From the President’s Desk – October 2024

I recently returned last week from the inaugural CBT conference in Africa launched and organized by the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Association of South Africa (CBTASA) in Cape Town, South Africa between August 30 and September 2nd. Over 200 people attended this landmark event in Africa, with participants and presenters from all over Africa, North, Central and South America, Europe, Australasia, and Asia.
I was honored to give the Welcome Address to open the CBTASA Congress on August 30th as the president of the WCCBT, and to present a Keynote Address on Universal CBT Prevention to Address Global Mental Health Challenges in Youth as well as an invited Workshop on CBT for Depression. I enjoyed presenting, attending, connecting with old colleagues and friends from Africa and all over the world. It was truly inspiring to meet so many clinical professionals who are eager to teach, learn, and connect to grow the field of CBT in Africa.

My deep thanks to Drs. Shane Pienaar du-Bruyn, Director of CBTASA, Daniel Rabinowitz, Jaco Rossouw, and other colleagues from the CBTASA for planning such a successful congress and for inviting me to speak and train. I very much enjoyed my first visit to South Africa, where I also had the opportunity, before the Congress, to visit two NGOs (Happy Feet and the Bridges for Music) addressing Mental Health in unique ways in the Langa Township in Cape Town, and to vacation and enjoy the beauty of Africa across Botswana and South Africa.

As the world gradually recovers from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded that the aftershocks of this global crisis continue to reverberate, particularly in the realm of mental health. The pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges, and in its wake, we face a mental health tsunami—a crisis compounded by conflict, wars, famine, and the relentless march of climate change.

Yet, in the face of these daunting challenges, there is hope. As researchers, educators, and practitioners of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CBT), we possess the tools and the expertise to make a difference. Our mission is clear: to increase access to mental health care, to build resilience, and to address the mental health problems that arise from these complex and multifaceted challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated in 2022 that over 116 million people across the African Region were living with mental health conditions even before the pandemic. This statistic underscores the urgency of our work. Few in Africa have access to quality mental health care, and this is where we, as CBT professionals, must step in.

As president of the World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (WCCBT), my key priority over the next few years is to work with colleagues in Africa, and supporters throughout the world, including professionals, governments, the World Health Organization (W.H.O), and our WCCBT member organizations (AACBT, ABCT, ACBTA, ALAMOC, AnzaCBT, CACBT EABCT, and IACBT) to develop and disseminate evidence-based mental health in Africa. We look forward to the development of national evidence-based mental health organizations in Africa and the regional CBT Association of Africa so that they can carry this work forward and so that Africa’s voice can be represented in the WCCBT.

As I head to Geneva to attend the W.H.O.’s World Mental Health Summit next week, I want to close by thanks Dr. ken Carswell of the W.H.O for his excellent webinar on the W.H.O.’s work on psychological interventions and congratulating the 2024 WCCBT Global CBT Ambassadors – Dr.? (AACBT), Dr. Colleen Carney (CACBT), Dr. X (ACBTA), Dr. X (ALAMOC), Dr. Susan Bogels (EABCT) and Dr. Scott Waltman (IACBT) for contributing to our mission to disseminate CBT across the world.  I also want to thank our board and our membership organizations for their contributions to the WCCBT and its aims.

Warm regards,

Lata K. McGinn, PhD
President, World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (WCCBT)
www.wccbt.org