COVID-19 | PsySSA

PsySSA Membership 2023: MyCPD Membership Benefit!

by PsySSA-Web Support | Jan 26, 2023 | COVID-19, CPD Opportunities, Professional Development, Professional Resources

Since PsySSA’s inception 29 years ago, the Society has undergone exponential growth. Aside from remaining active during the COVID-19 pandemic. This past year has been an immensely successful one for the Society. One in which we were able to take advantage of our stability as an organisation, as well as consolidate and build on our strengths. A major highlight has been the opportunity to gather together at our 26th Annual South African Psychology Congress.

The Society has remained consistent and agile during difficult periods while still putting the needs of our members, the profession and the South African Society first while advocating for psychology as a science and profession of global stature and promote psychological praxis as relevant, proactive and responsive to societal needs and well-being.

We would like to highlight our MyCPD Benefit that members will receive for FREE. Assisting professionals to manage points and ensure HPCSA compliance.

Members can obtain CPD points through completing questionnaires on articles published in the South African Journal of Psychology (SAJP). At no additional cost, members are able to read through the SAJP articles, answer associated questions, obtain CPD points. Points earned are then allocated to members CPD profiles and are sent to the HPCSA monthly.

On this portal, members are able to earn General and Ethics CEUs. More articles will be uploaded in 2023!

Click Here to find out more about our MyCPD Platform!

Click Here to Join PsySSA Today!

Click Here to Renew your PsySSA Membership!

In solidarity,
The Psychological Society of South Africa

A Message from the PsySSA President 2022

by PsySSA-Web Support | Dec 15, 2022 | COVID-19, PsySSA President's Update

As we bring 2022 to a close, we are mindful of the many ways in which a number of spaces have opened up over the past year. We faced countless losses over the past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic – and we continue to remember those we have lost and we see the visible effects of the aftermath of the pandemic in the countless forms of suffering in our society. We know that there is much work to do.

In these seeds of crisis however, we see opportunities for harnessing energies and capacities in ways not easily imagined before COVID-19. The pandemic and its aftermath have offered us opportunities for imagining new modes of functioning – navigating and managing our daily lives, being together virtually, new modes of work, of teaching and learning, finding ways to build community, networks and solidarities across these difficulties. Ways that were hitherto not immediately accessible to us nor thought possible. I am keen for us to strengthen and build on the agility and flexibility that we have developed over the past three years – recognizing the ways in which we all, as a PsySSA community, have responded to the practice, research, community engagement, policy and advocacy work we have all been called upon to do. The energy and dynamism of our members, the reach of the work we do as PsySSA members as well as the ways in which this work impacts our society makes me extremely proud to be leading PsySSA.

This past year has been an immensely successful one for the Society. One in which we were able to take advantage of our stability as an organization, as well as consolidate and build on our strengths. A major highlight has been the opportunity to gather together at our 26^th Annual Congress between 12 to the 14^th October 2022. We are in the midst of consolidating feedback from the Congress but by all accounts, it was a very successful event – we had over 560 delegates in attendance and a vibrant, intellectually stimulating programme. Key amongst the feedback received in-person at Congress and thus far online – was the gratitude and joy for being able to gather together as a community in the name of PsySSA and a recognition of the vibrant, diverse community that we all are.

I look forward to working with the 2022/2023 Executive Committee and the broader PsySSA membership to continue to build and strengthen our society through enacting PsySSA’s vision, mission and strategic goals. I look forward too, to tending to the seedlings that have sprouted out of the crisis and expanding our horizons to imagine new opportunities, alliances, and partnerships.

Thank you for your energies, your labour and your ongoing support as we look ahead to a new year of productive, innovative and exciting work for the Society.

Finally, I would like to wish you and your significant communities health, happiness, rejuvenation and nourishment this holiday season as we look forward to the work we will do in 2023.

