Born from lived experience. Not from a boardroom.
Registered counsellors, online and in your language — grounded in dignity and human rights.
Written by Elza Berk, Founder & registered counsellor · ASCHP WCW/271 · 20+ years’ clinical experience · Updated 28 September 2026
Why it exists
MyTruth was previously known as TherapyNow Global. Same founder, same counsellors, same care, with a new name.
MyTruth was founded by Elza Berk — not because it seemed like a good business idea, but because she needed it herself. After her own journey through mental health struggles, trauma and addiction, Elza spent more than 20 years working inside South Africa’s leading rehabilitation clinics, beginning in 2006.
She watched people who were trying with everything they had be told they weren’t trying hard enough. Since 2015 she has been building something different: online counselling that blends harm reduction, trauma-informed care and consciousness work into an approach that is honest, holistic and transformative.
“Personal struggle can be transformed into collective healing. Lived experience is a powerful form of expertise. And compassion is the most revolutionary tool we have.”— Elza Berk, Founder & CEO
Why MyTruth?
For ten years, people have come to us to say things they had never said out loud. What helped wasn’t advice — it was being believed, and being heard in full. That is what the new name stands for: your truth, in your words and your language, held with care by a registered counsellor.
Research and recognition
Our work is grounded in research. We co-author research with King’s College London, and Elza has collaborated with Dr Claire Brooks and Julieanne Cullen on research defining dignity and human rights through lived experience for the World Health Organization’s Mental Health and Human Rights Guidance. She is also a Healthy Brains Global Initiative (HBGI) LEC Member for Addiction and Harm Reduction (since 2025), and in 2024 was a keynote speaker at an addiction conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on the importance of lived experience in research.
The founding philosophy hasn’t changed: meet people where they are, without judgement, and walk with them. Counselling is one of the ways we stand up for dignity and human rights.
In financial hardship? If you need counselling and can’t afford it right now, email accounts@mytruth.co.za. We will do everything we can to help.
At a glance
- Online counselling across borders since 2015
- 10,000+ counselling sessions delivered
- 10 hand-picked registered counsellors (HPCSA, ASCHP, CCSA)
- Clients in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany and beyond
- Corporate partners including Sasol, Seidor and Hart Security
- 80,000+ social media followers and 1M+ likes
- Based in Cape Town, South Africa
What happens when you wake up.
Most of what hurts us runs below the surface. We repeat the same fights, the same choices and the same pain without knowing why. Counselling is where that starts to change.
- 1
You wake up
You start to notice: the reaction that comes too fast, the feeling that is bigger than the moment. Noticing is enough to begin.
- 2
You see the patterns
The same story keeps showing up in your relationships, at work, and in what you reach for when it hurts. We look gently at what you project onto others, what your dreams are saying, and what you would rather not see.
- 3
You understand what is happening
Every trigger has an origin. When we trace it back, it makes sense. You are not broken. You learned to survive, and what kept you safe then may not serve you now.
- 4
You choose differently
Once you can see it, you can choose. Breath and grounding help the wave pass, so you respond instead of react. Life happens, so there is no rigid plan, just honest work at your pace.
Four things we don’t compromise on.
Dignity
Every person who reaches out is treated as the expert on their own life.
Truth
We make room for the whole story — including the parts that are hard to say.
Access
Counselling is a human right, not a luxury. Registered care in your language, at a fair price, from wherever you are.
Safety
Supervised counsellors, strict confidentiality and POPIA-compliant data handling.
Your truth deserves to be heard.
Choose a counsellor who speaks your language and understands your world. Sessions are online, private and booked in minutes.