Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, Wheaton, IL, 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-145).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2004. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-101).

Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- The Institute for Clinical Social Work, 2003. / A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Institute of Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-161). Also available on microfiche.

Introduction: An insufficient number of studies have been carried out in the Middle East exploring the variables that contribute to breast cancer patients’ psychological distress. In addition, very few studies exist that evaluate the role of structured psychotherapeutic interventions in enhancing breast cancer patients’ psychological well-being and quality of life. This study has been designed to address this limitation by conducting a mixed-method approach to explore women’s experiences with the diagnosis of breast cancer and with two structured psychotherapeutic interventions, namely, ‘crisis counselling’ and ‘psycho-education’. Methods: A total of 201 women with early stage breast cancer from the State of Qatar were recruited and randomised into either the control group or one of the treatment groups (crisis counselling and psycho-education). The aim of the quantitative approach was to evaluate the short- and long-term benefits of the crisis counselling and psycho-education interventions, in terms of improving patients’ psychological well-being, quality of life and treatment compliance. This was achieved by asking all patients to complete the DASS21 and QLQ-C30 instruments at different points in time and by monitoring their compliance with treatment. Later, a qualitative approach was utilised: twelve Arab patients from the treatment groups were invited to attend focus-group interviews in order to explore their experience with the diagnosis of breast cancer and with the study interventions. Results: the qualitative results of this study revealed that fear of social stigma, difficulty coping with fatigue and body image changes, and altered intrafamilial/sexual relationships contribute significantly to Arab women’s psychological distress. The quantitative results revealed that both of the study interventions were effective in improving women’s psychological well-being and quality of life over time but had no impact on patients’ compliance with treatment. In addition, the study showed that psycho-education conferred a greater advantage than did the crisis counselling model, especially on improving women’s psychological well-being over time. Conclusion: The results of this study will significantly aid health care professionals in the State of Qatar to improve the care of breast cancer patients, through awareness-raising education about the disease and its associated social stigma and by initiating changes to the psychotherapeutic services through the implementation of crisis counselling and psycho-education interventions in the future.

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie studie is gepoog om die kongruensie tussen sosiaal konstruktivistiese teorie en sosiaal konstruktivistiese psigoterapie te ondersoek met spesifieke fokus op die ko-evolusieproses in psigoterapie. Die basiese onderliggende aannames van sosiale konstruktivistiese teorie word aangebied in die literatuurstudie. Die toepassing van die estetiese beginsels op die pragmatiese proses van psigoterapie, is bestudeer en beskryf. Die teoretiese beginsels word geillustreer in die praktyk aan die hand van 'n gevallestudie. In die aanbieding van die gevallestudie is daar spesifiek gefokus op die ko-evolusie van betekenissisteme deur onderskeidings te tref en deur die kompleksiteit van die ekologie van betekenissisteme te vermeerder. Die doel hiermee is om die probleem-gedetermineerde sisteem op te los. Die ekologie van betekenissisteme sluit ook die persoonlike en professionele betekenissisteem van die terapeut in. In die proses van navorsing is die rekursiewe interafhanklikheid van die drie konsepte, teorie, terapie en navorsing beklemtoon. / In this study an attempt has been made to research the congruence between social constructivistic theory and social constructivistic therapy, with particular focus on the process of co-evolution in psychotherapy. The basic underlying assumptions of the social constructivistic theory is presented in the literature review. The application of the aesthetic principles to the pragmatics of therapy, is researched and described. The theoretical principles are illustrated in practice by means of a case study. The presentation of the case study particularly emphasizes the co-evolution of meaning systems in the problem determined system, through the process of drawing distinctions and complexifying the ecology of meaning systems, with the aim to dissolve the problem determined system. The ecology of meaning systems includes the professional and individual meaning systems of the therapist. In the process of research, the recursive interdependence between theory, therapy and research was amplified. / Psychology / M.A. (Voorligtingsielkunde)

This thesis aims to establish a model of psychotherapy that is based on experience, but which takes social structure into account. To do this it first sets up a theoretical model of psychotherapy. Thereafter the model is used to analyse four protocols as a way of examining its effectiveness. The analysis of the protocols provides the basis for coming to certain conclusions about the nature of psychotherapy. The theoretical phase first examines the area traditionally known as etiology, but here the approach is from a broadly existential perspective. Thus this section starts by proposing a view of human nature, and then it goes on to say how this nature comes to be disrupted. The influence of the broader social context upon human existence is also considered here. Secondly, there is an attempt to understand how psychotherapy works. Drawing on existential and cultural anthropological material, various themes of psychotherapy are examined, and these are then placed within their social context. Finally, the theoretical phase brings together the themes emerging from the two foregoing sections and integrates them into a single model of "etiology" and "cure". In the following chapter, the adequacy of this model is examined by using it to analyse four protocols written by subjects on their experience of therapy. In the final chapter various conclusions are drawn.

From Introduction: This thesis involves a detailed explication of my experience as a client in psychotherapy. Being in therapy has brought about extremely important ·changes in my life and continues to do so. Being involved · in the field of· psychology as a student and therapist-to-be, the experience of therapy has also been a valuable source of a greater understanding of the process itself. The various facets of the importance of my experience of psychotherapy will become clear in my explication. It is a fact that experience, which is an essential aspect of our humanness, has been sadly neglected in psychological research. It is surely psychology's task to explore all aspects of humanity, and this neglect of experience has only fairly recently been questioned. Its reasons have been psychology's bias towards the natural sciences whose methods are not suitable for the study of experience. The tremendous achievements of the natural sciences caused psychology to adopt this slant, as Sigmund Koch (19.69) puts it, "The stipulation that psychology be adequate · to science outweighed the commitment that it be adequate to man". (p 65).

The impetus for using the therapy with J.B. for this study was primarily the challenge inherent in the situation from the moment the parents and J.B. arrived for their family interview and assessment. They had been through many professionals by then, and much medication. They were sceptical of our intervention, since nothing to date had relieved the situation, and J.B. still had outbursts of rage towards his mother, he was still expressing suicidal ideation and anxiety. The challenge was particularly in relation to the mother, who had great difficulty conceptualising J.B. 's problems as being emotional and relational in nature - she was infinitely more comfortable with physiological interpretations of everything. This had the effect on the therapist and the supervisor of frequently reassuring their belief in psychotherapy as the treatment of choice in this case, or if in fact there was a lurking 'disease ' or organic cause to the child's behaviour. The pressure was thus considerable in this respect, despite the fact that the child had been examined physically and nothing found. This study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of psychotherapy, and the changes that took place, with this patient who was previously treated with medication.

M.A. / There seems to be a lack of uniformity concerning the psychotherapeutic treatment of chlidren. This lack of uniformity was mainly brought about by the development of the diverse theoretical approaches in the history of child psychotherapy. There seems to be a need for an integrated model that could be used for the psychotherapeutic treatment of children. A survey of the literature was undertaken in order to determine the current status of the theory and practice of child psychotherapy. The survey brought to light that the field of child psychotherapy gradually developed from an intrapsychic to an interactional orientation. From a retrospective view it is apparent that the diverse theoretical approaches in the development of the field of child psychotherapy, culminated in the systems approach. This approach is currently supported in terms of the theory and practice of child psychotherapy. The systems approach offers an integrated model and represent a meta-theory for the psychotherapeutic treatment of children. It also offers a multitude of therapeutic interventions for the child therapist. Therefore, a tentative model has been suggested based on the systems model for the psychotherapeutic treatment of children.