by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 24, 2025
Dr. Guru Kistnasamy is a Psychologist in private practice at Chatsmed Hospital. Dr Kistnasamy is a community activist who is also mentioned in SA History online. He is currently a member of the Central Drug Authority, an advisory body to parliament on substance abuse. He is a member of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals, and a member of SAAMS. He writes a weekly column for a local community newspaper. He is a former recipient of the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Award. A former school principal, he is concerned about the educational well-being of our children especially those who are economically and socially deprived.
by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 24, 2025
Chris McLachlan is a clinical psychologist with a focus on sexual and gender diversity and LGBTQIA+ rights. He works at a Thuthuzela Care Centre with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and runs a small private practice. He co-chairs the WHO Guideline Development Group on transgender health and contributed to the ICD-11 Task Team on gender incongruence. Chris is a co-author of Standards of Care 8 and serves as Secretary of the Executive Committee of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). He also co-authors APA guidelines for psychologists working with transgender individuals and represents South Africa in the International Psychology Network.
Nationally, he co-founded and previously chaired the Professional Association for Transgender Health South Africa (PATHSA), led the development of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society Gender-Affirming Healthcare Guideline, and chairs the Sexuality and Gender Division of PsySSA. He is also part of the PsySSA African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project. Chris has contributed to PsySSA’s Practice Guidelines, the Toolkit for Mental Health Providers Working with Survivors of Conversion Practices in Africa, and national guidelines for SGD survivors of SGBV.
He lectures across disciplines, trains nationally and internationally, and has published widely. His PhD, Traversing the Gender Divide: A Trans Masculine Genderqueer Psychologist’s Journey in Be(com)ing, reflects his lived and professional engagement with gender diversity. He is also an ordained minister in the Reforming Church.
by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 24, 2025
Bianca Barnard is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Durban North, KwaZulu-Natal. She holds a Master of Social Science in Clinical Psychology and has clinical experience across a range of settings, including tertiary psychiatric, provincial, and district-level hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal.
Her lived experience and extensive work with trauma survivors informed her Master’s research, which explored interventions for affect dysregulation in complex trauma. She considered clinically relevant and contextually appropriate approaches for use in the South African context; where trauma exposure is prevalent and resources for intervention are scarce . Bianca’s clinical interests include nervous system regulation, trauma recovery, and the psychological impact of chronic stress and violence.
As Vice Chairperson of the PsySSA Trauma and Violence Division, Bianca is committed to ethical, socially responsive psychological practice and hopes, through her clinical work and involvement with PsySSA, to contribute to ongoing dialogue and advocacy efforts related to trauma and violence.
by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 23, 2025
Anne Kramers-Olen obtained her Masters degree in Social Science (Clinical Psychology) from the then named University of Natal (Pietermaritzburg campus). She completed her internship at the Midlands Hospital Complex in Pietermaritzburg during 1998 and is currently employed at Fort Napier Hospital. She has worked in the public and private sector, and has published papers in the area of ethics, forensics, intellectual disability and psychosocial rehabilitation. She is an associate editor of the South African Journal of Psychology and honorary lecturer at the Department of Behavioural Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 23, 2025
Rivendri Govender is an Educational Psychologist in private practice at Japari Remedial School, with a Master of Social Sciences in Educational Psychology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She serves as a research supervisor to postgraduate psychology students at the IIE Varsity College and leads mental health advocacy initiatives through the KZN Mental Health Advocacy Group through her role as a Project Coordinator. Featured in national media for her work, Rivendri is passionate about autism support, inclusive education, and creating accessible, stigma-free mental health spaces across South Africa.