PsySSA Membership 2023: Renew Your Membership Today!

by PsySSA-Web Support | Dec 13, 2022 | COVID-19, Events and Announcements, PsySSA Announcements

Since PsySSA’s inception 29 years ago, the Society has undergone exponential growth. Aside from remaining active during the COVID-19 pandemic. This past year has been an immensely successful one for the Society. One in which we were able to take advantage of our stability as an organisation, as well as consolidate and build on our strengths. A major highlight has been the opportunity to gather together at our 26th Annual South African Psychology Congress.

The Society has remained consistent and agile during difficult periods while still putting the needs of our members, the profession and the South African Society first while advocating for psychology as a science and profession of global stature and promote psychological praxis as relevant, proactive and responsive to societal needs and well-being.

Over and above PsySSA’s comprehensive list of membership benefits, in 2023, PsySSA members will receive free access to PsySSA’s online MyCPD platform where members have the opportunity to earn CPD points for 2021 – 2023. Through PsySSA’s annual events and collaborations, members are able to comply with the HPCSA requirements for CPD! Moreover, professionals in private practice can enjoy free listing and regular referrals through the recently renovated PsySSA Directory of Psychology Professionals.

If that’s not enough, the membership package also boasts exceptionally low-cost professional indemnity insurance that covers tele-therapy!

We thank you for staying the course, retaining membership in Africa’s largest psychology professional society, and look forward to serving you yet again.

Kindly note that the opening of the membership system was delayed as we listened to our members and ensured that the system was more user friendly!

Click Here to Join PsySSA Today!

Click Here to Renew your PsySSA Membership!

In solidarity,
The Psychological Society of South Africa

PsySSA Commemorates World Trauma Day 2022

by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 17, 2022 | COVID-19, Events and Announcements, Mental Health Advocacy, PsySSA Announcements

“Trauma constantly confronts us with fragility and with man’s inhumanity to man, but also with our extraordinary resilience” (van der Kolk, 2014).

World Trauma Day, observed on 17 October, emphasises the need to prevent deaths and disabilities caused by accidents or trauma. It was initiated in New Delhi in 2011 to highlight the number of deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents (Sahu, 2022). The purpose of World Trauma Day lies in generating awareness on various precautionary measures and averting deaths and disabilities caused by traumatic incidents. As per a study conducted by the World Health Organization (2021), nearly half of the trauma-related deaths occurring in developing countries could have been prevented with psychoeducation programmes and effective intervention, such as:

immediate pre-hospital care
adequate knowledge of handling emergency situations (training of personnel)
adequate supply of pre-hospital care equipment and facilities (enough ambulances and other medical supplies)

On commemoration of this day, we acknowledge that trauma is a major cause of preventable death and disability across the world. And whilst in the medical world, trauma is considered an event causing physical injury, we also see it pertinent to acknowledge that trauma extends beyond the notion of physical trauma to also include psychological and emotional trauma exposure.

Certainly, South Africa is one of the few countries globally that has endured protracted political violence as well as high rates of criminal violence, domestic abuse, and accidental injury. This translates into South Africans being widely and commonly confronted with primary and secondary accounts of traumatic stressors, both in their everyday lives and in the mass media. For many South Africans, the stress of living in conditions of continuous traumatisation is compounded by the chronic anxiety wrought by severe economic deprivation. The civil unrest in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the flooding in KwaZulu Natal (amongst other events) in the past year further illuminated this social inequality.

Whilst we are a traumatised nation, we are also a resilient one, with ubuntu standing as one of our nation’s strongest symbols.

My humanity is preserved though you, and yours through us.

In this sense, amidst precarious times, we encourage mutual support among community members, relatives, friends, colleagues and even strangers, Support will go a long way to bring comfort and relief to distressed individuals. Knowing that someone cares and is willing to listen to one’s experiences is a crucial feat in healing. We also call upon government to embark on meaningful efforts to address the levels of traumatisation in our country, to prioritise the safety of women and children, and to increase safety in public places – understanding social inequality and poverty as key drivers (amongst others). Further, we call on communities to normalise conversations about trauma and its effects.

