Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-06, page: 3258. Adviser: Scott T. Walters. Includes bibliographical references.

The social work profession requires the accumulation of theory, knowledge, skills and their integration into practice. The department of social work at UNISA trains students according to the person-centred approach (PCA). The question thus arises whether the social workers trained in PCA at UNISA are able to integrate theory into practice in their different areas of employment. Exploring this would give the department of social work an opportunity to re-visit the teaching of PCA and make some improvements if necessary. The qualitative study was conducted with social workers employed in different welfare organizations in Pretoria. The following themes emerged from the analysis: the perceived significance of building relationship with clients, the organizational influence in counselling, unique experiences with regard to colleagues who graduated from other institutions, challenges in handling a conflict or crisis situation, and lastly the nature of statutory cases. The conclusions were drawn and recommendations were presented. / Social Science / M.A. (Mental Health)

No description available.

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to examine the effects of a standardized case conceptualization training workshop on 104 psychotherapy practitioners recruited from the community. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between participants’ attitudes about evidence-based practice and the effects of the training. Participants attended two 3-hour training workshops, which taught the integrative case conceptualization model developed by Sperry (2010b). Pre- and postintervention case conceptualization skills were assessed using the Case Conceptualization Evaluation Form (CCEF) 2.0, an updated version of the instrument used in previous studies. Additionally, participants’ views about case conceptualization were assessed before and after training using the Views about Case Conceptualization (VACC) instrument. Participants’ attitudes about evidence-based practice were also examined as a possible mediating variable between training and effect. These attitudes were assessed using the Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Scale (EBPAS). Workshops were separated by four weeks in order to assess whether initial training effects persisted over time. Change in case conceptualization skill was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Participants’ mean CCEF 2.0 scores significantly increased (p < .001) from pre-test (M = 11.9; SD = 7.74) to post-test (M = 36.7; SD = 7.80) following the first workshop. The second workshop took place four weeks later with 74 of the original 104 participants. It built on the content of the first workshop and introduced advanced concepts such as client culture, strengths and protective factors, and predictive ability. Participants’ mean CCEF 2.0 scores also significantly increased (p < .001) from pre-test (M = 35.1; SD = 8.11) to post-test (M = 66.3; SD = 10.95) following the second workshop. There was a small but statistically significant (p < .005) decrease of 1.5 points in mean scores from the end of Workshop I to Workshop II, indicating that the effects of the training deteriorate slowly over time. Participants’ attitudes about evidence based practice and some demographic variables were significantly related to training effects. Stepwise hierarchical regression analysis determined that these individual variables account for various portions of the variance in CCEF 2.0 scores. This study’s theoretical, practice, and research implications are discussed in detail. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

O presente estudo teve por objetivo geral investigar junto a psicoterapeutas que trabalham com crianças, de diferentes abordagens teóricas (Psicodrama, Gestalt terapia e Centrada no Cliente), como está sendo experienciada essa prática clínica. Para tanto, foram entrevistadas 6 (seis) psicoterapeutas, com experiência profissional que variou de 10 (dez) a 30 (trinta) anos, sendo 2 (duas) de cada abordagem. A entrevista foi semidirigida e compreendeu as seguintes dimensões: sentimentos experimentados como terapeuta infantil, obstáculos enfrentados, recursos utilizados, necessidades sentidas, avaliação da especialidade e um encerramento livre. As entrevistas foram realizadas de forma individual e foram gravadas e transcritas. Após leitura das repostas nas dimensões citadas, observou-se que não houve diferenças nas repostas dadas pelas participantes relacionadas à especialidade na qual atuam. De maneira geral pode-se dizer que: 1) os sentimentos experimentados foram de valorização ao trabalho com a criança pelo seu caráter preventivo, além de gratificante e bonito por propiciar o crescimento de cada indivíduo, porém, ao mesmo tempo experimentam frustração, solidão e impotência, principalmente quando os pais não colaboram; 2) os obstáculos enfrentados referem-se à dificuldade de conseguir a aliança com os pais, o pequeno número de profissionais que atuam nessa especialidade e a escassez de pesquisas e literatura; 3) os recursos utilizados perpassam pela rede social da criança (pais, parentes, amigos) e, quanto aos recursos técnicos, utilizam brinquedos estruturados e não estruturados, testes e técnicas; 4) as necessidades sentidas incluem a busca constante de atualização, revisão através de supervisões e trocas entre os profissionais, bem como de congressos e cursos, 5) a avaliação que fazem da área é que ela é mais difícil porque requer o esforço físico do profissional, o entendimento da linguagem da criança, tanto verbal como não verbal, e a questão cultural de que tudo que se refere a criança é menos valorizado. No caminhar através dos diversos autores que embasaram o estudo encontrou-se na abordagem construcionista social/narrativa uma postura ética diferenciada na prática terapêutica com a criança e seus familiares. Acredita-se que as dificuldades são minimizadas e os resultados mais efetivos quando a criança é também trabalhada junto com a família, seja mediante a terapia familiar, seja por encontros familiares breves. / The present study has as the general objective to investigate with child psychotherapists of different theoretical approaches (Psychodrama, Gestalt and Client Centered therapy), how the clinical practice is being experienced. To do so, 6 (six) child psychotherapists, having a professional experience ranging from 10 (ten)to 30 (thirty) years, being 2 from each approach were interviewed. The interview was semi-directed and comprised the following dimensions: feelings experienced as a child psychotherapist, obstacles faced, used resources, necessities felt, evaluation of the speciality and a last question for additional information. The interviews were conducted individually and were taped and transcribed. After reading the answers of the above quoted dimensions, we can conclude that there were no differences in the responses given by the participants related to the speciality in which they work. In a general way we can say that: 1) The feelings experienced were of valuing the work with children due to its preventive character, in addition to that, it is gratifying and nice because it favors the person growth, though, at the same time the therapists feel the frustration, solitude and impotence, especially when the parents do not cooperate; 2) The obstacles faced reter to the difficulty of getting an alliance with the parents, the small number of professionals working in this area and the lack of research and related literature; 3) The used resources passed by the social network of the child (parents, relatives, friends), and regarding the technical resources, structured and non structured toys, tests and several techniques were used; 4) The necessities felt include the constant search for updating, revision through supervisions and exchange of experience with other professionals, as well as, congresses and courses; 5) The evaluation they have on the area is that, it is more difficult because it requires physical effort of the professional, the understanding of the child's language, not only verbal but also non verbal, and the cultural issue that everything that refers to children is does not receive the same value. Browsing through the several authors in whom the studies were based on, we found in the social/narrative constructionist approach a distinguished ethical position in the therapeutic practice with the children and their families. We also hold the position that the difficulties are minimized and the results more effective when the child and the family work together, either with family therapy, or brief family meetings

