Out Now! SAJP Volume 54 Issue 2: June 2024
PUBLIC LECTURE: Mental health policy in 30 years of democracy: challenges and opportunities for change
Mental health policy in 30 years of democracy: challenges and opportunities for change
Date: 19 June 2024
Time: 17h00 to 18h30
About the webinar: In the democratic era, South African mental health policy has adopted the human rights and primary care principles that are endorsed by the World Health Organization and other international agencies. However, there have been major challenges with the implementation of these policies, and tragedies like the Life Esidimeni disaster have marred the landscape of mental health care. In this talk, Professor Lund will review the development and implementation of mental health policies in the 30 years of South African democracy and identify key policy and research challenges facing the country in the present. He will also highlight key opportunities and reasons for hope, made possible by emerging new data on innovations in the delivery of mental health care in low resource settings, and by the leadership shown by people with lived experience.
Meet The Presenter
Professor Crick Lund, PhD, is Professor of Global Mental Health and Co-Director of the Centre for Global Mental Health, Health Services and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. He is also Honorary Professor in the Alan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town (UCT). He trained as a clinical psychologist at UCT in the mid-1990s and subsequently worked on a research team to develop post-apartheid norms for mental health services for the national Department of Health. He worked for the World Health Organisation (WHO) from 2000 to 2005, on the WHO Mental Health Policy and Service Guidance Package and has consulted to several countries on mental health policy and planning. He was a founding member of the Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health at UCT and served as its first Director, from 2010 to 2017. He was the CEO of the Programme for Improving Mental health care (PRIME), a DFID funded research consortium that developed models for integrating mental health into primary care in low resource settings (2011-2019) and Principal Investigator of the Africa Focus on Intervention Research for Mental health (AFFIRM) U19 NIMH Collaborative Hub (2011-2016). He is currently Co-Principal Investigator of the ‘Improving Adolescent mental health by reducing the impact of poverty’ (ALIVE) Wellcome Trust funded collaborative award (2021-2026). His research interests lie in mental health policy, service planning and the relationship between poverty and mental health in low and middle-income countries. He has published over 320 peer reviewed journal articles and 30 book chapters.
Youth Day 2024
Youth Day – 16 June 2024
“Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians” – Nelson Mandela
Written by the Palestine Solidarity Alliance Youth League
Activism, when viewed through the lens of consciousness, becomes an enlightening endeavour that addresses the myriad sufferings observed worldwide. This recognition highlights the importance of conscientisation, ensuring that the work toward liberation continues. The struggle encompasses the suffering of the citizens of the entire world.
The parallel between apartheid South Africa and apartheid Israel is unmistakable. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, “I have been to occupied Palestinian territory, and I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of apartheid.” This theme underpins the broader concept of oppression and that all struggles are interconnected. Our collective liberation and solidarity are a means of complete freedom from all forms of oppression. As Nelson Mandela once said, “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
June 16th, Youth Day, is a poignant reminder of the Soweto Uprising of 1976 where thousands of students of colour protested against the oppressive apartheid regime. Their bravery and determination in the face of brutal repression embody the spirit of activism. Without the bravery of these young activists, we, as South Africans, would never have tasted freedom.
Similarly, today’s youth across the globe are rising in solidarity against apartheid in Israel, with Palestinian youth such as Bisan Owda, Muna El Kurd, and Motaz Azaiza transforming activism as we know it. These young leaders resisted oppression with their phones, using social media platforms to inform the world about Israel’s crimes against humanity. Their efforts have sparked a global uprising, making “Free Palestine” a widespread topic of conversation. The bravery of these youth activists, who provide raw footage of events on the ground, has debunked Israeli propaganda. With authentic video evidence being shared widely, Palestine is finally winning the narrative war for the first time in 76 years.
Today, student uprisings and encampments have spread across campuses worldwide in support of the people of Palestine. From Wits University to Harvard University, students are organising, protesting, and raising awareness about the plight of Palestinians. These movements echo the spirit of the Soweto Uprising, demonstrating the power of youth to effect change and the enduring importance of activism in the fight for justice. Activism rooted in consciousness demands an understanding of the suffering of those who lack a platform to advocate for themselves.
