr Pistorius has been privileged to have shared the journey from grade 10 to graduation ceremonies with some of these teenagers. She also presents study method seminars, incorporating neuro-psychology and brain nutrition. Parents have reported a major escalation in their children’s grades when applying this method. Some of her protégées are studying to become neurosurgeons, actors, meteorologists, astrophysicists, zoologists, publicists, jewellery designers, audiologists and archaeologists. She also provides career counselling for adults who find themselves in a rut, or retrenched.
Neuropsychology has always held an intellectual fascination for her. She developed a stress coping programme for prominent businessmen and members of the SA Police Service, suffering from work stress as well as post traumatic stress syndrome, which incorporates brain-training, brain related nutrition and relaxation techniques.
Dr Pistorius is a member of the South African Society of Clinical Hypnosis and an associate member of the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association.
Besides therapy, Dr Pistorius also consults for several corporations in the mining, health, legal, educational, financial and other industries. This would include client liaison, management profiling, leadership development and other life skills.
At times she conducts psycho-legal evaluations and testifies in prominent court cases. She completed a Family Mediators: Divorce Mediation and Law for Mediators course and can mediate for divorcing couples and she conducts psychological evaluations regarding guardianship of children. She is a member of the Psycho-Legal Peer Review Group in Pretoria and the Institute for Family Mediators. She is a part time lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the Open University of Mauritius.
In 2019 she relocated to Mauritius to open an international consulting agency. She is a member of the Société Des Professionnels en Psychologie of Mauritius.