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:08:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Ivone.pdf: 5389989 bytes, checksum: 6a3556c38a66f8b0c588161628cb7181 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-02-06 / The present study has as the general objective to investigate with child psychotherapists of different theoretical approaches (Psychodrama, Gestalt and Client Centered therapy), how the clinical practice is being experienced. To do so, 6 (six) child psychotherapists, having a professional experience ranging from 10 (ten)to 30 (thirty) years, being 2 from each approach were interviewed. The interview was semi-directed and comprised the following dimensions: feelings experienced as a child psychotherapist, obstacles faced, used resources, necessities felt, evaluation of the speciality and a last question for additional information. The interviews were conducted individually and were taped and transcribed. After reading the answers of the above quoted dimensions, we can conclude that there were no differences in the responses given by the participants related to the speciality in which they work. In a general way we can say that: 1) The feelings experienced were of valuing the work with children due to its preventive character, in addition to that, it is gratifying and nice because it favors the person growth, though, at the same time the therapists feel the frustration, solitude and impotence, especially when the parents do not cooperate; 2) The obstacles faced reter to the difficulty of getting an alliance with the parents, the small number of professionals working in this area and the lack of research and related literature; 3) The used resources passed by the social network of the child (parents, relatives, friends), and regarding the technical resources, structured and non structured toys, tests and several techniques were used; 4) The necessities felt include the constant search for updating, revision through supervisions and exchange of experience with other professionals, as well as, congresses and courses; 5) The evaluation they have on the area is that, it is more difficult because it requires physical effort of the professional, the understanding of the child's language, not only verbal but also non verbal, and the cultural issue that everything that refers to children is does not receive the same value. Browsing through the several authors in whom the studies were based on, we found in the social/narrative constructionist approach a distinguished ethical position in the therapeutic practice with the children and their families. We also hold the position that the difficulties are minimized and the results more effective when the child and the family work together, either with family therapy, or brief family meetings / O presente estudo teve por objetivo geral investigar junto a psicoterapeutas que trabalham com crianças, de diferentes abordagens teóricas (Psicodrama, Gestalt terapia e Centrada no Cliente), como está sendo experienciada essa prática clínica. Para tanto, foram entrevistadas 6 (seis) psicoterapeutas, com experiência profissional que variou de 10 (dez) a 30 (trinta) anos, sendo 2 (duas) de cada abordagem. A entrevista foi semidirigida e compreendeu as seguintes dimensões: sentimentos experimentados como terapeuta infantil, obstáculos enfrentados, recursos utilizados, necessidades sentidas, avaliação da especialidade e um encerramento livre. As entrevistas foram realizadas de forma individual e foram gravadas e transcritas. Após leitura das repostas nas dimensões citadas, observou-se que não houve diferenças nas repostas dadas pelas participantes relacionadas à especialidade na qual atuam. De maneira geral pode-se dizer que: 1) os sentimentos experimentados foram de valorização ao trabalho com a criança pelo seu caráter preventivo, além de gratificante e bonito por propiciar o crescimento de cada indivíduo, porém, ao mesmo tempo experimentam frustração, solidão e impotência, principalmente quando os pais não colaboram; 2) os obstáculos enfrentados referem-se à dificuldade de conseguir a aliança com os pais, o pequeno número de profissionais que atuam nessa especialidade e a escassez de pesquisas e literatura; 3) os recursos utilizados perpassam pela rede social da criança (pais, parentes, amigos) e, quanto aos recursos técnicos, utilizam brinquedos estruturados e não estruturados, testes e técnicas; 4) as necessidades sentidas incluem a busca constante de atualização, revisão através de supervisões e trocas entre os profissionais, bem como de congressos e cursos, 5) a avaliação que fazem da área é que ela é mais difícil porque requer o esforço físico do profissional, o entendimento da linguagem da criança, tanto verbal como não verbal, e a questão cultural de que tudo que se refere a criança é menos valorizado. No caminhar através dos diversos autores que embasaram o estudo encontrou-se na abordagem construcionista social/narrativa uma postura ética diferenciada na prática terapêutica com a criança e seus familiares. Acredita-se que as dificuldades são minimizadas e os resultados mais efetivos quando a criança é também trabalhada junto com a família, seja mediante a terapia familiar, seja por encontros familiares breves.

