by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 20, 2025
Dr. Ewald Crause is a counselling psychologist and trained teacher with professional experience in both South Africa and New Zealand. His career combines direct psychological services with broader work in education, health, and system development. In New Zealand, he contributed to integrating business intelligence systems into psychological practice, shaping his current focus on the use of digital tools and AI to expand access and improve service delivery.
He currently leads work that brings together psychological expertise, artificial intelligence, and digital innovation to support practitioners, educators, and policymakers. His focus areas include ethical frameworks for AI in psychology, scalable and preventative mental health interventions, trauma-informed practice, suicide prevention, and the training of practitioners for diverse contexts.
Dr. Crause also chairs the PsySSA Division for Artificial Intelligence, where he advances professional discourse on the responsible use of AI in psychology.
by PsySSA-Web Support | Oct 13, 2025
Prof Jace Pillay is a registered educational and counselling psychologist and the South African Research Chair in Education and Care in Childhood in the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg. In February 2024 he was appointed a UNESCO Chair in Mental Health and Psychological Support for Teachers and Learners in SA. His previous positions at UJ were the Head of the Department of Educational Psychology and Vice Dean in the Faculty of Education. Currently, he heads a research team focusing on the mental health of learners and teachers as well as psychosocial support in schools. As an academic he has published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters and conference proceedings both nationally and internationally. Also, he has supervised numerous postgraduate students and Postdoctoral Research Fellows. Prof Pillay is a keynote and invited speaker in numerous international conferences and has several international research collaborations. In addition to his academic stature, he serves on the Professional Board for Psychology. Also, he serves on the National Steering Committee for Care and Support for Teaching and Learning and chairs the CETA Programme for the Department of Education.
