Deta, M.A., Counsellor
Licensed Mental Health Counsellor | Trauma | CBT | ACT | Art Therapy | Cross-Cultural Counselling
Sari Puteri Deta, M.A., Counsellor, known as Deta, is a Licensed Mental Health Counsellor at Pesona Jiwa with more than four years of professional experience supporting clients through emotional, relational, academic, occupational and life-adjustment difficulties.
Deta works with both Indonesian and international clients and brings a therapeutic style that is warm, structured and highly adaptable.
Her work includes support for anxiety, chronic stress, grief, trauma, relationship difficulties, low self-worth, identity concerns, life transitions, burnout, emotional difficulties and behavioural change.
She draws from a number of evidence-informed therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Trauma Processing Therapy and Art Therapy.
This breadth allows her to work flexibly with people who may be arriving at Pesona Jiwa with very different histories, personalities and therapeutic needs.
Some guests arrive knowing exactly what they want to work on.
Others simply know that something is no longer sustainable.
Deta is comfortable working with both.
An Indonesian Counsellor Working With International Guests
Pesona Jiwa welcomes guests from around the world.
For many international clients, coming to Bali for psychological support means entering not only a new treatment environment, but also a different cultural setting.
This makes cross-cultural understanding particularly important.
Deta’s background allows her to work within an Indonesian clinical context while using therapeutic approaches that are widely recognised and familiar to Western clients.
CBT.
ACT.
Motivational Interviewing.
Solution-Focused work.
Trauma processing.
These approaches provide a shared therapeutic language for international guests while remaining adaptable to the person’s own culture, values and way of understanding their experience.
At Pesona Jiwa, we do not expect someone to fit into one cultural model of mental health.
Nor do we assume that a therapeutic approach developed in the West should simply be applied in exactly the same way to every person.
The individual remains central.
Areas of Therapeutic Focus
Deta works with guests experiencing a broad range of emotional, psychological and relational concerns, including:
- anxiety and persistent worry
- chronic stress
- workplace and career-related pressure
- burnout
- grief and loss
- trauma and trauma-related concerns
- relationship and family difficulties
- separation and divorce
- attachment-related difficulties
- major life transitions
- self-esteem and self-worth concerns
- identity-related challenges
- minority stress
- sexual orientation and identity exploration
- emotional and interpersonal difficulties
- motivation and behavioural change
- academic and performance-related stress
Although these concerns can appear separate, they often overlap.
Someone experiencing burnout may also be dealing with perfectionism, chronic responsibility or difficulty setting boundaries.
A person struggling after a relationship breakdown may also be confronting questions around attachment, self-worth and identity.
A guest experiencing anxiety may understand intellectually that they are safe while their body continues reacting as though something is wrong.
Deta’s role is to help explore these connections rather than treating each symptom in isolation.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Deta incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) into her work where appropriate.
CBT helps people examine the relationships between thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
This can be particularly useful when someone becomes caught in patterns such as:
“I am going to fail.”
“I am not good enough.”
“I need to keep everyone happy.”
“If I stop working, everything will fall apart.”
“I should be coping better than this.”
Thoughts like these can influence behaviour.
The behaviour can then reinforce the original belief.
Deta helps guests identify these patterns and develop more flexible ways of responding.
This does not mean simply replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
It means learning to question assumptions that may have become automatic.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is another important part of Deta’s therapeutic approach.
Many people coming to Pesona Jiwa have become exhausted by trying to control their own internal experience.
They do not want to feel anxious.
They do not want to feel sad.
They do not want the memory.
They do not want uncertainty.
They want to switch everything off.
But attempts to avoid difficult internal experiences can sometimes create further struggle.
ACT helps people develop greater psychological flexibility.
Instead of asking:
“How do I stop feeling this?”
the work can begin to shift towards:
“Can I experience this without allowing it to control every decision I make?”
This fits closely with the wider work we do at Pesona Jiwa.
The goal is not a life without difficult emotion.
