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Special Announcement: PsySSA President-Elect

Special Announcement: PsySSA President-Elect

by | May 22, 2024 | Community and Engagement, PsySSA Announcements

Attention: PsySSA Members

Prof Jace Pillay (PsySSA President-Elect) requested that he be allowed to withdraw from his duly elected position, given his current commitments at the HPCSA. This has placed PsySSA in the unusual position of not having an office bearer to fill the Office of the President of PsySSA at the next Congress. Given this challenging circumstance, as well as the fact that this is the year of our 30th Anniversary Congress, the PAPU Congress, and we will have a significant number of international guests, PsySSA needs to remediate this situation to avoid reputational fallout and any governance and leadership lapses.

After careful consideration and due diligence, the Nominations Committee, with the support and confirmation of the PsySSA Council, has approached Prof Ronelle Carolissen to stand as the new President-Elect. Prof Carolissen is a longstanding member of PsySSA, in good standing, and has extensive familiarity with the leadership and governance structures of our organization. She has graciously agreed to assume the role of President-Elect with immediate effect, and this will be ratified at the Annual General Meeting in October.

We are confident that Prof Carolissen’s leadership will guide PsySSA effectively through this pivotal year and beyond, and thank her in anticipation of her further contributions to the Society.

Thank you for your attention and support.
PsySSA Council

Discovery Health’s Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA) processes

by | May 22, 2024 | Community and Engagement, Media and Public Awareness, PsySSA Announcements

Discovery Health has written to the President of PsySSA to explain how they handle issues of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) in healthcare. They want to ensure that their investigations are fair and thorough. To help with this, they’ve set up a panel of experts who can step in and help resolve disagreements between Discovery Health and healthcare providers. These experts/panelists are all professionally qualified and accredited in facilitation, mediation and/or arbitration.

For more details, see the letter below:

Download (PDF, 83KB)

Workshop 4: Rescheduled to 28 May 2024

Workshop 4: Rescheduled to 28 May 2024

by | May 22, 2024 | CPD Opportunities, Events and Announcements, PsySSA 2024 CPD Workshop Series, PsySSA Announcements

Integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) in the treatment of OCD

About this workshop:

DATE RESCHEDULED TO 28 MAY 2024

Time: 18:00 – 20:00

The aim of this three-part workshop series is to introduce practitioners to ACT, an evidence-based treatment, which is firmly rooted in Relational Frame Theory (RFT).

Topics to be covered over the three-part series:

  • What exactly are ACT, ERP and RFT.
  • How to effectively diagnose OCD keeping comorbidity in mind.
  • The essentials and treatment goals of ACT for OCD.
  • Making decisions on whether to involve the client’s social support network in the treatment process.
  • Lessons learned in constructing exposure exercises, both in and out of the session.
  • Lessons learned in treating children with OCD.
  • Lessons learned in dealing with experiential avoidance and defense mechanisms.

To bring the work alive, I will make use of illustrative case studies (the successes and the not so successful experiences), experiential exercises, metaphors, and offer workshop attendees opportunities to practice some of the tools used in the treatment of OCD.

There are few practitioners who treat OCD, particularly child clients, and few who use evidence-based methods. We are in desperate need to get more practitioners on board in the effective treatment of OCD.

To convey how ACT can be used as an effective treatment for OCD in clinical practice integrating Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) by means of focusing on a little bit of theory, doing experiential exercises, learning about the importance of metaphors and how to use them, tracking patient progress,  lessons learned – the successful and not so successful! To bring the theory and the work alive I will make use of case studies, practical therapeutic  ‘tools’, and my clinical experience.

Click Here To Register
Meet our Presenter!

Bernice du Plessis: Working in the private sector as an evidence-based therapist for well over a decade, Bernice’s treatment approach is informed by both Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-CBT.  Bernice had the privilege of completing her clinical training at SUN which offered an intensive CBT program. Owing to the dearth of continued training in this field Bernice joined and became a board member of the South African Chapter for the Association of Contextual and Behavioral Science (ACBS SA). The ACBS has been instrumental in providing practitioners with the opportunity to be taught ACT by top accredited international trainers including Dr. Robyn Walser, Prof. Tamar Pincus, Prof. Melanie Noel and Dr. Russel Harris to name a few!

Bernice has had the opportunity to present at various local and international conferences and workshops with the focus on using ACT in clinical practice. She has been published in the Journal of Peace and Conflict and the Journal of Child and Abuse and Neglect. Even though she holds a second masters in psychological research from UCT, she much prefers her clinical work.

Bernice’s expertise lies specifically in the treatment of OCD, anxiety related disorders, children who have experienced trauma, tic disorders, trichotillomania, Dermatillomania, ADHD, Autism and working with clients who live with chronic health conditions and persistent pain. She works with children and adults in both English and Afrikaans.

The values which inform her work are adventure, acceptance, authenticity, challenge, curiosity, collaboration, flexibility, humour, humility, independence, and innovation. Bernice is known for forward-thinking and her non-conformist approach to life and work, she is a creative, out-of-the-box thinker with an unconventional approach to both her work and life.

 

Indigenous Healing and Psychotherapy Workshop

Indigenous Healing and Psychotherapy Workshop

by | May 22, 2024 | Events and Announcements, Psychology Events

Indigenous Healing and Psychotherapy

Date: Friday, 14 Jun 2024 at 09:00

Cost: R550.00

4 CPD HPCSA Clinical points

This presentation is based on an understanding of indigenous healing and also understanding the western perspective of how the two merge and also on how they can also be so different. In understanding indigenous healing we also get to understand our black patients and how they navigate their lifestyle and well being. While working with the self in psychotherapy we also need to learn on what healing entails for our black patients. The purpose of the workshop is to assist psychotherapists to develop a deeper understanding of Indigenous African people’s world view and how that might have a bearing on how they deal with life events including death, dying and grief.

Virtual reality workshop. Email ticket to: Nompumelelo.kay@gmail.com for the link

Click Here To Sign Up Now!

Grow Your Healthcare Practice

by | May 22, 2024 | Events and Announcements, Psychology Events

Grow Your Healthcare Practice

Dates: 28 – 29 June 2024 

Location: Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), Illovo JHB 

Earn 13 HPCSA Ethics Points

Grow Your Healthcare Practice will help you to create the business and the life you want by professionalising your operations.

This 2-day course will equip you with a customised game plan for immediate growth and implementation in your practice. Join us to learn from industry experts Phumla Motsa and Anne Gray, who will guide you through:

✅ Leadership Development: Create daily actionable steps for achieving your goals. 

✅ Financial Mastery: Navigate cash flow and generate profit efficiently. 

✅ Marketing Magic: Attract your ideal patients and increase referrals. 

✅ Operational Excellence: Streamline operations for profitability and ease. 

✅ Product Innovation: Develop new revenue-earning products ethically. 

✅ Business Ethics: Understand HPCSA guidelines and apply them to your practice.

Imagine a practice where you earn more without working longer hours, aren’t at the mercy of medical aid rates, and where business admin doesn’t consume your valuable time. This is not just a dream – it’s an achievable reality.

Spaces are limited to 20 participants to ensure personalized attention. Secure your spot today and transform your practice!

Turn your healthcare practice into a thriving business with expert guidance and a comprehensive strategy. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for professional growth!

Sign up now, see the link below: 

Click Here To Sign Up!