Elmarí Deacon, a Clinical Psychologist since 2001, began her career at NWU in 2002. She was promoted to Professor of Psychology in 2024 and is currently the Acting Director of the School of Psychosocial Health. Elmarí has received three teaching awards and is actively involved in program development, including rethinking Psychology at NWU. She has supervised 27 Master's and four PhD students, primarily within the SMILE with Diabetes Project. Elmarí has published 28 articles and serves on the executive committee of the Health Psychology Division of PsySSA.

Dr Hayley Walker-Williams is Deputy Director of the School of Psychosocial Health; Senior Lecturer in the Psychology Subject Group and a registered practicing clinical psychologist within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus in South Africa. She lectures undergraduate and postgraduate students in psychology, with special interest in abnormal psychology, trauma and strengths-based interventions and posttraumatic growth. Dr Walker-Williams has published and presented her work both nationally and internationally.

I am a registered Counselling Psychologist and have a PhD in Sport Science. I have a special interest in Performance Psychology within the sport context and I have consulted the SA National Women’s Hockey Team, the 1st Netball Team of the NWU and various school teams.

Erhabor Sunday Idemudia is a full professor of research (Social Science Cluster) at the School of Research and Postgraduate Studies, HSS, Mahikeng Campus. His research interests span through four focus areas: the application of clinical issues (psychopathology, mental health, wellbeing and therapeutic interventions) in prisons, African migrants, refugees and other vulnerable populations; gender studies and developing African-oriented intervention methods with the understanding of illness attributions based on cultural knowledge in Africa.