The similarities between struggles of today’s youth in Palestine and the youth of South Africa can be clearly seen. Youth unemployment is on the rise, resulting in extreme poverty both here in South Africa and in Gaza. Nearly 85% of Gaza’s population is displaced, and the illegal siege on Gaza has left thousands without proper sanitation or running water. Similarly, many South African citizens experience similar struggles. Period poverty is a real issue faced by both Palestinians and South Africans. Education has been halted in Gaza due to schools and universities being turned into rubble and the unimaginable number of students and educators murdered. Similarly, the education system in South Africa has failed us due to the lack of resources. These are just a few of the struggles faced by both Palestinians and South Africans. That’s why when we fight for justice we fight for the justice of all people.
In conclusion, the role of activism in our societies is crucial in order to achieve complete liberation for all. As we reflect on Youth Day and the sacrifices made by young South Africans in the fight against apartheid, we must renew our commitment to global solidarity. By standing together and supporting one another, we can create a world where freedom and justice prevail for everyone.
PsyCPD: PsySSA’s In-House CPD Platform
PsyCPD: Earn Your CPD Points Today!
In line with the requirements of the Continuing Professional Development Guidelines for the Health Professions, PsySSA offers members access to an online PsySSA CPD platform. Members can obtain CPD points through the SAJP and AJOPA questionnaires available on this platform. PsySSA CPD aims to assist Professionals manage points and ensure HPCSA compliance. At no additional cost, members are able to read through articles, answer associated questions, attain CPD Points and store Continuous Education Units (CEU) in the CPD vaults. The opportunity to obtain CPD points is also made available at PsySSA’s annual Congress and through our CPD Workshop Series 2024.
PsyCPD is your gateway to continuing professional development, featuring a CPD Accredited Articles Library. Here, you’ll find a selection of articles each paired with a questionnaire, providing an opportunity to earn CPD points. With up to 18 Clinical CPD points currently available, PsyCPD offers a valuable resource for advancing your expertise and fulfilling your professional development requirements.
HPCSA CPD Regulatory Update
- Members are reminded that CPD Certificates are no longer issued by service providers.
- CPD points allocations to HPCSA for activities completed on the PsyCPD platform are submitted bi-monthly.
- To verify uploaded CPD points, enquiries must be directed to the HPCSA. For a step-by-step user manual for practitioners to send a request for CPD updates, click the button below:
Climate Change and Climate Justice – Reflecting on Psychology, Community Psychology, The Streetlight Effect*, Social Change and Questions of Scale” (*Not a Psychological Finding!)
Climate Change and Climate Justice – Reflecting on Psychology, Community Psychology, The Streetlight Effect*, Social Change and Questions of Scale” (*Not a Psychological Finding!)
Date: 25 September 2024
Time: 16h15
About the webinar: Back in 2018, before the pandemic, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) noted that “rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transport and buildings), and industrial systems” were needed, that were “unprecedented in terms of scale”. Globally, these changes are not happening fast enough and limiting global warming to 1.5°C seems to be beyond us as a planet.
Against the above backdrop, this webinar, will provide no easy answers, but does seek to explore, the climate and ecological emergencies, wider social challenges and climate justice. It will discuss what this means for psychology, community psychology, and the well-intentioned people (the speaker hopefully included) who are trying to make a positive difference.
Reflecting on some of his own, limited, climate related research, and his wider activities outside of the academy, Dr Miles Thompson will share some thinking and facilitate some wider discussion around our current challenges, and both the potential and possibly the potential shortcomings of mainstream psychology and community psychologies in addressing the enormity of the unfolding poly-crisis.
Meet The Presenter
Dr Miles Thompson is an Associate Professor in Psychology at UWE Bristol in the UK. He leads a final year undergraduate module called “Psychology and Social Justice”. He is also the lead of UWE’s Psychological Sciences Research Group (PSRG).
Miles’ main research interests are in psychology and its relationship to social, global and environmental justice and change. For Miles, these interests are often approached through the lens of community, critical community and liberation psychologies.
Miles is a clinical psychologist by background, registered with the UK’s HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) and a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy (HEA). He worked full-time in the NHS at the Bath Centre for Pain Services from 2005 until 2011. Prior to working at UWE, he worked as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University. His PhD was awarded by Goldsmiths, University of London (2016). And his Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) by the University of Plymouth (2005).