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August 9, 2024 by admin | One Comment

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Join PATHSA today and be part of a dynamic community of healthcare professionals dedicated to advancing affirming care for trans and gender-diverse people. As a member, you’ll gain access to exclusive resources, support networks, and the opportunity to earn CPD points by attending our monthly meetings.

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PATHSA is a registered interdisciplinary health professional public benefit organisation.
PATHSA CPD | 31 March 2026 | 19:00–20:00 This ses PATHSA CPD | 31 March 2026 | 19:00–20:00 This session will engage the role of human rights and intersectionality in shaping affirmative psychological practice. Speaker: Iva Žegura Iva Žegura is a clinical psychologist and PhD candidate with over 20 years of experience at the University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče in Zagreb. Her work spans gestalt integrative therapy, cybernetics of psychotherapy, and sexual therapy. She holds academic appointments across psychology and medical faculties and contributes to training and supervision. She has been instrumental in developing LGBTIQ+ affirmative practice and advancing legislative and healthcare frameworks for transgender and gender-diverse people in line with WPATH Standards of Care. She serves on the National List of Experts for the Health Care of Transgender People and is the current President of EPATH. She has authored and edited several scientific publications and books. 🔒 Members only 🔗 Access via Mighty (see link in bio)
PATHSA CPD | 24 February 2026 | 19:00–20:00 Anti- PATHSA CPD | 24 February 2026 | 19:00–20:00 Anti-Trans Narratives & Misinformation: A moderated panel discussion on impact and response in gender-affirming healthcare Anti-rights and anti-gender narratives are increasingly shaping the clinical landscape in South Africa. These coordinated misinformation strategies influence patient access to care, provider safety, institutional decision-making, and clinical confidence. This moderated panel discussion will examine how these dynamics are affecting the provision of gender-affirming healthcare across settings. The conversation will address: • How misinformation is circulating in South Africa • The impact on patients, families, schools, workplaces, and communities • Ethical duties, scope of practice, and informed consent as ongoing process • Practical strategies for team-based response and patient support Panel: Jenna-Lee de Beer-Procter Sakhile Msweli Moderator: Pierre Brouard 🔒 Members only 🔗 Access via Mighty Network
New publication out today! A group of South Afric New publication out today! A group of South African healthcare professionals and researchers working in gender-affirming care have published a response in the South African Journal of Psychiatry titled: “Locally relevant, ethically urgent: Defending SASOP’s stance on transgender and non-binary youth.” This article defends SASOP’s 2024 position statement on the care of transgender and non-binary young people, responding to recent critiques that rely on selective, ideologically driven sources from the Global North. The authors outline why South Africa’s approach must be grounded in local law, constitutional rights, ethical practice, and the realities of access to care. Importantly, the paper highlights what is often ignored in these debates: the real crisis is not “over-provision” of care, but the widespread lack of access to any gender-affirming healthcare at all - especially for economically marginalised and rural youth. 🔗 Read the full article: see link in bio.
Gender-Affirming Care: Clinical Decision-Making Un Gender-Affirming Care: Clinical Decision-Making Under Scrutiny 🗓 27 January 2026 ⏰ 7:00–8:00pm (SAST) 🔒 PATHSA members only 📍 Access via the Mighty Network This CPD session explores how clinical decision-making in gender-affirming care is being reshaped under increasing scrutiny, backlash, and uncertainty. Drawing on qualitative research with trans people and healthcare providers in South Africa, the talk examines how concepts like proof, capacity, readiness, and risk come to structure care - often in ways that quietly delay or constrain it. The session will focus on: - How scrutiny alters clinical judgement, even when no complaint or regulator is present - The difference between proportionate assessment and defensive over-justification - What it means to stay ethically and relationally grounded in contested conditions - Practical ways of holding uncertainty without stalling care This is a reflective, practice-focused session for clinicians navigating gender-affirming care in real-world settings. About the presenter Presented by Jenna-Lee de Beer-Procter (they/them), a clinical psychologist and Vice Chair of PATHSA. Jen has recently submitted their PhD dissertation examining gender-affirming care in South Africa under conditions of contestation, developing a theory of “staying in the work” - how care continues when authority, legitimacy, and decision-making are persistently under review.
🟣 KEYNOTE SPOTLIGHT We’re honoured to welcome Pont 🟣 KEYNOTE SPOTLIGHT We’re honoured to welcome Pontsho Pilane as keynote speaker at the PATHSA Symposium 2025. 📣 The Politics of Faith and the Right to Care: Confronting Evangelical Anti-Rights Movements in Trans Health Pontsho’s keynote will explore how evangelical organising shapes resistance to gender-affirming care and how health professionals, advocates, and communities can respond. Drawing on her expertise in health journalism and social justice, this talk will examine the intersections of religion, politics, and access to care in the South African context. 📅 Saturday, 29 November 🕗 8:00–12:00 🔗 Open to all | Register via the link in bio
PATHSA stands with trans and gender-diverse young PATHSA stands with trans and gender-diverse young people in Aotearoa New Zealand following the government’s decision to ban new prescriptions of puberty blockers. This policy denies youth access to safe, evidence-based care and ignores decades of clinical expertise, international research, and the lived realities of affected young people and their families. Puberty blockers are a well-established medical intervention used safely across paediatric healthcare. Restricting access does not change who young people are - it only increases distress, dysphoria, and the risk of turning to unsafe alternatives. As anti-gender movements escalate globally, decisions like this create avoidable harm, politicise essential healthcare, and set dangerous precedents for countries where access is already fragile. PATHSA stands firmly in solidarity with the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) and calls for the immediate reversal of this discriminatory ban. Trans youth deserve autonomy, dignity and developmentally appropriate care - everywhere. See link in bio for full statement.