As we commemorate World Trauma Day, we appeal to individuals to seek assistance if they are experiencing trauma-related symptoms for which they cannot cope. including repetitive and distressing nightmares, flashbacks and/or memories and avoidance of trauma-related thoughts. In addition, one may experience depressive symptoms including negative thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world, guilt and blame; decreased interest in activities; feeling isolated and difficulty experiencing positive moods. Further, changes in arousal or reactivity including irritability or aggression; risky or destructive behaviour; hypervigilance; heightened startle reaction; difficulty concentrating and difficulty sleeping, may ensue.

Although it is normal to experience symptoms post trauma, if symptoms persist, or if traumatic exposure is ongoing and severely impacting your capacity to function in various domains, you may benefit from seeking professional support.

Symptoms could include repetitive and distressing nightmares, flashbacks and/or memories; avoidance of trauma-related thoughts, feelings and/or external reminders, depressive symptoms (negative thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world; blame of self or others for causing the trauma; decreased interest in activities; feeling isolated; difficulty experiencing positive affect) as well as alterations in arousal or reactivity (irritability or aggression; risky or destructive behaviour; hypervigilance; heightened startle reaction; difficulty concentrating; difficulty sleeping). Although it is normal to experience symptoms post trauma, if symptoms persist, or if traumatic exposure is ongoing and severely impacting your capacity to function in various domains, you may benefit from seeking professional support.

Mental Health Emergency Contacts:

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG): 011 234 4837
Suicide Crisis Lifeline: 080 0567 567
Trauma Helpline: 080 020 5026

References

Sahu, V. (2022). World Trauma Day 2022: History, significance and theme. Retrieved 11 October 2022 from https://www.merazone.com/2022/10/world-trauma-day-2022-history.html

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

World Health Organisation. (2021). Injuries and violence. Retrieved 11 October 2022 from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/injuries-and-violence

PsySSA Commemorates World Mental Health Day 2022

by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 10, 2022 | Community Engagement, COVID-19, Events and Announcements, Mental Health Advocacy, PsySSA Announcements

Suntosh R. Pillay

The growth of the KwaZulu-Natal Mental Health Advocacy Walk is best captured by the infamous African saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone; but you if want to go far, go together”.

Now in our seventh year, when we began this event in 2016 we had modest expectations for a cause that isn’t perceived as ‘sexy’ or ‘newsworthy enough’ for the media. However, in three short years, the mainstream media did start paying increasing attention to us, and in 2019 we were on the evening news on SABC TV. Despite a two-year Covid-induced hiatus (where we experimented with virtual walks but had lukewarm results) we returned in full force on Sunday, for our first post-pandemic, in-person walk. Over 700 people registered!

The event is hosted by the KZN Mental Health Advocacy Group, an informal civil society network that my colleague Professor Suvira Ramlall and I started a few years ago. We also use the platform to host the annual Durban Mental Health Symposium, and since 2018 we evolved into the first satellite branch of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) outside of Johannesburg.

The walk is our flagship affair – but it’s more than a mere walk. It builds social capital in the province, makes it easier for people to ask for help when they are in distress or suicidal, and promotes healthy living, through Zumba, yoga, aerobics, dance, and meditation lessons. Ultimately, this walk is about allyship, solidarity and visibility – the beating heart of all activism.

As my friend and co-conspirator Prof Ramlall said at the walk: “What’s really inspiring is that we’re creating momentum, advocacy and activism from the bottom up, so that this event is community-driven. As a psychiatrist with thirty years of experience in public health, she knows mental health activism from every vantage point. I agree – lasting change, that goes further, rather than simply faster, must come from community collaborations. For this reason, we have no major corporate sponsor taking the lead in organizing this event. Quite frankly, we start our planning every year with zero budget. But somehow, always, people reach out, offer to buy, to sponsor, to donate, to volunteer, to carry, to drive, to do something. It is this spirit of togetherness, of collective ownership, that has kept this event strong, consistent, energetic, and fun. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.

