About Us
Family Focus is owned by Noeline Levinson. As a child she suffered from Dyslexia and although finishing school, she found it still hampered her. In 1985 her mother who was a psychologist, was studying the Tomatis method in Paris with Prof. Tomatis. Noeline joined her and did a program with Tomatis, and found it life changing, she was able to go to university and study.
Noeline worked for her mother in her Tomatis listening centre in Cape Town, doing all the testing etc for a few years. She then travelled overseas to study the Alexander technique. It was in 1994 that she opened her own Sound therapy centre in Johannesburg, starting out doing only pregnancy programmes. Then after a couple of years, parents started to bring their children to her and she has been working with children ever since.
Noeline has worked extensively with children who are on the autistic spectrum, however, all learning challenges big and small have also benefitted from the Sound therapy. In New Zealand she works closely with Lynn Berresford and run a clinic from her North shore centre as well as Gina Wilson who assists children with their nutrition and gut health. She also works with Rosanne Sullivan and Inga von Benzon who help children with removing toxins from their systems.
Noeline is happily married and has two small children, who have taught her so very much along the way.
Family Focus
Noeline is currently seeing a young boy of 7 years old, he has APD and was falling behind at school. He was not able to focus at school as well as he was not remembering what had been taught before. It seemed like he was not listening. Family Focus came into the picture after he had been struggling for over a year. The school where he attends called Noeline in to do a brain profile for him, after giving feedback to the SANCO, his teacher and his mother, he began Sound therapy program.
After a few weeks, he was starting to write and wanting to make sentences. His concentration developed very well, and he became more still and was able to participate more in class. Then we did a second programme, this was aimed at improving his self-esteem and getting his reading skills up. He is now ready for the next step which is addressing the toxic load he is carrying and so now he has been referred on to Rosanne. In a few months’ time, he will be reassessed and see if he needs more Sound therapy. He has already improved so very much.
Over the years Noeline has spoken at many venues including schools and worked with many hundreds of children. She has seen this method of Sound therapy create the kind of change that few other methods are able to achieve. There are many aspects that must be addressed when looking at learning challenges. There are so many stresses on children’s systems today that it is imperative to look at the whole picture.
The assessment process gives parents a huge amount of very useful information, even if the child does not follow through and do the sound therapy. A very good way to start is to do the Brain profiling first, from there Noeline would have a good idea if the Sound therapy would help. If so, then the full assessment is booked, and if not, she then recommends where to go to start to help the child.
The brain profile takes one hour to one and half hours. It is a unique type of personality profile that indicates what happens to the brain under stress. Which parts of the brain are not functioning under stress. This is so very important as it helps parents and teachers understand why a child stops functioning when they are stressed, or why behaviour changes when the child is stressed. Parents for example say the child can read at home but loses that ability in class. It also explains why some children need a reader writer at school while others do not.
The Sound therapy programs consists of either 15 or 20, two-hour sessions, at one of the clinics, children sit with their mother’s and play games, draw, do puzzles and generally have fun. The parent and child, wear headphones and a bone conductor, while the music gets to work to rewire the brain.
There is an assessment before the programme and a follow up after it is completed. There are other Sound Therapy programs available today, however the one Noeline uses is the original Tomatis method.
Physical environment
There are two clinics. One from the Indigo assessment centre on the North Shore and the other at her home Stonefields. There is ample parking at each site. At Indigo, there is room for one family at a time, and in our home-based clinic there is room for two or three families at a time. At the Indigo centre we have a receptionist to assist parents with set up whereas Noeline looks after the families who attend the home clinic. Both clinics are very child friendly.
Contact Noeline Levinson for more info on [email protected] or call on 021 052 8980
Services
- Sound therapy programmes based on the Tomatis method
- Genetic brain dominance profiling
Services
- Sound therapy programmes based on the Tomatis method
- Genetic brain dominance profiling
T, 15 years old was struggling at school. I was at my wits end with her. She was unable to focus and seemed to be in a permanent dream state. No one could connect with her. She had switched off so profoundly that I worried how I would ever reach her. I took her to see Noeline for an assessment and she suggested the Sound therapy. These are the differences that I saw in her performance, just after 20 sessions. ‘She has woken up to the world, she is interacting with her classmates and her personality is coming out. She is asking more question about the world, how things operate, what’s going on. She is more confident and more expressive, shares opinions, ideas, wishes etc. She has become more assertive and does not back out of conflict as she used to, she challenges me more and speaks her mind, she has become more rebellious (in a healthy teenage way). Generally she is more comfortable with herself and is thinking more for herself, she is analysing people and the world and is finding solutions to handle problems. I see a very big change. Thank you’
J, age 6 was taken to Noeline for a brain profile. During that time Noeline realized that there were other issues contributing to J’s learning problems. Noeline suggested that we visit Dr.Ford to have him chelated and that we begin Sound therapy. We did as she suggested and it has just been three months and he is a different child. I have had him in a small remedial school and his teachers cannot believe that he has improved in such a short time. His physiotherapist can see a huge improvement in his development. I am astounded at how fast he improved and how well he is doing at school. I am a play therapist and work with children everyday who have learning challenges. I was so impressed with his improvement that I have considered taking some of Noeline’s training courses.
