The aim of the research study was to explore resilience in refugee children, using a Gestalt approach to play therapy. The hypothesis, was that a Gestalt approach to play therapy could promote resilience in Refugee children. A literature review was conducted. This revealed that unaccompanied refugee children were unique because they need to deal with trauma, loss and change while having to adjust to living in a new country and many have to learn to speak a new language. The research method was a multiple case study and an intervention research model was used to implement the research. Schoeman's Working Model was used as the Gestalt play therapy approach. Attributes of resilient children were used to measure the results. The researcher concluded that play therapy with a Gestalt approach may promote resilience in refugee children because it increases the numbers of protective factors in a child's life. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Text in Afrikaans / The aim of this study was to determine the value of Gestalt Play Therapy with the aggressive child in middle childhood. Literature regarding the different etiological theories on aggression, as well as the physical, cognitive, emotional, social and moral development of the aggressive child in his middle childhood was explored. The main concepts in Gestalt Play Therapy were discussed, followed by an outline of an intervention programme with the aggressive child in middle childhood in order to set objectives and establish a structure for the case study. The empirical part of the study was divided into a qualitative component consisting of the case study and unstructured interviews with the parent and teacher of the participant, while the participant's level of aggression before and after intervention was determined quantitatively by means of the Aggression Questionnaire of Buss and Perry. Analysis of the results showed a reduction in the level of anger, verbal and physical aggression and hostility of the participant. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

In the realm of therapeutic horseback riding one becomes aware of the idiosyncratic way in which each unique individual depicts his or her experience of a therapeutic riding endeavor. This study focuses on the meanings attributed to therapeutic riding in the lives of children with cerebral palsy because the complementary use of horses in therapy with these children may be of great importance to the medical fraternity. This exploration investigated the influence of the children's relationship with a horse, and the parents' perception of horseriding as a complementary therapy to occupational- and physiotherapy. The theoretical background and a literature review on therapeutic horseback riding and cerebral palsy were presented in this study. This study followed a holistic, ecosystemic epistemology. Both a qualitative approach and a quantitative approach were adopted as two complementary sides of a more encompassing whole and provided rich descriptions of the context and research process. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This research was directed at determining the value of Gestalt play therapy for the high school learner with Spina Bifida. By undertaking a literature study regarding the child with Spina Bifida, as well as Gestalt play therapy, it was possible to determine what needs and difficulties these learners experience and how Gestalt play therapy can be implemented to address these needs and difficulties. The researcher concludes that any high school learner experiences a lot of developmental changes, but for the learner with Spina Bifida there are not only the social, personal, physical and emotional changes, but also the fact that because of the disability, more support and help structures are needed. It became evident that, for these learners, Gestalt play therapy is a very effective and useful intervention technique. Learners were guided towards awareness of themselves, as well as their inner strength to face the unfinished business in their lives. / Social work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

Every child has the constitutional right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect or abuse. However, contrasting every child's constitutional right is the escalating worldwide prevalence of child sexual abuse. The incidence of child sexual abuse must be reduced as far as possible by a multi-faceted approach, including effective prevention programmes which facilitate disclosure and empower children. Since insufficient South African research on prevention programmes and preventative measures are available, the primary aim of the study was to develop a board game which can foster the prevention of sexual abuse of children. Scientifically, the motivation for the study was based on the improved understanding of the educational impact of a board game as primary prevention tool. The researcher developed the HOOC board game as part of the Hands Off Our Children Campaign. The board game, being practical and educational, has the goal of teaching children self-protective behaviours that can lower their probability of being abused. A representative sample of 1697 grade four learners, nine to twelve years of age, were selected from the Metropole East region. In order to determine the educational impact of the HOOC board game, the results of the children on the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire-Revised (CKAQ-RIII) in the experimental and control groups were compared. The experimental group (n=407) received the board game as intervention. The control group (n=1290) did not receive any intervention. Performance on the test were also compared with gender and ethnicity. According to the obtained results, the HOOC board game correlated with the improvement of knowledge in an acceptable manner. No significant correlations were found between the scores of the tests and gender. The gender of a learner had no significant impact on the learner's ability to learn and retain information. A significant correlation was found between the difference in scores on the tests and the ethnic grouping of learners. It therefore seems that the ethnicity of a learner relates to the improvement of knowledge. Considering the overall results of the study, the use of the HOOC board game as preventative measure against the sexual abuse of grade four learners is acceptable. The HOOC board game offers a significant and valid preventative measure for sexual abuse of children in the middle age group within the South African context. / Practical Theology / D. Diac.

