Grief Across the Lifespan: Culture, Context, and Meaning
The Psychology Team of the Tshwane District Health Services Mental Health Programme, in partnership with the South African Society for Clinical Psychology (SASCP), a Division of the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA), invites psychologists, mental health professionals, academics and students to the Tshwane Psychology Webinar: Grief Across the Lifespan: Culture, Context, and Meaning.
Date: Friday, 9 October 2026
Time: 09:00–13:00
Platform: Online via Microsoft Teams
CPD: 3 Clinical Points
About the Webinar:
Grief is universal, but no two people carry it in the same way.
How people experience and respond to loss is shaped by many factors, including developmental stage, culture, relationships, social circumstances and the context in which loss occurs. This webinar moves beyond rigid or linear understandings of bereavement to consider a more meaningful question: rather than asking how people should grieve, how do people actually experience loss?
Bringing together developmental, cultural, contextual and meaning-making perspectives, the webinar will explore the complexity and diversity of grief across the lifespan. The programme aims to strengthen practitioners’ understanding of bereavement while supporting person-centred, culturally responsive and psychologically informed approaches to care.
What the Webinar Will Explore:
The programme brings together four complementary perspectives:
- Trauma and the Body: How Psychological Distress Shows Up Physically
Exploring the relationship between trauma, bereavement and psychological distress, including how emotional distress may manifest through physical and somatic experiences. - Grief Across the Lifespan: Developmental Perspectives on Bereavement
Examining how grief may be understood, experienced and expressed differently across childhood, adolescence, adulthood and later life, and the implications for assessment and intervention. - Lived Experiences of Grief: Culture, Context and the Individual Experience of Loss
Centring lived experience and considering how culture, identity, relationships, mourning practices and social context influence experiences of loss. - Meaning Making in Grief: Reconstructing Life After Loss
Exploring how people make sense of significant loss, including its impact on identity, relationships and beliefs, as well as the role of meaning-making in psychological adaptation and therapeutic work.
Who Should Attend?
This webinar is relevant to psychologists, registered counsellors, psychiatrists, mental health medical officers, nursing professionals, occupational therapists, social workers, academic staff and psychology students, particularly Master’s students, as well as other professionals involved in mental healthcare and bereavement support.
CPD and Recording:
The webinar is accredited for 3 Clinical Points.
Please note that the session will be recorded. The recording will be made available to registered attendees and used for continuing professional development purposes.
Moving beyond how people should grieve towards a deeper understanding of how people actually experience loss.
Registration:
About the Presenters:
Juané du Randt
Presenter 1: Registered Counsellor / Operations Manager
Juané du Randt is a Registered Counsellor and the Operations Manager at the Goldilocks and the Bear Foundation, where she is dedicated to holistic well-being and transformative growth. She holds a BA in Psychology, a BPsych degree, and is a Level 1 DBT practitioner. With a passion for integrating lifestyle coaching, she emphasises the power of movement, nutrition, and mindset in managing mental health, particularly ADHD. Diagnosed with ADHD later in life, Juané brings deep personal insight and empathy into her work, making her a strong advocate for neurodiverse individuals. She is especially passionate about empowering families through education, practical tools, and a whole-person approach to care. Her special interest in sport and nutrition complements her clinical work, offering dynamic, sustainable pathways to thriving with ADHD.
Barry Viljoen
Presenter 2: Chair / Clinical Psychologist
Barry is a clinical psychologist with experience across private and public sectors in primary, secondary, and tertiary care, including correctional and rehabilitative settings. He has over a decade of academic involvement with the University of the Witwatersrand’s Department of Psychiatry (Division of Clinical Psychology), contributing to teaching and training. He currently serves as Chair of PsySSA’s Clinical Psychology Division and Vice Chair of the Psychologists in Public Service Division. Barry has presented at local and international conferences and published on various topics. His interests include stigma, child and adolescent behavioural issues, trauma, family and parenting challenges, substance use, life-stage adjustment, neuropsychology in forensic and rehabilitative contexts, and chronic pain management.
Palesa Sello
Presenter 3: Social Science Researcher
Palesa Sello is a social science researcher with a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Sociology and Gender Studies and an Honours degree in Gender and Transformation from the University of Cape Town. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in child and Family Studies at the University of the Western Cape. Her research interests include family resilience, bereavement, gender, mental health, and lived experiences. Her Honours research explored homeless women’s experiences in Observatory, Western Cape, while her master’s research examines how families regain stability following the loss of a significant family member. Palesa volunteered with Rise Against Domestic Violence SA, contributing to community-focused work addressing gender-based violence. Her academic, research, and community engagement experiences inform her perspective on loss, resilience, and psychosocial wellbeing.
Dr Ilse Gravett
Presenter 4:
Dr Ilse Gravett is a psychologist, counsellor, trainer and materials developer with over 30 years of experience across healthcare, education and community mental health. She holds qualifications in Drama, Psychology, Education and Theology, including a PhD in Theology from the University of Pretoria. Her career spans roles at the SABC, Tshwane District Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, where she founded and led HospiVision’s Counselling Services. She later established ACDISA, providing CPD training for seven years. Currently with NICDAM, she works in monitoring and evaluation, counselling, training and project management, with expertise in areas such as HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, trauma and community care.
