Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Minnesota, 2007. / Advisers: Ann Masten, Monica Luciana. Includes bibliographical references.

Research paper (M.A. Applied)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-105)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2009. / A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Art Therapy. Includes bibliographies.

Thesis project (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-229).

The overall objective of this study was to delve into the intricacies of the therapeutic process and the therapeutic relationship from an attachment perspective. A single retrospective child case study was conducted, which entailed the construction of a narrative synopsis of the process. The hermeneutic approach of a Reading Guide Method was applied, and through a repeated re-reading of the narrative, pertinent themes emerged that shed light on therapy as a process in motion. Specifically, the motion of the therapeutic process manifested through a scrutiny of the therapeutic relationship in view of the participant’s attachment style. The results of this study revealed the capacity of the participant to move away from an avoidant and somewhat ambivalent organisation of defences by virtue of establishing a secure base and exercising her faculty for emotional and self-expression. Accordingly, it can be established that in view of psychotherapy from an attachment perspective, the seemingly imperceptible vicissitudes of change are indeed appreciable.

In-session client involvement (i.e., participation in in-session therapeutic tasks) is hypothesized to be a necessary component of youth therapy and associated with positive outcomes. However, research on in-session client involvement has been slowed by definitional problems. At present, the field has not yet adopted a single definition of client involvement that is applicable across different theoretical orientations, which has impacted the measurement of this construct. To remedy this problem, the field needs to adopt a definition of in-session client involvement that includes important components (i.e., behavioral, affective, and cognitive) of this construct that applies across different theoretical orientations and use this definition to guide instrument development. The current study reports on the development and initial psychometric assessment of the Therapy Process Observational Coding Scale – Involvement (TPOCS-I), an observational measure designed to capture in-session involvement for youth therapy. Treatment sessions (N = 895) were drawn from (a) 55 youth (ages 7-13 years; M = 9.89, SD = 1.71; 51.5% Caucasian; 58.8% male) who received standard cognitive-behavioral therapy, modular therapy, or usual care for youth anxiety; and (b) 51 youth (ages 7-14; M = 10.35, SD = 1.89; 86.3% Caucasian; 60.8% male) receiving standard cognitive behavioral therapy for youth anxiety. Sessions were independently scored by seven coders using observational instruments designed to assess involvement, alliance, therapist competence, and therapist interventions. Interrater reliability – intraclass correlation coefficients (2,2)—for the item scores averaged 0.73 (SD = 0.08) and 0.82 (SD = 0.08) for the Kendall and Child STEPS samples, respectively. The TPOCS-I scale and subscale (Behavioral, Affective, Cognitive, Positive, Negative) scores failed to demonstrate discriminant validity from the alliance. The use of two subscale configurations (i.e., Behavioral, Affective, Cognitive; and Positive, Negative) was not supported. These findings are discussed and future directions including measure development in a sample of youth with diverse diagnoses and the use of different perspectives in the measurement of in-session involvement.

M.Ed. / This study looked at the experiences of School Counsellors while using sand tray techniques to assist learners with emotional and behavioural problems. A phenomenological design with a social constructivist perspective was used to conduct this study. A qualitative approach was used and aimed to look at 12 school counsellors (the study participants) experiences when using sand tray techniques with 37 primary school learners between the ages of 6 and 14 years, who have emotional and behavioural problems in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. The data was collected by means of individual interviews, a focus group interview and observations. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase the school counsellors experience was collected, recorded and analysed. In the second phase the data from phase one was used to design a manual for school counsellors using sand tray techniques to assist learners who have emotional and behavioural problems. Content analysis was used in order to collect data which was sorted into codes, categories and themes, which developed a description of the experience of school counsellors. The themes that emerged were the school counsellors' personal experience, the school counsellors' experience with the learners, the sand and sand trays, sand tray symbols, administrative aspects, and diversity of learners' problems, therapeutic approaches, symbols, cultural orientations, socio economic status, language barriers and the stages of the sand tray process. The finding indicated that future school counsellors would benefit from a manual to assist them when using sand tray techniques with learners who have emotional and behavioural problems. As such a manual was designed based on the findings of the study

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / The study is qualitative and entitled “Exploring how Masekitlane can be used as a narrative therapeutic tool with children in grade four". It focuses on investigating the indigenous game Masekitlane as a narrative therapeutic tool with children in grade 4, at a South African primary school. This tool seems to be relevant since South Africa is a multilingual and multicultural society and there is a need for indigenous therapeutic tools for children experiencing emotional difficulties at school. Kekae-Moletsane (2008) used Masekitlane as a therapeutic tool; Odendaal (2009) used it as an assessment tool and Modikoe (2010) supported the findings of Kekae-Moletsane and Odendaal. The game can be played by distressed children or children who are excited.The participants for the study were children who were referred in our unit (Inclusion & Special Schools) and were purposefully selected with the help of their educators. The participants were experiencing learning barriers but interaction with them revealed they were showing symptoms of emotional problems. Other participants in the study included two educators - the participant’s class educators and three family members of the participants. The theoretical approach adopted in the study was based on constructivism. Techniques from White and Epston's (1990) narrative therapy approach were used during the course of the interventions. Data were collected through interviews, open-ended questionnaires, observations and field notes. Analysis of the data was done through content analysis and the two major themes which emerged were narratives around the preparation of food and narratives about interactions in the family.. The findings from the study were that the use of Masekitlane as a therapeutic tool during narrative therapy allowed the participants to reflect their experiences with ease on urgent and less urgent issues, their past experiences and how they could use these to cope in future. Masekitlane can be used to obtain information about the context in which the children live, about their relationships and socialisation with family members in a way which enables the children not to be burdened by the intervention.

The research problem that was examined in this study was two-fold. First, was the idea that the stages of group development could be depicted in serial group drawings completed by children who had participated in structured learning groups. Second, was that by using a rating scale that was designed for this purpose, trained objective raters could classify the stages of group development from the serial drawings completed by the children. Fifteen sets of drawings were gathered from fifteen children who had participated in different structured learning groups. These drawings were then analyzed and classified by raters who had been trained to use the rating scale. The rating scale was devised to identify the stages of group development within children's serial drawings. Qualitative data analysis showed that the stages of group development were depicted in some of the sets of serial group drawings. Quantitative data analysis showed that raters were able to use, with limited success, the rating scale designed to classify the drawings into the stages of group development. Many extraneous variables effected the results. These include: the unique characteristics of each child, the leadership style of each counsellor, the varying group topics, the adequacy of the rater training procedure, the objectivity of the raters, and the accuracy of the rating scale. Due to the many extraneous variables, it is clear that methodologically this study leaves many questions unanswered. Further research is necessary to more fully investigate the idea that the stages of group development can be identified within serial group drawings completed by children who have participated in structured learning groups., If further research proves that the stages of group development can be depicted and measured using a rating scale, it will provide group counsellors with a useful tool when evaluating group development. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate