Training in psychotherapy needs to involve more than merely skills and techniques. The field of psychotherapy needs to involve more than the application of formulas in a modernistic framework. This study proposes an approach to training in psychotherapy where the emphasis is on the client and the therapeutic relationship. Psychotherapy training should be an ongoing process and this study aims to facilitate and enhance that process for students. The study combines basic therapeutic skills and interpersonal psychotherapy to form a training programme referred to as the Basic Relational Skills Training (BRST) programme. The first part of the study provides a historical perspective of basic therapeutic skills, followed by a review of the relevant literature. The second part of the study constitutes a possible format for a training manual for the proposed BRST programme. The researcher hopes that the proposed BRST programme be utilised by trainers to assess the programme's efficacy. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Although thet:e has been gradual awat:eness of leat:ning disabilities aftet: Wodd Wat: II, it was in the late 1960's that compt:ehensive assessment and special education wet:e provided in schools. Specifically, in the at:ea of services for families, a reaffirmation of the fundamental rights of chilruen and families emerges. Although stress associated with the presence of a learning disabled child is an important consideration, its impact on the family is related to the family members' cognitive appraisal of the stress situation and thett copmg resources. Parents of learning disabled chilruen experience more stress, often exacerbated by faulty, misunderstood coping efforts that increase conflict in the family. Reseat:chers have investigated how: families manage stress; and cope with the multiple stt:esses of rearing a learning disabled children. It has been found that while many families cope, others cannot. Stress theory has dttected our attention to circumstances that weaken families and exacerbate distress. Preventative and ameliorative services at:e needed to assist such families. Stress and coping theory suggest that differences in families' reactions to learning disabilities may be related to amount and quality of resources available to pat:ents. This involves cognitive adaptation using coping skills, enabling them to t:e-evaluate stressful events positively. Another resource would be professionals, whose role would be of a facilitator, strengthening the ability of the family to gain access to needed services while increasing the family's mastery of coping with learning disability. Research has shown that parents' initial contact with learning disability and how to assist their learning disabled child was stressful. After parents received counselling on coping with their stress and stress management, and after the child's psycho-educational assessment and remedial measures were implemented, there has been significant positive feedback from parents and children. Research would embrace relationships between perceptions and family well-being using Ellis's rational-emotive therapy, thereby contributing to better understanding of how families cope with stress. Ayurvedic principles would be used to adopt a holistic approach to life. By using RET and A yurvedics the researcher was able to assist parents with learning disabled children to cope better with their stresses and effectively manage their child's learning disability. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Although thet:e has been gradual awat:eness of leat:ning disabilities aftet: Wodd Wat: II, it was in the late 1960's that compt:ehensive assessment and special education wet:e provided in schools. Specifically, in the at:ea of services for families, a reaffirmation of the fundamental rights of chilruen and families emerges. Although stress associated with the presence of a learning disabled child is an important consideration, its impact on the family is related to the family members' cognitive appraisal of the stress situation and thett copmg resources. Parents of learning disabled chilruen experience more stress, often exacerbated by faulty, misunderstood coping efforts that increase conflict in the family. Reseat:chers have investigated how: families manage stress; and cope with the multiple stt:esses of rearing a learning disabled children. It has been found that while many families cope, others cannot. Stress theory has dttected our attention to circumstances that weaken families and exacerbate distress. Preventative and ameliorative services at:e needed to assist such families. Stress and coping theory suggest that differences in families' reactions to learning disabilities may be related to amount and quality of resources available to pat:ents. This involves cognitive adaptation using coping skills, enabling them to t:e-evaluate stressful events positively. Another resource would be professionals, whose role would be of a facilitator, strengthening the ability of the family to gain access to needed services while increasing the family's mastery of coping with learning disability. Research has shown that parents' initial contact with learning disability and how to assist their learning disabled child was stressful. After parents received counselling on coping with their stress and stress management, and after the child's psycho-educational assessment and remedial measures were implemented, there has been significant positive feedback from parents and children. Research would embrace relationships between perceptions and family well-being using Ellis's rational-emotive therapy, thereby contributing to better understanding of how families cope with stress. Ayurvedic principles would be used to adopt a holistic approach to life. By using RET and A yurvedics the researcher was able to assist parents with learning disabled children to cope better with their stresses and effectively manage their child's learning disability. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Text in Afrikaans / Uit 'n literatuurstudie en empiriese ondersoek wat onderneem is, blyk dit dat 15-40% van alle adolessente subkliniese depressie ervaar. Veranderinge en toenemende druk en eise eie aan die adolessente-fase, bring by baie adolessente depressiewe gevoelens mee. Ten spyte van hierdie omstandighede is daar egter ook baie adolessente wat hierdie fase van ontwikkeling sonder enige noemenswaardige probleme deurloop. Aaron Beck is van mening dat dit nie die omstandighede opsigself is wat tot depressie aanleiding gee nie, maar wel die betekenis wat individue aan omstandighede gee. Beck noem dat depressiewe persone tot irrasionele oortuigings, foutiewe inligting-prosessering en disfunksionele outomatiese gedagtes geneig is. Om hierdie probleem aan te spreek is ses adolessente, wat subkliniese depressie ervaar, aan Beck se kognitiewe terapie onderwerp. Die primere doel van Beck se terapie is die regstelling van bogenoemde disfunksionele kognisies. Die gevolgtrekking is dat wanneer adolessente wat subkliniese depressie ervaar, se disfunksionele kognisies reggestel word, hulle depressiewe gevoelens opgehef word. / From a literature study and empirical research which was undertaken, it seems that 15-40% of all adolescents experience subclinical depression. Changes and increasing pressure and demands, typical of the adolescent phase, causes many adolescents to experience depressing emotions. In spite of these circumstances there are also many adolescents who go through this phase in development without any significant problems. Aaron Beck is of opinion that it is not the circumstances in and of itself that lead to depression but rather the meaning that individuals attached to these circumstances. Beck mentions that depressive people are inclined to irrational beliefs, erroneous information-processing and dysfunctional automatic thoughts. To address this problem, six adolescents who experience subclinical depression, were subjected to Beck's cognitive therapy. The primary target of Beck's therapy is the correction of above mentioned dysfunctional cognitions. The conclusion is that when the dysfunctional cognitions of adolescents who experience subclinical depression can be corrected, their depressive feelings will diminish. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

Text in Afrikaans / Uit 'n literatuurstudie en empiriese ondersoek wat onderneem is, blyk dit dat 15-40% van alle adolessente subkliniese depressie ervaar. Veranderinge en toenemende druk en eise eie aan die adolessente-fase, bring by baie adolessente depressiewe gevoelens mee. Ten spyte van hierdie omstandighede is daar egter ook baie adolessente wat hierdie fase van ontwikkeling sonder enige noemenswaardige probleme deurloop. Aaron Beck is van mening dat dit nie die omstandighede opsigself is wat tot depressie aanleiding gee nie, maar wel die betekenis wat individue aan omstandighede gee. Beck noem dat depressiewe persone tot irrasionele oortuigings, foutiewe inligting-prosessering en disfunksionele outomatiese gedagtes geneig is. Om hierdie probleem aan te spreek is ses adolessente, wat subkliniese depressie ervaar, aan Beck se kognitiewe terapie onderwerp. Die primere doel van Beck se terapie is die regstelling van bogenoemde disfunksionele kognisies. Die gevolgtrekking is dat wanneer adolessente wat subkliniese depressie ervaar, se disfunksionele kognisies reggestel word, hulle depressiewe gevoelens opgehef word. / From a literature study and empirical research which was undertaken, it seems that 15-40% of all adolescents experience subclinical depression. Changes and increasing pressure and demands, typical of the adolescent phase, causes many adolescents to experience depressing emotions. In spite of these circumstances there are also many adolescents who go through this phase in development without any significant problems. Aaron Beck is of opinion that it is not the circumstances in and of itself that lead to depression but rather the meaning that individuals attached to these circumstances. Beck mentions that depressive people are inclined to irrational beliefs, erroneous information-processing and dysfunctional automatic thoughts. To address this problem, six adolescents who experience subclinical depression, were subjected to Beck's cognitive therapy. The primary target of Beck's therapy is the correction of above mentioned dysfunctional cognitions. The conclusion is that when the dysfunctional cognitions of adolescents who experience subclinical depression can be corrected, their depressive feelings will diminish. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Voorligting)