It is greater capacity to respond to emotion without immediately becoming overwhelmed or controlled by it.
Motivational Interviewing
Deta also uses Motivational Interviewing, particularly when a person feels conflicted about change.
This can arise in many areas.
Substance use.
Relationships.
Work.
Boundaries.
Health.
Self-care.
Someone may know that a particular pattern is hurting them while another part of them remains attached to it.
That is not unusual.
Change is rarely completely straightforward.
Motivational Interviewing avoids pushing the guest towards somebody else’s solution.
Instead, it helps them explore their own reasons for change.
What matters to me?
What am I losing?
What would be different if I changed this?
What is stopping me?
This helps the person develop ownership of the process rather than simply following instructions.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Deta also incorporates Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).
This can be especially useful when somebody has spent a long time discussing the problem but has lost sight of their own resources.
The work may explore:
What is already working?
When is this difficulty less intense?
What have you survived before?
What strengths are already present?
What would one meaningful improvement look like?
Sometimes people arrive at an intensive retreat feeling that everything is wrong.
Breaking change into something smaller and more concrete can make recovery begin to feel possible again.
Trauma Processing
Deta works with trauma and trauma-related difficulties using a careful, paced approach.
At Pesona Jiwa, trauma work is not about pushing somebody repeatedly into painful memories.
More disclosure does not automatically mean more healing.
The person needs enough stability and safety to engage with difficult material without becoming completely overwhelmed.
Deta’s trauma work may involve helping guests understand:
- how past experiences continue to influence present reactions
- why certain triggers feel disproportionately powerful
- how beliefs about self-worth developed
- why particular relationships or situations activate old patterns
- how avoidance can become protective
- what emotional and behavioural patterns once served a purpose
The aim is not to erase what happened.
It is to help the person develop a different relationship with it.
Art Therapy and Creative Therapeutic Work
Deta also incorporates Art Therapy and creative approaches where appropriate.
For some people, words are easy.
For others, words are exactly where they become stuck.
A guest may be extremely articulate and still struggle to access the emotional part of an experience.
Another may know that something feels wrong but be unable to describe it clearly.
Creative expression offers another route.
Image.
Colour.
Shape.
Symbol.
The process itself.
Art therapy is not about being artistic.
It is not an art class.
There is no expectation of producing something attractive or technically skilled.
The value is in what the process allows the person to express and explore.
This can be particularly useful with:
- trauma
- grief
- identity
- emotional numbness
- relationships
- difficult transitions
- self-worth
- experiences that are hard to verbalise
Within the private environment of Pesona Jiwa, this work can sit naturally alongside counselling, nervous-system work and the wider therapeutic programme.
Working With High-Functioning Stress and Burnout
Deta’s work with occupational stress and performance pressure is particularly relevant to many Pesona Jiwa guests.
People experiencing burnout are not always unable to function.
Often they continue functioning extremely well.
They work.
Lead teams.
Meet deadlines.
Look after families.
Make decisions.
Travel.
Perform.
But the cost keeps increasing.
Rest stops working.
Sleep deteriorates.
Irritability increases.
Relationships become harder.
The person feels permanently “on.”
For some guests, it is the inability to stop performing that becomes the problem.
Deta’s work can help explore not only the immediate stress, but also the beliefs and patterns underneath it.
Perfectionism.
Hyper-responsibility.
Fear of disappointing others.
Identity built around achievement.
Difficulty asking for help.
These patterns often need more than a holiday.
They need to be understood.
Relationship and Attachment Difficulties
Deta also supports guests experiencing difficulties following relationship breakdown, separation or divorce.
These experiences can activate much more than grief over the relationship itself.
They may bring up:
Fear of abandonment.
Rejection.
Loss of identity.
Self-doubt.
Anger.
Shame.
Difficulty trusting again.
Or the recognition that similar patterns have appeared across several relationships.
Counselling creates space to examine those patterns without immediately blaming either the self or the other person.
The question becomes:
What happened here?
