South Africa | 30 April – 7 May, 2027
with Dr Dawn McBride
Embark on a Journey of Discovery: A Professional Development Retreat through the Rich Tapestry of South Africa’s History and Nature.
Experience a unique blend of social justice and therapist self-care through VIP-led adventures and participation. Daily planning meetings and debriefs, led by Dawn and others, will help integrate your experiences and learning, cultivating meaningful connections among participants. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to a community initiative focused on fostering repair and healing from colonization, embracing the spirit of social justice.
This professionally coordinated retreat is intended for counsellors (and their colleagues or partners who are willing to participate in our activities of discovery, reflection, and renewal).
30 April – 7 May 2027
9 days / 8 nights
Explore South African History: Discover key historical events and cultural shifts through immersive tours, customized experiences, and guest speakers who address psychological and social justice issues in South Africa. These learning experiences aim to support ongoing professional development by enhancing cultural competence and strengthening ethical, culturally responsive practices with diverse client populations.
Engage in Self-Care Practices: Relax through a guided week-long experience where participants embrace being guided without the pressure of planning or organizing for others. This approach provides a break from leadership responsibilities in one’s counselling practice, promoting self-reflection and personal growth through acceptance and adaptation to being led. Additionally, the body can recover from stress by connecting with nature and enjoying wholesome foods prepared at the private Safari lodge.
Promote Environmental Stewardship: Recognize the importance of South Africa’s natural landscapes and wildlife, and see how environmental awareness and respect for nature can enhance self-care and mental health.
Foster Professional Connections: Cultivate meaningful relationships with fellow counsellors and participants through shared experiences and collaborative discussions that promote personal and professional growth, thereby enriching one’s counselling practice.
Participate in Debriefing Circles: Engage in reflective debriefing sessions in various configurations to explore historical narratives and their effects on South African communities, and consider how these insights can inform one’s counselling practice.
Dr. Dawn McBride is a registered psychologist and a Canadian professor in counsellor education. Her research covers professional ethics, expressive arts in therapy, multiculturalism, Transactional Analysis, and various therapeutic methods. She has received teaching awards and nominations and is working on a book about consent and charting practices in counselling. Dawn and Jarvis have travelled through this beautiful country before and consider their experience a highlight of their careers. They are excited to share this transformative journey with you, hoping to inspire and renew healers. For this retreat in 2027, they have chosen to work with the same excellent professional guides and tour leaders they met during their visit to South Africa in 2024.
BEGINNING & END OF THE RETREAT
30 April The retreat officially begins at 13h30 at the Catalyst Hotel in Sandton.
7 May The retreat ends at 10h00 and a transfer will take you to Hoedspruit Airport (HDS). Please book a domestic flight from Hoedspruit (HDS) to Johannesburg (JNB) – or another destination of your choice.
Option: an optional excursion is available on May 7. Extend your trip after the retreat for any other activity you may wish to plan.
PRE-RETREAT MEETINGS (Optional)
Four online Zoom meetings, hosted by Dawn, will serve as an opportunity to connect, prepare, and learn about South Africa. Attend all, some, or none; however, you are encouraged to attend at least one to meet everyone.
JOHANNESBURG
Discover South Africans’ diverse lifestyles and belief systems and gain profound insights during personalised tours of the city, among them the visit of the Apartheid and Constitution Hills Human Rights museum, enhancing your understanding of colonization and justice through the African lens. Come willing to be uncomfortable, willing to sit with complexity.
Soweto is not a place you visit. It is a place that receives you. Begin with a slow walk through the township, past the murals and the street vendors, the schoolchildren and the elders on stoeps. Feel the density of a million lives lived in close, defiant proximity. This is where the 1976 Soweto Uprising began; where a generation of young people chose stones over silence. That decision changed the world.
