A Message From The President

Welcome to 2026

Welcome to PsySSA 2026!

It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you to PsySSA in 2026. As we begin the year, I hope you feel rested, reconnected, and rejuvenated—ready to engage with the challenges and opportunities facing psychologists and the profession as a whole.
Psychology continues to evolve within a rapidly changing world marked by global challenges that deepen inequality and trauma, the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence on service delivery, climate change and its impact on mental health, and ongoing social justice concerns. At the same time, there is an increasing need for community empowerment and robust, evidence-based psychological research to guide ethical practice, policy, and decision-making.

PsySSA is committed to responding proactively rather than reactively—embracing challenges with caution while harnessing opportunities for growth and development. Our core mission remains steadfast: improving psychological care in the service of humanity.

We encourage all members to actively participate in PsySSA’s work by engaging in meaningful dialogue, sharing ideas, and building strong professional networks. In 2026, PsySSA will host a range of exciting initiatives, including the 30th Annual PsySSA Psychology Congress, a CPD Workshop Series featuring 13 diverse and practice-relevant workshops, strengthened programmes for students and early-career psychologists, and expanded opportunities to earn CPD points through our online platform, PsyCPD.

On behalf of the entire PsySSA team, I wish you a psychologically fulfilling and inspiring year.

Prof Jace Pillay PsySSA President

A Message From The President

Dear PsySSA Family,

As the year draws to a close, I would like to reflect on some of the key accomplishments of PsySSA in 2025, which we are pleased to share with you as our valued members and part of the PsySSA family. This has been an exceptionally busy year for the PsySSA Office, with numerous achievements. I will highlight only a selection of these.

Throughout the year, several PsySSA divisions hosted a range of well-attended workshops, webinars, and podcasts, providing high-quality content relevant to diverse professional and societal contexts. Notable successes included the CPD workshop series, the Board Examination Preparation workshops, and the DBT Immersion and ACTivate South African Tours. In addition, PsySSA’s facilitation of professional indemnity insurance and CPD accreditation applications was widely utilised by members.

The 29^th PsySSA Annual Psychology Congress was a significant success and made an important contribution to the advancement of psychology as a science and profession. PsySSA’s broader societal impact was further demonstrated through its role as amicus curiae in the matter of The Embrace Project and Others v Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and Others.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof Ronelle Carolissen, our Past President, as well as to the PsySSA staff, for their leadership and dedication in achieving these accomplishments and the many others not mentioned here.

Looking ahead, 2026 is likely to present a number of challenges and threats that may negatively affect the mental health and well-being of individuals and communities. Nevertheless, as PsySSA, we remain committed to seizing every opportunity to contribute to positive societal impact. This can only be achieved through your continued commitment to promoting psychological well-being, social responsibility, justice, and community empowerment.

I therefore humbly invite you to join the PsySSA leadership in championing transformation within our field and in ensuring that psychology remains relevant and responsive to the diverse psychological needs of all South Africans, through the services you provide in your various roles and workplaces. I strongly encourage you to become active members within your respective PsySSA Divisions.

On behalf of the entire PsySSA team, I wish you a psychologically fulfilling year ahead. I sincerely hope that you take time to rest and reconnect with family and friends, so that you may enter the new year refreshed and rejuvenated.

Best wishes
Professor Jace Pillay
PsySSA President