The hypothesis derived from four case studies proposes that if at a philosophical level the training is choreographed at confusing levels of philosophical punctuations, and the training programme involves an ongoing commentary on the 'self' of the trainee, and this ongoing commentary interrupts or interferes with the process in which the 'self' comes to be defined, then on an experiential level the training context is unstable for experiential exploration, and the trainee experiences psychological discomfort. A further five case studies are investigated using focused interviews and content analysis to verify the hypothesis. The author-text-reader metaphor serves to describe the trainer-training-trainee relationship. This reveals that the trainee experiences psychological discomfort, often perceived as psychological damage, when the training text is incoherent and therefore unreadable. In each instance where the training text was found incoherent the trainer was identified as the author, and therefore responsible and accountable for the trainee's psychological discomfort. / Na aanleiding van vier gevallestudies word 'n hipotese afgelei wat voorstel dat wanneer opleiding op 'n filosofiese vlak gechoreografeer word vanuit onsamehangende vlakke van filosofiese punktuasies, en waar sogenaamde opleidingsprogramme voortgesette kommentaar op die 'self' van die student lewer, en waar hierdie voortgesette kommentaar die proses waardeur die 'self' gedefinieer word onderbreek of beinvloed, word die opleidingskonteks op 'n ervaringsvlak onstabiel vir ervaringsondersoek en die student beleef sielkundige ongemak. 'n Verdere vyf gevallestudies word daarna ondersoek, en deur middel van gefokusde onderhoude en inhoudsanalise word die hipotese bevestig. Die skrywer-teks-leser metafoor word dan aangewend om die dosent-opleiding-student verhouding te beskryf. Dit onthul dat die student sielkundige ongemak ervaar, dikwels beskou as sielkundige skade, wanneer die opleidingsteks onsamehangend en dus onleesbaar is. In elke geval waar die opleidingsteks onsamehangend bevind is, word die dosent as die skrywer geiidentifiseer en kan dus verantwoordelik en aanspreeklik gehou word vir die student se sielkundige ongemak. / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

The hypothesis derived from four case studies proposes that if at a philosophical level the training is choreographed at confusing levels of philosophical punctuations, and the training programme involves an ongoing commentary on the 'self' of the trainee, and this ongoing commentary interrupts or interferes with the process in which the 'self' comes to be defined, then on an experiential level the training context is unstable for experiential exploration, and the trainee experiences psychological discomfort. A further five case studies are investigated using focused interviews and content analysis to verify the hypothesis. The author-text-reader metaphor serves to describe the trainer-training-trainee relationship. This reveals that the trainee experiences psychological discomfort, often perceived as psychological damage, when the training text is incoherent and therefore unreadable. In each instance where the training text was found incoherent the trainer was identified as the author, and therefore responsible and accountable for the trainee's psychological discomfort. / Na aanleiding van vier gevallestudies word 'n hipotese afgelei wat voorstel dat wanneer opleiding op 'n filosofiese vlak gechoreografeer word vanuit onsamehangende vlakke van filosofiese punktuasies, en waar sogenaamde opleidingsprogramme voortgesette kommentaar op die 'self' van die student lewer, en waar hierdie voortgesette kommentaar die proses waardeur die 'self' gedefinieer word onderbreek of beinvloed, word die opleidingskonteks op 'n ervaringsvlak onstabiel vir ervaringsondersoek en die student beleef sielkundige ongemak. 'n Verdere vyf gevallestudies word daarna ondersoek, en deur middel van gefokusde onderhoude en inhoudsanalise word die hipotese bevestig. Die skrywer-teks-leser metafoor word dan aangewend om die dosent-opleiding-student verhouding te beskryf. Dit onthul dat die student sielkundige ongemak ervaar, dikwels beskou as sielkundige skade, wanneer die opleidingsteks onsamehangend en dus onleesbaar is. In elke geval waar die opleidingsteks onsamehangend bevind is, word die dosent as die skrywer geiidentifiseer en kan dus verantwoordelik en aanspreeklik gehou word vir die student se sielkundige ongemak. / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study explores trainee psychotherapists' experiences of double bind situations and inconsistency between explicit and implicit contexts of training. The epistemological foundations of this text are postmodern, social constructionist and ecosystemic. A review of the relevant literature is presented, which includes aspects such as explicit and implicit contexts, double bind and experiences of trainees in training. This is followed by an account of the qualitative research approach adopted, namely, discourse analysis. Themes that are extracted from the text of the transcribed interviews are assumed to reflect discourses in training and the broader societal contexts in which trainees find themselves. These discourses are seen to inform trainees' constructions of their experiences in training. The findings of the analysis are found to concur with the initial hypotheses of this dissertation, as well as with findings in the literature. Recommendations for future research are offered. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Psychology / M.A.(Psychology)

