Position:

Social Worker at the School of Clinical Medicine

Lecturer at DiMTEC

Qualifications:

2025 PhD (Disaster Management), University of the Free State 

2012 M.S.W. (Forensic assessments), University of the Free State

2008  B.Soc.Sc. (Social Work), University of the Free State

Work experience:

February 2011 - currently                   Social Worker in Private Practice

January 2022- March 2026                 Placement Liaison Officer (PLO) at the Department of Social Work

January 2018 - December 2021         Jim Fouché High School  

• The impact of speed humps on out-of-hospital transported patients: the experience of Emergency Medical Services personnel. Mathe Helekia Lesenyeho, Yong Sebastian Nyam & Martha Maria van Straaten. Published in the International Journal of Emergency Services, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-04-2024-0029 

• Social work mental health and psychosocial support to vulnerable groups during COVID-19 in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Free State, South Africa. Martha van Straaten, Christo Heunis, Alice Ncube & Joerg Szarzynski. Published in Social work in the 21st century: Scholarship and praxis reimagined towards vulnerability, in Knowledge Pathing: Multi-, Inter- and Trans-Disciplining in Social Sciences Series, vol. 3, AVARSITY Books, Cape Town, pp. 47–59. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2024.BK473.03

• Social worker role-taking during communicable disease outbreaks in South Africa. Christo Heunis, Martha Joubert &Alice Ncube. In:Routledge Handbook of African Social Work Education. London: Routledge, pp.152-164.

• Improvement of the quality of Social Work report writing. Dr. Annelie Böning and Mariëtte Joubert. Published in Creation of Society, March 2021. ISBN 9798709765009

• ‘n Proses evaluering van ‘n verkeersoortrederswerksopdrag. Mariëtte Joubert and Carel van Wyk. Published in LitNet Academic (12-3), December 2015. ISSN 1995-5928

• Social Work forensic reports in South African criminal courts: inevitability in the quest for justice - Mariëtte Joubert and Carel van Wyk. Published in SOCIAL WORK/MAATSKAPLIKE WERK (50-4) October 2014.

• Die voorkoms, frekwensie en aard van seksuele misbruik deur jong vroulike seksoortreders in ’n inwoonsorgsentrum – Mariëtte Joubert, Marisa Pietersen and Carel van Wyk. Published in LitNet December 2012.

• The impact of speed humps on out-of-hospital transported patients: the experience of Emergency Medical Services personnel. Mathe Helekia Lesenyeho, Yong Sebastian Nyam & Martha Maria van Straaten. Published in the International Journal of Emergency Services, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-04-2024-0029 

• Social work mental health and psychosocial support to vulnerable groups during COVID-19 in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Free State, South Africa. Martha van Straaten, Christo Heunis, Alice Ncube & Joerg Szarzynski. Published in Social work in the 21st century: Scholarship and praxis reimagined towards vulnerability, in Knowledge Pathing: Multi-, Inter- and Trans-Disciplining in Social Sciences Series, vol. 3, AVARSITY Books, Cape Town, pp. 47–59. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2024.BK473.03

• Social worker role-taking during communicable disease outbreaks in South Africa. Christo Heunis, Martha Joubert &Alice Ncube. In:Routledge Handbook of African Social Work Education. London: Routledge, pp.152-164.

• Improvement of the quality of Social Work report writing. Dr. Annelie Böning and Mariëtte Joubert. Published in Creation of Society, March 2021. ISBN 9798709765009

• ‘n Proses evaluering van ‘n verkeersoortrederswerksopdrag. Mariëtte Joubert and Carel van Wyk. Published in LitNet Academic (12-3), December 2015. ISSN 1995-5928

• Social Work forensic reports in South African criminal courts: inevitability in the quest for justice - Mariëtte Joubert and Carel van Wyk. Published in SOCIAL WORK/MAATSKAPLIKE WERK (50-4) October 2014.

• Die voorkoms, frekwensie en aard van seksuele misbruik deur jong vroulike seksoortreders in ’n inwoonsorgsentrum – Mariëtte Joubert, Marisa Pietersen and Carel van Wyk. Published in LitNet December 2012.

Forensic social work, working with offenders and play therapy.

Disaster management and mental health

DIMP5280

DIMH7910