National Committee:
John-Joe Dawson-Squibb | President
John-Joe is principal psychologist at the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry based at the Red Cross Children's Hospital, Cape Town.
In a joint appointment he is also an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health.
Stella Mokitimi | President Elect
Dr Stella Mokitimi is a mental health Program Coordinator at the Western Cape Department of Health, Khayelitsha Eastern Substructure (KESS). She holds a PhD (Psychiatry) from the University of Cape Town.
She is an Honorary research Associate for the University of Cape Town, and a member of the Centre for Autism and Research in Africa (CARA).
Linda Theron | Immediate Past President
Linda Theron is an educational psychologist by training. She is a full professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, South Africa, and an extraordinary professor in Optentia Research Focus Area, North-West University, South Africa.
She has a clinical and research interest in child and adolescent resilience. She is also an associate journal editor of Child Abuse & Neglect (Elsevier) and of School Psychology International (Sage).
Ray Anne Cook | Treasurer
Ray Anne Cook has been an occupational therapist in special schools and private practice for over 40 years. She was the director of Sensorykidzone, specializing with children and adults with sensory integration difficulties, Autism and ADHD. At present she is in the process of retiring in Plettenberg Bay but still involved in mentoring and lecturing. Her passion is the misunderstood child, empowering their parents in the upbringing of their child and developing the art of playfulness in all of us. She has been involved in the South African Institute for Sensory Integration for 30 years, as a board member and lecturer. She is the head for training Ayers Sensory Integration in South-Africa.
Petra Jerling | Secretary
Registered Music Psychotherapist
PhD (Visual and Performing Arts with Music) NWU
M. Mus. (Music Therapy) UP
M.A. (Positive Psychology) NWU
GIM Fellow of the European Association of Music and Imagery (EAMI)
Music and Imagery Therapist (USA)
Petra is a Music Psychotherapist working in private practice in Strand. Her clients range from babies to retired, elderly people. She works with physical and mental disabilities e.g. CP, ADHD, Autism, Stroke survivors, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, grief and loss.
Her main focus is PTSD and substance use disorder treatment.
Michal Harty
Michal Harty (PhD AAC, Pretoria University) is a speech language therapist (SLT) and an associate professor at UCT. She has over 20 years’ experience in working with children with disabilities and their families. Prof Harty was the first SLT to implement Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT), an evidence based naturalistic communication intervention in South Africa. Since it’s introduction in South Africa, EMT has benefitted over 80 families of children with autism. She lives in the southern suburbs of Cape Town with her husband and their two rescue cats, Daisy and Harley.
Elsabe Jordaan
Elsabe Jordaan (MA Psych (RAU), MA Clin Psych (UNISA), D Litt et Phil (UJ)) is a clinical psychologist with 26 years of experience in Public Health, academic and private practice settings. She has worked in Community Mental Health Services, specialist mental health in-patient services and general hospitals. Elsabe has extensive experience in child, adolescent and adult mental health. She has been a trainer and clinical supervisor of student- and intern psychologists since 2000 and a senior manager in Public Health Services for 18 years. Elsabe’s areas of interest include treatment of family systems, mood, anxiety, stressor- and trauma-related conditions. Her present position is Principal Psychologist, Helen Joseph Hospital and Lecturer: Department of Psychiatry, University of the Witwatersrand (joint appointment).
Gina Rencken,M. Occupational Therapy (University of the Free State), B. Occupational Therapy (University of Pretoria)
PhD Candidate (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Occupational Therapy lecturer at the University of KwaZulu Natal
Gina is a lecturer and clinician in the field of paediatric occupational therapy, with a particular interest in neonatal care, early intervention, ADHD and neurodevelopmental conditions. She has a research and clinical interest in infant, child and maternal mental health. She is trained in Ayres Sensory Integration and lectures in the South African Institute for Sensory Integration (SAISI)’s qualification course. She is an executive committee member of SAISI , and serves on the International Council for Education in Ayres Sensory Integration (ICE-ASI). She has published in peer reviewed journals and presented at national and international congresses
Hanlie Degenaar
Hanlie Degenaar (B.Logopedics & Audiology (UP), M Communication pathology with distinction (UP) Certificate in Social Media Marketing (UCT)) is a Speech-language therapist and Audiologist currently heading the Care2Kids division of the Centre of Health & Human Performance at North-West University. Her special interest is optimal neurodevelopmental outcomes and early relational health for all children by nurturing healthy parent-child interaction, communication development and creativity through effective mealtimes, play, talk, stories, and movement. Her focus is developing sustainable, effective, multi-disciplinary services to help challenged children and their families flourish through leadership and communication facilitation.
Luzuko Magula
Dr Luzuko Magula (MBChB/DMH/FCPsych/MMedPsych/Cert C&A/MPhil C&APsych) completed his undergraduate MBChB studies at Walter Sisulu University in 2011. He began his specialist registrar program through Stellenbosch University in 2016 where he was appointed as Chief Registrar for two consecutive years. He obtained his qualification with the Colleges of Psychiatry [ FCPsych (SA)] in 2019 as well as his MMed in Psychiatry qualification in 2019. He furthered his studies and qualified as a subspecialist Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist (CAP) with an additional MPhil in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2021. He joined Fort England Hospital, Grahamstown in February 2023 where he heads the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is passionate about child and adolescent mental health and committed to fully establishing and expanding the division across the Eastern Cape to ensure the quality of care across both government and private health sectors that he serves. As a Senior Lecturer at Walter Sisulu University and a Clinical Fellow at Rhodes University, he is involved in teaching and training at all levels of learning and involved in promoting research and advocacy in the field across the world. He also serves as Secretary on the CAPSIG Executive Committee and is a member of SA-ACAPAP committee.