What did this relationship activate?
What am I carrying forward?
And what do I want to understand differently before I repeat the same pattern?
Identity and Minority Stress
Deta also works with people experiencing identity-related difficulties, minority stress and questions around sexual orientation.
This requires a therapeutic environment that is respectful and non-judgmental.
For some people, psychological distress does not arise from identity itself.
It comes from the environment around it.
Family expectations.
Stigma.
Discrimination.
Fear of rejection.
The pressure to hide.
Conflict between culture and personal identity.
Deta provides space for clients to explore these experiences without being pushed towards a predetermined interpretation of who they should be.
Grief, Loss and Major Life Transitions
Grief is another important area of Deta’s work.
Loss is not limited to bereavement.
People may grieve:
A relationship.
A marriage.
A career.
A role.
A friendship.
A home.
A future they expected to have.
An earlier version of themselves.
Major life transitions can also create psychological difficulty even when the transition appears positive from the outside.
Retirement.
Moving country.
Changing career.
Becoming a parent.
Selling a business.
Ending a long relationship.
Sometimes what is lost is certainty.
Deta helps guests make space for that process rather than forcing themselves to “move on” before they are ready.
Educational Psychology and Human Development
Deta holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta.
She also completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychotherapy and Sufism at Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati, Bandung.
Her educational psychology background gives her additional insight into:
Learning.
Motivation.
Human development.
Performance.
Identity formation.
Adaptation.
The relationship between environment and psychological wellbeing.
She also holds Professional Counsellor Certification in Indonesia through the Badan Nasional Sertifikasi Profesi (BNSP).
Her education therefore combines formal psychological and counselling knowledge with a wider understanding of human development and change.
Published Psychological and Academic Research
Alongside her clinical work, Deta has contributed to a number of academic and psychological publications.
Her research interests span subjective wellbeing, bipolar disorder, gratitude, prosocial behaviour, empathy, educational psychology, student motivation, parenting and child development.
This adds another dimension to her role at Pesona Jiwa.
She does not only bring therapeutic experience.
She also brings an established background in psychological research conducted within Indonesian populations and social contexts.
The Meaning of Subjective Well-Being Among University Students With Bipolar Disorder
Deta’s Master’s research explored:
The Meaning of Subjective Well-Being Among University Students with Bipolar Disorder
The qualitative research examined how university students living with bipolar disorder understood and experienced subjective wellbeing.
Rather than focusing only on symptoms or diagnosis, the research explored themes including self-acceptance, emotional stability, personal goals, meaningful activity, social connection and psychological and spiritual needs.
Published research:
https://digilib.uin-suka.ac.id/id/eprint/50645/
This reflects an important principle in Deta’s clinical work.
A diagnosis describes part of somebody’s experience.
It does not describe the whole person.
Gratitude and Prosocial Behaviour
Deta has also contributed to research examining:
The Implementation of Gratitude in Prosocial Behavior: A Study of Volunteers in a Bandung Social Community
The work explored gratitude and prosocial behaviour within an Indonesian social and community context.
Published research:
https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/syifa-al-qulub/article/view/9150
This aligns with wider psychological themes around meaning, connection, relationships and the ways people engage with others.
Single Parents and the Development of Children’s Empathy
Deta also contributed to research exploring:
Creative Strategies of Single Parents in Developing Children’s Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This work examined how parents responded creatively to major disruption while supporting children’s emotional and interpersonal development.
It reflects Deta’s broader interests in family relationships, adaptation and human development.
Student Motivation During Online Learning
Her academic work has also examined:
Learning Motivation of High School Students in Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The sudden transition to online education created substantial psychological, educational and social challenges for young people.
The research complements Deta’s formal training in Educational Psychology and her understanding of academic anxiety, performance pressure and motivation.
Online Learning and Children’s Creativity
Deta has additionally contributed to research on:
The Dynamics of Online Learning in the COVID-19 Era and Its Impact on Children’s Creativity
This work further reflects her interest in the relationship between environment, development, learning and psychological wellbeing.
