Marlize Watermeyer

Functional Capacity Evaluation | Work Hardening | Medico-legal Assessment | Case Management | Product Development

I completed my B. Occupational Therapy and Honours degree at the University of the Free State in 1999.  I initially entered private practice and performed community expansion, education and upliftment projects sponsored by the Nelson Mandela Fund.  Throughout my career I endeavoured to remain skilled in all spheres of Occupational Therapy thereby ensuring the capacity to treat every patient with a clinical and practical approach of a high quality.  I later worked for the gold and coal mining industry (Anglos Gold, Goldfields and Harmony).  I partnered in the design of a mining specific functional capacity and work hardening tool.

In 2008 I formed part of a team tasked with privatizing the first hospital in Tripoli, Libya.  Here we provided extensive acute and sub-acute care and I was privileged to manage the multi-disciplinary rehabilitation team.  I gained valuable experience in Orthopaedics, Neonatal and Paediatric ICU.  In 2013 I returned to Jeffreysbay and was fortunate to enter into private practice with my youngest sister, Chanette van der Merwe as partner.  Today we employ many therapists and render services in all domains of Occupational Therapy, inclusive Neuro, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Geriatric care, Psychiatry, Functional Capacity and medico legal assessments and work hardening.  We are also co-developers of a tailor-made Psychiatric work hardening and rehabilitation program that we envisage and hope to become the industry blueprint.  In 2011 I completed my Masters degree in Medical Sociology with a focus on perceived pain and the impact thereof on total knee replacement rehabilitation.  At present I am pursuing my Phd with a focus on the effect of occupational participation in the psychiatric milieu.  I am a qualified assessor and holds a diploma in the manage of HIV/Aids.