This study is qualitative in nature. It reflects on the rich and varied experiences I encountered during training to be a psychotherapist. The content and process information around training is explored. My personal biases and prejudices towards training are made explicit. The experiences reflected upon are contextualized within the Unisa academic and the hospital clinical internship training contexts. The two contexts of training are contrasted accordingly showing their epistemological stance in their contribution to training of trainee therapists. The primary data in this research is the trainee researcher who is also the only participant subject in the study. The rest of the data is drawn from the experiences of the subject in interaction with others in different systems and subsystems. Through the creative synthesis step in the heuristic research approach the inferred theme is integrated in the analysis. Finally the research shows the limitations and implications involved. / Psychology / M.A. Psychology

This autoethnographic study qualitatively explores a trainee's journey towards becoming a clinical psychologist in South Africa. Both the formal and informal processes for becoming a psychotherapist are explored. The formal processes governing the training and registration of a clinical psychologist in South Africa are outlined. A critical appraisal of the training program is covered. The informal processes of the journey of this trainee psychologist is contextualised within the life story of that same person. In so doing a seventeen-year long struggle and academic relationship with UNISA is highlighted, including the insatiable desire and life long dream of the writer in wanting to become a psychologist. An autoethnographic study was done by using the researcher as the only research subject. The personal writings of the researcher and her family serve as the primary data for the study. An autoethnographic approach was employed in creating and collecting the data. The stories are presented in narrative form, and the data are analysed by employing narrative analysis for extracting and highlighting initial and inferred themes. / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

The tone of this dissertation is in the first person as allowed by the lens of constructivism used in it. Being constantly self-reflective, the author takes the reader through his personal journey to be a therapist, and the ethical dimensions encountered in the process, to indicate that one cannot do therapy \\'ithout considering ethics in the fusion of the professional and personal selves of the therapist.- What is lost in the delineated field of observation is hoped to be gained, in the richness of its personal material. Not aiming at drawing any generalisable arguments, the purpose of the dissertation is to provoke a dialogue about our ethical conduct with clients, indicating that our therapeutic conduct is enriched by constantly involving ourselves in the ethical dilemmas that emerge in the therapeutic process. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This autoethnographic study qualitatively explores a trainee's journey towards becoming a clinical psychologist in South Africa. Both the formal and informal processes for becoming a psychotherapist are explored. The formal processes governing the training and registration of a clinical psychologist in South Africa are outlined. A critical appraisal of the training program is covered. The informal processes of the journey of this trainee psychologist is contextualised within the life story of that same person. In so doing a seventeen-year long struggle and academic relationship with UNISA is highlighted, including the insatiable desire and life long dream of the writer in wanting to become a psychologist. An autoethnographic study was done by using the researcher as the only research subject. The personal writings of the researcher and her family serve as the primary data for the study. An autoethnographic approach was employed in creating and collecting the data. The stories are presented in narrative form, and the data are analysed by employing narrative analysis for extracting and highlighting initial and inferred themes. / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study explores trainee psychotherapists' experiences of double bind situations and inconsistency between explicit and implicit contexts of training. The epistemological foundations of this text are postmodern, social constructionist and ecosystemic. A review of the relevant literature is presented, which includes aspects such as explicit and implicit contexts, double bind and experiences of trainees in training. This is followed by an account of the qualitative research approach adopted, namely, discourse analysis. Themes that are extracted from the text of the transcribed interviews are assumed to reflect discourses in training and the broader societal contexts in which trainees find themselves. These discourses are seen to inform trainees' constructions of their experiences in training. The findings of the analysis are found to concur with the initial hypotheses of this dissertation, as well as with findings in the literature. Recommendations for future research are offered. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Psychology / M.A.(Psychology)