There is no other street quite like Vilakazi. Archbishop Desmond Tutu grew up here. Nelson Mandela came home here after Robben Island. The cobblestones hold the weight of that. Walk its length slowly. Vilakazi does not need your silence. It needs your presence.
It always seems impossible until it’s done.
– Nelson Mandela
The same walls that held Gandhi, Mandela, and tens of thousands of ordinary people criminalised for nothing more than existing under apartheid — those walls now hold the Constitutional Court, the most progressive human rights court on the African continent. Standing in the old cells, reading the names scratched into the plaster, then walking through to the sun-drenched court beyond — it is one of the most deliberate acts of architectural justice ever built. Bring time. Bring quiet.
Kliptown is where the Freedom Charter was signed in 1955 – the document that declared, for the first time, that South Africa belongs to all who live in i. Today, it remains one of the poorest areas of Soweto, and the NGOs working here are doing the quiet, unglamorous, essential work of holding communities together. Listen to how people define dignity on their own terms, not yours. This is social justice without the conference room.
The Limpopo province is a land of beautiful and contrasting landscapes, which is typical of Africa. It is a region of infinite scenic beauty with a great diversity of both natural and man-made attractions; a rich cultural heritage and an abundance of wildlife. Within one of the best conserved wilderness areas, lies the opportunity for a life-changing experience in a safe and nurturing environment.
The Catalyst Hotel, Johannesburg 30 April – 4 May
Situated in the business centre of Johannesburg, the hotel boasts large rooms set within tranquil settings. It also offers a free shuttle that leaves every hour to the famous Sandton shopping Mall.
You will enjoy a room in single occupancy unless requested otherwise.
Rietspruit Game Reserve, Limpopo 4 – 7 May
You will spend 4 days of magic at Khaya Ndlovu lodge, that has been privatised for your retreat. All room are different. Beds are very comfortable, while bathrooms are separated from the main bedroom.
Khaya Ndlovu means “Home of the Elephant” in Zulu; and from the moment the iron gates open, you understand why. It is a home that has chosen to share itself. The interiors are dense with character: original African artwork, shelves of field guides and poetry, candlelight that catches the grain of hand-carved furniture. Outside, the reserve stretches unbroken into the Greater Kruger ecosystem.
Sundowners on a private deck as a herd of buffalo passes below. A full BBQ night under the Limpopo stars. Waking before dawn to the sound of lions calling, and reaching for each other before you reach for anything else.
You’ll enjoy morning and evening game drives long enough to lose track of time entirely. Evenings end around a fire at a boma table, with food that belongs in a different conversation entirely. This is where the retreat breathes out. Where you stop counting anything.
Khaya Ndlovu does not rush. Neither will you.
The Rooms
Rooms are shared in double occupancy.
Please note that three (3) rooms are available in single occupancy on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to payment of the deposit.
Safety is paramount. The guides leading the safaris are highly qualified, have rifle handling and first aid certificates, and have logged hundreds of hours of walking and driving in dangerous game areas. They will make sure that everyone feels relaxed, although being out of one’s comfort zone is part of the experience. This close-up encounters with wildlife will give you memories you’ll keep forever.
No specific level of physical fitness is required. However, you will need to:
Rates are subject to change without prior warning in case of any increases in third-party services, park or entrance gate fees, conservation and tourism levies, fuel surcharges, taxes, or currency fluctuations beyond Nature Connexion’s control.
Elephant sanctuary excursion & overnight stay in Hazyview (May 7 to 8, 2027)
Step into a rare, guided encounter where you will walk alongside rescued African elephants and interact with them, learning about their intelligence, care, and behaviour in an intimate, small-group setting. This experience offers a meaningful opportunity to connect with these gentle animals in a way that is both educational and memorable, deepening your understanding of wildlife, relationships, and presence in the natural world. Link:
Participation is voluntary and requires you to stay an extra day and to cover all associated costs.
Estimated rate for 2027: R6 000
Please consult with us to get more details about that excursion.
A très bientot !
