Cognition & Co Podcast: Psychology in South Africa

In this episode of the Cognition & Co Podcast we talk to Counselling Psychologist Lekha Daya about her time on the Phelophepa Healthcare Train as Acting Manager of the Psychology Department. 

The Transnet Foundation started the Phelophepa Healthcare Train initiative in 1994; the two globally recognized flagship primary healthcare trains are fondly nicknamed ‘the miracle trains’ and ‘trains of hope’ by communities across South Africa. For many, the arrival of the Phelophepa trains in their communities signals the arrival of ‘good, clean, affordable, quality healthcare’. The name ‘Phelophepa’ means ‘good, clean health’ in Sotho and Venda and the news that Phelophepa is on the way, brings hope and anticipation to many of South Africa’s most vulnerable citizens.

In this long awaited episode of the Cognition & Co Podcast; Psychology in South Africa we take a look at body acceptance and how one young lady is single-handedly normalizing the human body, one photograph at a time. Sara Puhto is a 25 year old Psychology student from Finland, who grew up in Singapore. She came to South Africa in 2016 to study an undergraduate degree (BA General) at the University of Pretoria. She decided to further her studies in Psychology by getting an Honours degree at SACAP. 

She currently runs a social media page on Instagram relating to body acceptance and self acceptance. She attempts to bring forth acceptance, neutrality, and/or appreciation towards different topics related to bodies and body image, such as; body hair, hip dips, bloating, tummy fat, cellulite, stretch marks etc. Additionally, in the past she had placed focus on how posing, angles, editing and lighting change how individuals look in photos and relate this to “posing on instagram” versus how people look naturally in real life, without the posing. She did this to normalise how people look in real life because she feels like posing on Instagram can sometimes distort our perception of how bodies look naturally without posing.

Make sure you follow SaggySara on Instagram as well as on her TikTok page for more information on the work she does promoting body acceptance. 

From the minute Cognition & Co had launched, our goal was to safeguard the mental health of the Psychology students of South Africa. In 2019, we launched our Masters Mentorship Network in an attempt to create an actual intervention that could motivate, inspire, and support any student that would be applying for a professional Masters degree at one of the prestigious South African universities.

In this episode, we talk to Liesl Morris and Amy Davison, a mentorship pair from the the 2020 version of the Masters Mentorship Network. We'll discuss their experiences having been a part of the programme and what they took away from it. 

Liesl Morris is a Registered Clinical Psychologist currently working in a practice in Salt Rock on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal. Liesl completed her BA Psychology and BA Honours Degrees at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). She then also completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of Johannesburg. Liesl went on to complete her internship at the Townhill/Fort Napier Psychiatric and Forensic Hospitals in Pietermaritzburg, KZN. Thereafter she had the opportunity to do some contract lecturing for the University of KwaZulu Natal before completing her Community Service at the Department of Correctional Services. Here she had the opportunity to assist in introducing and developing Psychological Services Department within the Bethal Management Area in Mpumalanga. Liesl is passionate about providing clients with holistic and individualised treatment and has a particular interest in trauma and loss, substance use and addiction, mood and anxiety disorders and personality disorders.

Amy Davison is a Psychology honours graduate and recently completed her Psychometry Practicum through the University of Johannesburg. She is honoured to be a Mentorship Facilitator with Cognition and Co for this years Masters Mentorship Network. Soon, Amy will be joining the therapy team at a high school working as a Psychometrist where she hopes to inspire, be inspired, to nurture and to grow. Amy aspires to continue her development in the field of Psychology, using her passion and determination as a Psychometrist to eventually study further and register as a Psychologist.

From the minute Cognition & Co had launched, our goal was to safeguard the mental health of the Psychology students of South Africa. In 2019, we launched our Masters Mentorship Network in an attempt to create an actual intervention that could motivate, inspire, and support any student that would be applying for a professional Masters degree at one of the prestigious South African universities. 

This episode covers the history and motivation behind the initiative as well as the developments going into the 3rd year of the national programme. With the introduction of the Mentorship Facilitator Team in 2021, we are confident that this will be our biggest network yet; reaching more professionals and therefore helping more students.

Interested in becoming a Registered Counsellor and provide short-term counselling interventions? Then you're listening to the right podcast! This two part series covers the BPsych and BPsych Equivalent programmes allow graduates the ability to register as either a Registered Counsellor or Psychometrist and work within the field of professional psychology in South Africa.

