About
Promoting professional development in clinical neuropsychology
The South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA) is a non-profit organisation and association of neuropsychologists and other psychologists in South Africa, promoting education and interest in neuropsychology.
The association encourages participation in training and continuous professional development activities, hosts regular online webinars, and organises a national bi-annual conference.
About us
Credible standards of professional neuropsychology practice
The association strives to maintain and encourage credible standards of professional neuropsychological practice, including by requiring Full Members to have demonstrated a high level of knowledge and competence, for example, via their attaining professional registration in the Neuropsychology category, and by facilitating ongoing professional training through our CPD programmes, workshops and conferences, and by facilitating opportunities for supervision with experienced practitioners.
Please note that the SACNA examination and the process of becoming a Full Member are under review at this time, and members will be updated on the progress of the review.
Membership runs annually from January to December of each year and is due for renewal on 1 January of each year.
SACNA Purpose and Aims
Knowledge & Skills
Spreading knowledge and skills to those interested in clinical neuropsychology.
High Standards
Promoting professional development and high standards in neuropsychology.
Training
Fostering and encouraging the development of training in clinical neuropsychology.
International Co-op
Encouraging local and international cooperation in neuropsychology and contributing to healthcare in South Africa.
Assess & Intervention
Advocating for culturally appropriate assessment and intervention.
Benefits & Reimbursements
Advocating for special benefits and medical aid reimbursement appropriate for the neuropsychology profession.
Cooperation & Promotion
Encouraging cooperation with other African neuropsychologists and neuropsychological associations and promoting an African neuropsychological perspective.
SACNA Executive
Executive Committee
Dr Erika
Steenberg
Dr June
Rossi
Prof Leigh Schrieff-Brown
Ms Christi
Gadd
Dr Frances
Hemp
Associate Prof Gosia
Lipinska
Prof Ann
Edwards
Co-opted Committee Members
Dr Menachem
Mazabow
Associate Prof Aline
Ferreira-Correia
Ms Robyn
Weimar
Administrative Support
SACNA's History
SACNA’s history is a significant part of the history of Neuropsychology in South Africa.
Read articles about SACNA’s history and the history of Neuropsychology in South Africa
and access the SACNA Archives
Watts, A. (2008). Neuropsychology in South Africa: Past, present and future. In C. van Ommen & D. Painter (Eds.), Interiors: A history of psychology (pp. 358–384). Unisa Press.
The chapter explores the development of neuropsychology in South Africa, covering its historical roots, its present status within the field of psychology, and the anticipated direction it will take in the future. This publication is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of psychology in South Africa or the specific evolution of neuropsychological practice and research in that country.
Watts, A. D., & Shuttleworth-Edwards, A. B. (2016). Neuropsychology in South Africa: Confronting the challenges of specialist practice in a culturally diverse developing country. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 30(8), 1305–1324.
Dr Ann Watts and Professor Ann Edwards, longstanding members of SACNA since its foundational years in the early 1980s, have co-authored an invited article for a special edition of The Clinical Neuropsychologist. This article describes the origins of neuropsychology in South Africa in the 1950s and provides highlights of its development up to the time of publication (2016), when the discipline was on the cusp of achieving its hard-won goal of a separate category of Neuropsychology in the South African professional board framework. A substantial section of the paper delineates the creation of the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA) in the early 1980’s, and its growth up to the present time.
The article is accompanied by colourful photographs of early members of the organisation together with Muriel Lezak who was an invited workshop presenter in SACNA’s early days. As discussed in the article, many such neuropsychologists of distinguished international standing have been invited by SACNA to share their expertise over the years, thereby giving impetus to SACNA’s core goals of credentialing for Full Membership, and the provision of continued learning opportunities, for which it has become well-known.
The article discusses the challenges involved in the creation of formal university level training in Clinical Neuropsychology in South Africa in the face of limited financial and academic resources. Finally, there is a review of prime research endeavours conducted locally over the years, including the sought-after development of demographically relevant norming of psychometric tests to facilitate valid assessment practices in the country.
Although published in 2016, the historical content in this article continues to be of prime relevance today, for those taking an interest in South African Neuropsychology, as a way of contextualising the journey already taken, and the challenges involved going forward. Since the time of writing of course, the register has been achieved and populated through a two-year grandparenting process, which is a significant watershed moment for all those involved in neuropsychological training and practice in South Africa over the past 40 years.
Truter, S., Mazabow, M., Morlett Paredes, A., Rivera, D., & Arango-Lasprilla, J. C. (2017). Neuropsychology in South Africa. Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, 24(5), 455-474.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the history, current status, and challenges of neuropsychology in South Africa, tracing its development from origins in the 1950s to the present day. The authors detail the establishment of key professional bodies, particularly the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA) in 1985, which has been instrumental in promoting the discipline through conferences, training, and a peer credentialing system. Dr Menachem Mazabow is noted as the then President of SACNA, under whose leadership the organisation has continued to run workshops and initiated bursaries to support local students and research into test norming. The article highlights the long struggle for official recognition, which culminated in the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) adding neuropsychology to its practice framework in 2011, a critical step towards creating a specialist register for practitioners.
A significant focus of the article is the challenge of conducting culturally and educationally appropriate neuropsychological assessments in South Africa’s diverse and unequal society. The authors discuss the legacy of Apartheid, which has resulted in vast disparities in educational quality, profoundly impacting cognitive test performance. The article reviews South African research efforts aimed at developing local norms for international tests, adapting them for different language groups, and understanding the effects of educational disadvantage on test scores. It concludes by outlining the key future challenges, including finalising the specialist register, developing high-quality training programmes, and ensuring neuropsychological services become relevant and accessible to all South Africans, particularly within the public healthcare system.
SACNA Formal Documents
Membership Documents
Legal Statutes
SACNA AGM Documents
Constitution
Position Statements and Comments
SACNA Policies
Memorandum of Understanding: Federation of European Societies of Neuropsychology (FENS)
SACNA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federation of European Societies of Neuropsychology in order to express the intention to collaborate voluntarily by sharing information in the areas of common interest.
Both are looking forward to continuing a mutually beneficial relationship that will grow over time.
Read more about FENS:
Memorandum of Understanding: Educational Psychology Association of South Africa (EPASSA)
The South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Educational Psychology Association of South Africa (EPASSA) to express the intention to collaborate voluntarily by sharing information in the areas of common interest.
Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC): National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN)
The Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) and the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Association (SACNA) aims to establish a cooperative relationship for mutually beneficial educational opportunities and to promote the dissemination of neuropsychological research in South Africa.
NAN and SACNA aim to collaborate on the following educational opportunities:
- Online courses
- Joint position statements
- Contributions to the official NAN journal (Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology)
- Stand-alone workshops