Advancing Evidence-Based Practice: South Africa’s CBT Movement

Representing the Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy Association of South Africa (CBTASA), Dr. Shane Pienaar-du Bruyn detailed both the challenges and achievements of implementing CBT in a country marked by inequality and diversity.

South Africa’s population of 64.8 million is 80 percent urban and profoundly multilingual. Psychiatric disorders affect between 15 and 30 percent of adults, yet 91 percent remain untreated. Public-sector shortages contrast with robust private services, creating inequities in access.

CBTASA — founded in 2019 — works to bridge this divide by:

• Promoting culturally adapted CBT responsive to South Africa’s sociopolitical context.
• Developing a CBT Academy Division for training and accreditation.
• Partnering internationally with EABCT, WCCBT, and universities to expand supervision.
• Advocating for integration of CBT into the National Mental Health Policy Framework.

Dr. Pienaar emphasized the success of task-shifting models using nurses, social workers, and community counsellors, as well as digital CBT platforms expanding reach to remote regions.

“Our mission is to make CBT part of South Africa’s national strategy for mental health,” she said. “Evidence-based treatment should be a right, not a privilege.”

Dr. Pienaar expressed appreciation for the collaboration between the WCCBT and African CBT leaders working together to establish a regional CBT organization and strengthen access to evidence-based psychological care across the continent.