This paper does not purport to be an examination of Zen or Taoism, but rather a view of certain aspects of Zen and Taoism, but rather a view of certain aspects of Zen and Taoism from the vantage point of contemporary psychology, to see if a metaphysic, a philosophical resting-place, might not be found for the admittedly pragmatic science of clinical psychology. The questions the paper asks, then, and attempts to answer, are (1) can such a formulation be made, and (2) does psychotherapy conducted from this point of view move satisfactorily.

Social workers in private practice / Social work in South Africa appears to have low status and a negative ”welfare” image. The general public seems to regard social workers and the profession with disdain and for the most part is ignorant of what social workers do apart from handing out grants and removing children from their families. This exploratory research focuses on social workers in private practice - how they view their professional selves, the factors that contribute to the development of their professional selves and the factors that hinder or facilitate this development. The impact of public opinion on social workers in private practice is explored and possible solutions to problems experienced by these private practitioners are sought. Modern and postmodern paradigms are summarised as a background to the Rogerian theory, constructivist philosophy and social constructionist theory that underlie this research. The researcher explores the perceptions of each respondent who shares his/her particular reality with the researcher through the meanings he/she attributes to his/her experiences. / Social work / M.A (Social Science (Mental Health))

The purpose of this study is to describe trauma in the lives of social work students studying at Unisa South Africa. It explores how they describe trauma, what traumatic experiences they have gone through, the effect these experiences had on them, what they did to cope and how these experiences impacted their work as aspiring social workers. A case study was conducted with fourth-level students at Unisa South Africa. The theoretical framework adopted for the research was the person-centred approach. The research involved both focus group interviews and a survey. Both quantitative and qualitative data were generated. Descriptive statistics were used to create a profile of the participants. Qualitative data were analysed using a hermeneutic method. The perceptions of the participants were re-told by the researcher in the form of specific themes that emerged from the data. These themes were discussed and compared with the literature. Implications for the students’ work as social workers were discussed. The study accessed unique aspects of trauma that are grounded in the South African context. The description of trauma that emerged from the research created a new definition of the meaning of trauma. The research discusses the effects of trauma on the emerging professional self of the social work student. Recommendations are made that could be valuable to social work educators wishing to further the personal and professional growth of social work students. The research is also of value to those working with traumatised people. / Social Work / D .Litt. et Phil. (Social Work)

The researcher wanted to explore the experiences of children who removal by a social worker either to an institution or to foster homes. The researcher wanted to find out if the behaviour of absconding could be explained by using systems theory, contructivism, cybernetics and person- centered theory. The researcher hypothesized that children abscond from alternative care as a means of communicating with the social worker involved as well as any other person significant in their lives. The study wanted to explore how these children perceived their involvement in the decision making process of their removal. The researcher only interviewed children who had absconded from the alternative care placements. The study found that all the children interviewed perceived that they were not involved in any way in the process of removal. They all saw their removal as a form of punishment for something they did wrong, but they did not get an opportunity to discuss with their parents or significant others. They also perceived their absconding as an effort to rectify the situation. A lot of anger and suspicion towards social workers was encountered during the study. In terms of the theories mentioned above, these perceptions are the children’s own reality, which might differ from the realities as created or perceived by social workers. It is hypothesized that social workers who use the Child Care Act 74/83 and its regulations in the removal of children, do it to protect the children from risky situations as their job responsibility requires. This study indicates that the children did not experience removal as protection. Instead of children feeling protected in the alternative care, they felt blamed, judged and unhappy about their removal and excluded from the process. The researcher made a few suggestions that could be considered when social workers removing children to alternative care. It is recommended that social workers involve the children and their parents or significant others in the entire process of deciding the future of any children in their (parents’) care. However, if removal is deemed necessary, just telling or informing children that they will be removed for their own safety is not enough. Children might not perceive the situation as dangerous. Instead, they might see the social worker as posing a danger to them and their families and thus try to shut the social worker and what s/he says out of their minds. Findings safe ways to involve children and families in the decisions about their future may require of social workers to revive their academically acquired knowledge in this respect. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Sciences (Mental Health))