Text in Afrikaans / Satanisme het ‘n destruktiewe effek op die ontwikkeling en welsyn van die adolessent en beïnvloed alle vlakke van sy of haar ontwikkeling. Sataniste gebruik verskeie wyses om adolessente te lok, onder andere ‘n fokus op individue se behoeftes aan lewensmiddele soos geld en aanvaarding, Tydens hierdie studie is die gebrek aan riglyne vir spelterapeute in die hantering van adolessente wat in Satanisme betrokke is, as navorsingsprobleem geïdentifiseer. In die lig van die navorsingsprobleem is die doel van die studie geformuleer, naamlik om riglyne te formuleer waarvolgens spelterapeute die probleem van adolessente wat by Satanisme betrokke is te hanteer. Ten einde die doel te bereik, het die navorser inliging ingesamel aan die hand van kwalitatiewe prosesse, gebaseer op die basis van bewys gebondenheid Satanism has a destructive effect on the development and wellbeing of the adolescent and is known to influence all levels of his or her development. Satanists use a variety of forms of entrapment and their focus on the individual’s need of worldly goods, wealth and acceptance makes the adolescent easy prey. During this study the lack of guidelines, for play therapists who became involved in the handling of adolescents entrapped in Satanism, was identified as the research problem. Bearing in mind the research problem, the aim of this study had thus been formulated, namely to formulate guidelines according to which play therapists will be enabled to address the problem of adolescents entrapped in Satanism. To fulfill this aim, the researcher had gathered information by means of qualitative processes, based on evidence. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Every child has the constitutional right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect or abuse. However, contrasting every child's constitutional right is the escalating worldwide prevalence of child sexual abuse. The incidence of child sexual abuse must be reduced as far as possible by a multi-faceted approach, including effective prevention programmes which facilitate disclosure and empower children. Since insufficient South African research on prevention programmes and preventative measures are available, the primary aim of the study was to develop a board game which can foster the prevention of sexual abuse of children. Scientifically, the motivation for the study was based on the improved understanding of the educational impact of a board game as primary prevention tool. The researcher developed the HOOC board game as part of the Hands Off Our Children Campaign. The board game, being practical and educational, has the goal of teaching children self-protective behaviours that can lower their probability of being abused. A representative sample of 1697 grade four learners, nine to twelve years of age, were selected from the Metropole East region. In order to determine the educational impact of the HOOC board game, the results of the children on the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire-Revised (CKAQ-RIII) in the experimental and control groups were compared. The experimental group (n=407) received the board game as intervention. The control group (n=1290) did not receive any intervention. Performance on the test were also compared with gender and ethnicity. According to the obtained results, the HOOC board game correlated with the improvement of knowledge in an acceptable manner. No significant correlations were found between the scores of the tests and gender. The gender of a learner had no significant impact on the learner's ability to learn and retain information. A significant correlation was found between the difference in scores on the tests and the ethnic grouping of learners. It therefore seems that the ethnicity of a learner relates to the improvement of knowledge. Considering the overall results of the study, the use of the HOOC board game as preventative measure against the sexual abuse of grade four learners is acceptable. The HOOC board game offers a significant and valid preventative measure for sexual abuse of children in the middle age group within the South African context. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Diac.

Text in Afrikaans / Satanisme het ‘n destruktiewe effek op die ontwikkeling en welsyn van die adolessent en beïnvloed alle vlakke van sy of haar ontwikkeling. Sataniste gebruik verskeie wyses om adolessente te lok, onder andere ‘n fokus op individue se behoeftes aan lewensmiddele soos geld en aanvaarding, Tydens hierdie studie is die gebrek aan riglyne vir spelterapeute in die hantering van adolessente wat in Satanisme betrokke is, as navorsingsprobleem geïdentifiseer. In die lig van die navorsingsprobleem is die doel van die studie geformuleer, naamlik om riglyne te formuleer waarvolgens spelterapeute die probleem van adolessente wat by Satanisme betrokke is te hanteer. Ten einde die doel te bereik, het die navorser inliging ingesamel aan die hand van kwalitatiewe prosesse, gebaseer op die basis van bewys gebondenheid Satanism has a destructive effect on the development and wellbeing of the adolescent and is known to influence all levels of his or her development. Satanists use a variety of forms of entrapment and their focus on the individual’s need of worldly goods, wealth and acceptance makes the adolescent easy prey. During this study the lack of guidelines, for play therapists who became involved in the handling of adolescents entrapped in Satanism, was identified as the research problem. Bearing in mind the research problem, the aim of this study had thus been formulated, namely to formulate guidelines according to which play therapists will be enabled to address the problem of adolescents entrapped in Satanism. To fulfill this aim, the researcher had gathered information by means of qualitative processes, based on evidence. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)