User:Rethabloem/sandbox

Prof Retha Bloem

Prof Retha Bloem is a researcher at North-West University and a registered social worker with a 25-year academic research history. As a graduate of the University of Pretoria, she obtained her B.SW, BA (Hons) Industrial Sociology, (cum laude) Magister Atrium,(cum laude)  Masters of Social work (play therapy) (cum laude)  and PhD (UP) under promotorship of Prof Rina Delport in a period of 10 years. After lecturing for five years at the University of Pretoria in Sociology, she became a faculty member as senior Lector at UNISA, leading as Director of the Institute for Child Youth and Family studies. She was appointed in March 2011 as head/ associate professor for the newly established Centre for Child Youth and Family Studies, North West University, Potchefstroom, with the main emphasis on the establishment of a community-based research platform for the North West University in the Western Cape. This research platform provides, under her management, an inter-disciplinary community for training, consultation, research and rendering services to enhance the psychosocial well-being of children, youth and families. She was appointed as Research Director for the Research entity COMPRES (Community Psycho-social Research) in the Faculty of Health Science in 2020.

Her research expertise includes 18 Years of post-graduate supervision experience within the field of children. She supervised up to date 58 Master's Students and 10 PhD Students successfully. Her broad scientific field of interest lies within Psycho-social well-being for children and youth, emphasising intervention strategies, community work, social justice and advocacy.

Her participation, publications and contributing seminars and papers include various national and international papers in the social sciences. In recent years her field of expertise lies within community participation and community engagement. Her focus is on civil rights, social justice and the voice of marginalised groups and communities.

Her work motto is “In Africa for Africa.”