Indonesian Expertise Within an International Retreat
Deta’s academic and clinical background strengthens the Indonesian foundation of Pesona Jiwa.
This matters to us.
Pesona Jiwa welcomes guests from Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and other parts of the world.
But we are not an international retreat that happens to be located in Indonesia.
We are an Indonesian-based clinical and therapeutic programme with a team grounded here.
Deta brings professional training from respected Indonesian universities.
Indonesian professional counsellor certification.
Research based within Indonesian populations.
And therapeutic approaches recognised internationally.
That combination allows Pesona Jiwa to remain locally grounded while providing care that international guests can understand and access comfortably.
Working Within the Pesona Jiwa Team
Deta works as part of the wider Pesona Jiwa multidisciplinary team.
Depending on the needs of the guest, the programme may involve:
- psychotherapy
- psychological counselling
- clinical psychology
- psychiatry
- medicine
- nursing
- nervous-system regulation
- taVNS
- trauma-informed work
- mindfulness
- movement
- massage and body-based interventions
- holistic and culturally grounded practices
No single modality is expected to carry the whole treatment.
Deta’s work contributes the counselling and psychological perspective within that broader environment.
This allows what emerges in counselling to inform other parts of the programme and vice versa.
Why the One-Guest Model Matters
Pesona Jiwa works with one guest at a time.
For counselling, this creates a very different environment from a conventional group retreat.
Deta does not have to fit somebody into a standard timetable designed around ten or twenty people.
If an issue emerges, there is room to respond.
If the guest needs more space, the pace can change.
If a particular therapeutic approach is working, it can be developed further.
If the person is overwhelmed, the programme can slow down.
This individualisation is particularly important for trauma, grief and people arriving in states of significant exhaustion.
Deta’s Therapeutic Philosophy
At the centre of Deta’s work is the understanding that psychological change is rarely linear.
People make progress.
Then struggle.
Understand something intellectually.
Then discover how difficult it is to live differently.
Set a boundary.
Then feel guilty about it.
Move forward.
Then revisit an old pattern.
This does not automatically mean therapy has failed.
It means change is human.
Deta’s role is not to judge the person against an ideal version of recovery.
It is to help them understand what is happening and continue developing greater choice.
More Than a Diagnosis
One of the things that aligns Deta strongly with the Pesona Jiwa philosophy is the understanding that the person should never disappear behind a diagnosis.
A guest may have depression.
They are not depression.
They may have experienced trauma.
They are not their trauma.
They may have an anxiety disorder.
That diagnosis does not explain every relationship, strength, value, hope or behaviour they have.
Diagnosis can be useful.
But understanding the whole person is more useful.
Deta’s work remains centred on the individual.
Their history.
Their relationships.
Their values.
Their culture.
Their strengths.
Their difficulties.
And what they want their life to look like beyond treatment.
Deta at Pesona Jiwa
Deta brings together a valuable combination of clinical experience, internationally recognised therapeutic approaches and Indonesian academic expertise.
She is:
- a licensed mental health counsellor
- professionally certified in Indonesia through BNSP
- Master’s qualified in Educational Psychology
- trained academically in Psychotherapy and Sufism
- experienced in CBT
- experienced in ACT
- experienced in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
- experienced in Motivational Interviewing
- experienced in trauma-processing work
- experienced in Art Therapy
- experienced in anxiety, stress and burnout
- experienced in grief and loss
- experienced in relationship and attachment difficulties
- experienced in identity and minority stress
- experienced in behavioural change
- a published psychological and academic researcher
- experienced in working within an Indonesian psychological and cultural context
For international guests, Deta offers psychological care grounded in therapeutic approaches that will often feel familiar while remaining sensitive to the individual’s culture and personal experience.
For Pesona Jiwa, she strengthens something equally important.
The ability to provide genuinely international care without losing our Indonesian clinical identity.
That balance is central to what Pesona Jiwa is becoming.
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