On this episode of this BPsych Series, we will be covering the Registered Counsellor route and what studying a BPsych entails. We are joined by HPCSA Registered Counsellor, Savannah Naick, to discuss her journey through Psychology that led her to the BPsych programme and her registration as a Registered Counsellor. We talk about the role of a of practical training in the field of counselling and the importance of having a professional registration. We also look into the procedures, duration, and coursework covered during these programmes and internships.

Follow Savannah on her various social media platforms below;

Ever wondered what the shortest route to becoming an HPCSA registered professional is? That's right; the BPsych and BPsych Equivalent programmes allow graduates the ability to register as either a Registered Counsellor or Psychometrist and work within the field of professional psychology in South Africa.

On this first episode of this BPsych Series, we will be covering the Psychometry route and what studying a BPsych entails. We are joined by HPCSA registered Psychometrist for Independent Practice, Boipelo Noko, to discuss her journey through Psychology that led her to the BPsych Equivalent programme at the University of Johannesburg. We talk about the role of a Psychometrist in the field of psychology and the importance of psychometric assessment. We also look into the procedures, duration, and coursework covered during these programmes and internships.

From BURNOUT to Procrasti-BAKING! 

On this episode of the Cognition & Co Podcast - Psychology in South Africa; we talk to Counselling Psychologist, Rakhi Beekrum, about her experience adapting to the changes brought about by the Global Pandemic. We discuss the topic of burnout and how to identify the signs and symptoms. Rakhi helps us understand how to cope with the changes in both our professional and personal lives, and what Psychologists can expect from using teletherapy as a means of helping their clients. Finally, we discuss the benefits associated with self-care, and how easy it is to do by anyone listening to this podcast. *Hint: even listening to podcasts can be deemed self-care*

Follow Rakhi on her various social media accounts by clicking the links below;

On this episode of the Cognition & Co Podcast: Psychology in South Africa, we talk to Dr Julie Ancis about the emerging field of Cyberpsychology. 

Julie Ancis currently is Professor of Psychology and Director of Cyberpsychology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She was previously a professor at Georgia State University for 15 years and Associate Vice President of Diversity at Georgia Institute of Technology. Ancis is an expert in the areas of multicultural competence and diversity. She has authored 4 books and over 50 scholarly publications.

Ancis holds Fellow Status in the American Psychological Association (APA) in Division 17 and Division 35 for scholarly contributions. She has presented both nationally and internationally at leading conferences such as the American Psychological Association Conference, the International Congress of Applied Psychology, the International Conference of Psychology, the American Psychological Society, and TTI/Vanguard. Ancis has served on professional committees and has held leadership positions within the American Psychological Association, the Georgia Psychological Association, and the American Counseling Association. Ancis has conducted many workshops on implicit bias, women’s leadership, and diversity. She co-leads a women’s leadership program.

We also take a look at the South African Masters Selection process and how various aspects of the process may change as the universities make accommodation for COVID-19. Many universities have already stated that they will be conducting online selections; Dylan and Dr Ancis discuss the role of Cyberpsychology in the online selections. We also talk about the results of Cognition & Co's Group Interview Preparation Sessions and how students can prepare themselves for what selections may entail. 

Don't be CUC, be LECKA.

As we learn more about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we need to evaluate what we know and what we can do to ensure our mental health and well-being. We asked Lauren Davis to join us on the Podcast today to expand on her segment from the Cognition & Conversation event in March 2020. Together we look at what has happened since South Africa entered lockdown and discuss what role Psychologists have to play as we progress forward. 

In this episode, Dylan covers getting your research started by discussing the where's and how's associated with the topic. We take a look at some of the literature available on research and learn how to find an area of interest. From there we take a look at how to develop a research question while listening to examples of both good and bad research questions. Finally, we'' discuss literature reviews and their important role in creating an empirical study.

Remember, learning doesn't stop when you get your degree, it's merely a key that unlocks a door to an endless library of information. Will your name be displayed on the shelves? We look forward to reading you contributions.

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In this episode, we take a look into the ever expanding world of social media and where Psychology students fall into it. We talk to Registered Counsellor, Cayley Jorgensen, about the pro's and con's of social media, as well as some tips on how to manage your online presence as a professional. We then speak to Nina Striglia, a registered Psychometrist, about her journey through Psychology having worked previously as a full-time model. We discuss the changes she's chosen to implement on her social media accounts now that she in a registered professional in the field of Psychology.

Find out more about Cayley and Nina by following their Instagram Accounts as follows;

On this show, we speak to Adrian Campos about his experience studying Clinical Psychology at North-West University. We also look at the challenges faced by students that are foreign nationals, as well as more details on the programme offered at NWU.