CURRICULUM VITAE

PERSONAL DETAILS

Name: Debsalem Bloom

Email: debsalem@gmail.com

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master of Arts (Social Work), University of Witwatersrand, SA.1988
  • Honours in Clinical Social Work, University of Cape Town, SA.1982
  • Bachelor of Social Science (Social Work), University of Cape Town, SA.1981
  • Registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professions.
  • Eye Movement Technology (Desensitizing stressful and traumatic emotions).1996
  • Reiki Master.1999
  • Valid Driver’s License.

PRESENT INVOLVEMENT

1999 – Present: Guide to sacred sites in and around Cape Town.

WORK EXPERIENCE

2018: Blyde River Canyon Botanical Gardens Private Nature Reserve – Assisted with retreats and looked after an Alzheimer patient.

2016: Greyton Transition Town – Humane Education Programme Mentor and Researcher, and assisted in Pure Cafe (vegan restaurant).

2015: Hearth and Soul, Eco Farm and Spiritual Retreat, Stanford, South Africa – Volunteered in exchange for training.

2011 – 2014: The Homestead Projects for Street Children – Intake Shelter, Chapel Street Woodstock, Cape Town – Social Work services, including case work, group work, statutory reports, administration and running the Shelter in the absence of the manager.

2008 – 2010: Herzlia Highlands Primary School – Administration and First Aid.

2005-2008: Conscious Living Diary – Founder member and co-creator.

2004: International Conference Integrating Nature and Humanity – Rites of passage in the Wilderness, Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

2003: Gender Reconciliation outdoor residential event, Beverlac, Groot Winterhoek, Cederberg Mountains, South Africa. Co-created and co-facilitated the entire event.

1999-2006: Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Worked with ley-lines and vortex fields in the earth and took people to these sacred sites on meditation walks. This included sessions in emotional release, personal growth and energy healing.

1999: Parliament of World Religions, Cape Town, South Africa: Active participant.

1998: Alstar Centre, Holistic Living Systems, Evian Farm, Yarvaland rd, White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Lived in this spiritual eco-community and participated in regular and intensive workshops on alternative healing, advanced meditation and personal growth.

1997: Global Ecovillage Network residential course at Tlholego Ecovillage near Rustenburg in the Northwest Province of South Africa.

1980-2006: Independent Social Work with Street-Children in the Hillbrow and Braamfontein areas of Johannesburg and in the “Cape Flats” of Cape Town. This included networking with Child Welfare, Hospitals, Shelters, Businesses and Local Government. It also involved direct work with HIV\ AIDS orphans.

1984-1990: Organised Public Meetings & International Press Conferences to expose the State of Emergency in South Africa’s apartheid era.

1984-1988: Post Traumatic Stress counselling with children tortured in prisons and ex-detainees for the Detainees Parents Support Committee and Detainees Counselling Service.

1984-1987: University of Witwatersrand:

  • Lectured, assessed practical application and supervised community work projects.
  • Skills training for social work students.
  • Planned and co-ordinated the Social Work Pre-university Programme.

1984-1987: Baragwanath Hospital, SOWETO: Organized stimulation programmes in the pediatric wards: fund-raising for, and establishment of a toy library.

Intermittent: Television Appearances in programmes related to street-children, the similarities between Kabbalah and Hindu mysticism, and the Conscious Living Diary.

SPECIFIC SKILLS INCLUDE

  • Counselling
  • Communication
  • Case work
  • Group work
  • Facilitation
  • Training
  • Organizing
  • Managerial
  • Computer literacy
  • Energy healing
  • Meditation
  • Creativity
  • Space clearing and creating an uplifting ambience
  • Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free cooking

CONTACTABLE REFERENCES

Dean Liprini, CEO at Sacred Sites Foundation of Southern Africa. dean@sunpath.co.za

Dr. Dominique Koubovec. Contact details upon request.

Ronnie Gotkin, Principal of Herzlia Highlands Primary School. Contact details upon request.

Sandra Morreira, Director of the Homestead Projects for Street Children. morreirasandra@gmail.com