PATHSA Annual General Meeting 2025 📅 Saturday, 29 PATHSA Annual General Meeting 2025 📅 Saturday, 29 November 2025 🕧 12:30 PM SAST (immediately after the symposium) 📍 Online | RSVP & join via PATHSA’s Mighty Network 🎟️ Members only All current PATHSA members are invited to attend the AGM. The Chair and Treasurer will share annual reports, with space for reflection and discussion as we close the year together.
🟣 October CPD Meeting 🏳️‍⚧️ An Approach to the C 🟣 October CPD Meeting 🏳️‍⚧️ An Approach to the Care of Non-Binary Individuals with Dr Michael S. Irwig (he/him) What does affirming, evidence-based care look like for non-binary people? Join us for a session exploring clinical considerations, hormone protocols, and respectful engagement with gender diversity beyond the binary. 📅 Tuesday 28 October 2025 🕖 7–8pm SAST 🔗 Members only | Zoom link via PATHSA’s Mighty Network (Join PATHSA – see link in bio)
The PATHSA Symposium 2025 is around the corner, an The PATHSA Symposium 2025 is around the corner, and we’ve extended the deadline for abstract submissions! 📅 Symposium Date: Saturday, 29 November 2025 🎯 Theme: Trans Rights in Transition We welcome contributions from researchers, clinicians, activists, educators, support groups, and community members — including both traditional and creative formats. Whether you’re presenting data, reflecting on practice, or sharing lived experience, we want to hear from you. 📝 Submission Deadline Extended to: Friday, 17 October 2025, 5:00 PM 📧 Send abstracts to: secretary@pathsa.org.za Subject line: PATHSA 2025 Abstract Submission 📣 Notification of acceptance: 31 October 2025 ✨ Presentation formats include: – Oral presentations (research, case studies, policy, reviews) – Alternative formats (personal narratives, creative performance, lived experience) – Poster presentations (visual + short recorded talk) Abstracts: 300–450 words | Must include background, rationale, method/design, evaluation, conclusion, and presenter info. All submissions will be reviewed for clarity, rigour, relevance, and connection to the theme.
September CPD Meeting Indigenising Gender-Affirmin September CPD Meeting Indigenising Gender-Affirming Healthcare with Dr Sakhile Msweli (he/him) What does it mean to practise gender-affirming care in rural and indigenous South African contexts? How can healthcare providers move beyond imported models to deliver care that is rooted, relevant, and responsive? Join us for a powerful session led by clinical psychologist, researcher, and PATHSA founding member Dr Sakhile Msweli, whose work spans community-based mental healthcare, trans-affirming clinical practice, and culturally grounded approaches to gender and sexuality. 📅 Tuesday 30 September 2025 🕖 7–8pm SAST 🔗 Members only | Zoom link via PATHSA’s Mighty Network (Join PATHSA – see link in bio)
August CPD Meeting Power & Prejudice: The Neuroph August CPD Meeting Power & Prejudice: The Neurophysiology of Hate with Dr. Madeleine Muller This talk will take an in-depth developmental and neurophysiological look at what drives prejudice, bias and the formation of elitist and authoritarian societies. A critical exploration of what healthcare providers need to understand about the roots of bias - within ourselves, our systems, and society. 📅 Tuesday 26 August 2025 🕖 7–8pm SAST 🔗 Members only | Zoom link via PATHSA’s Mighty Network Join PATHSA – see link in bio
July CPD Meeting: Revising PsySSA’s Affirming Prac July CPD Meeting: Revising PsySSA’s Affirming Practice Guidelines: Processes, Methods & New Considerations This session explores the newly revised PsySSA Affirmative Practice Guidelines for Psychology Professionals Working with Sexually and Gender-Diverse People, with a focus on the process of revision, shifts in approach, and the complexities that shaped the new edition. 🎙️ Presenter: Suntosh R. Pillay (he/him) Clinical psychologist, published researcher, and co-author of the revised guidelines. Suntosh is part of PsySSA’s Sexuality & Gender Division’s African LGBTQIA+ Human Rights Project and brings over 15 years of experience in public sector mental health. 📅 Tuesday 29 July 2025 🕖 7–8pm SAST 🔗 Members only | Zoom link via PATHSA’s Mighty Network (Join PATHSA – see link in bio)
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