Blanche Moila, my former colleague, a retired nurse, is an 18-time Comrades runner. She joined the walk because despite her long career in psychiatry she said she still sees stigma against mental illness even though “it can effect anyone, whether you’re a professional, a labourer, whether you’re rich or you’re poor.”

I spotted Dr Sandile Kubheka at the walk, once the youngest doctor to qualify from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He said the walk was a reminder that “taking care of ourselves is crucially important… we have to always make sure our mental health is in a good place.” As healthcare workers emerging from devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must heed the good doctor’s prescription! Evidence shows that a simple walk has tangible psychological and emotional benefits.

Finally, as we commemorate October 10, World Mental Health Day, there will be many ‘big’ important-sounding conversations, such as Lancet commission launches, lofty sounding webinars, and rhetoric-infused editorials. #WMHD2022 often pivots the ‘global’ – but let’s do more to focus on the local. We must step up and be able to change our local conditions, first and foremost.

Suntosh R. Pillay is a clinical psychologist in Durban.

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PsySSA Commemorates Womens Day 2022!

by PsySSA-Web Support | Aug 9, 2022 | COVID-19, Events and Announcements, PsySSA Announcements

9 August 1956. 20 000 women, representing the voices of over 100000 women who signed petitions marched to the Union Buildings in protest against the extension of pass laws to women who were categorised as black. Bundles of petitions were left at the door of Prime Minister Strijdom’s office, and thereafter the women stood in silence outside for 30 minutes, promoting an ideology of non-violence. The pass laws regulated freedom of movement and migrant labour, and promoted segregation. The impact of this law was that families were deprived of the basic right to live together as a stable family unit. To commemorate this march, and pay tribute to the other forerunners of the women’s movement in South Africa, the first National Women’s Day was celebrated in 1995 (National Women’s Day, 2022; Schmidt, 2019).

Over the years the historical significance of Women’s Day has become somewhat diluted, with this day now focusing on celebrating women as well as highlighting present-day challenges that South African women still need to grapple with. Despite the strides made in narrowing the gap between men and women in all spheres of work and society, women are still confronted with gender-based challenges and atrocities, and these have been compounded by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The consequences of lockdown varied across genders. Women reverted to traditional gender roles assuming responsibility for childcare and domestic chores while still working remotely, and gender-based violence (GBV) emerged as a shadow pandemic. One vital skill that appeared to be critical to surviving the pandemic was resilience. Within this context, it is apt that the theme for Women’s Day and month in 2022 is ‘Women’s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment: Building Back Better for Women’s Improved Resilience’ (Women’s Day, 2022).

The empowerment of women is a complex phenomenon that demands a comprehensive cross-cutting approach. As mental healthcare practitioners and researchers, we are essential and indispensable in the construction of resilience in multiple systems. Whether we are working with individuals in consultation rooms, empowering groups, and communities, addressing employees and processes in organisations, facilitating developmental programmes with learners and students, or conducting research, we have the potential to enhance resilience at various levels. Through influencing policies and creating and implementing high-impact individual and systemic interventions, professionals in the field of psychology may alter narratives, skills and behaviours.

We need to actively contribute to transforming our system to a space where it will never again be said that a woman is lucky to have been raped by only one man.

References

National Women’s Day – August 9, 2022 (2022). National Today Retrieved from https://nationaltoday.com/national-womens-day/

Schmidt, E.S. (June 10, 2019). African Women`s Resistance to the Pass Laws in South Africa 1950-1960. South African History Online. Retrieved from https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/african-womens-resistance-pass-laws-south-africa-1950-1960-elizabeth-s-schmidt

Women’s Day 2022 (2022). South African Government. Retrieved from https://www.gov.za/WomenDay2022#:~:text=We%20will%20celebrate%20this%20year’s,achieve%20gender%20equality%20by%202030

‘Still I Rise’ – Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.