D.Litt. et Phil. (Social Work) / The rising divorce rate and the crisis surrounding divorce was the motivation for the researcher to undertake this study. The purpose of the study was to develop a groupwork program for divorce counselling. Groupwork was selected as a method especially because the developmental approach of Tropp (1976) strong I y s tresses shared problems and experiences - in this instance of divorce. :'-, The model contains five phases, although this study only dealt with the analysis, development and evaluation phases. Each phase comprises material conditions to be met as well as a number of operational steps to be followed. The model fits in particularly well with programme development and evaluation • The modeI further lends itself to the utilization of different theories and models which inform the theoretical foundation of the study, e.g • the stress and crisis mode 1 of Ahrons & Rodgers (1987), and Tripodi's (1983) programme evaluation model in the evaluation phase. The measuring instruments used in this study were five of the nine Hudson scales and a biographical questionnaire.

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. / The aim of this study is to develop a divorce therapy program to support children of divorce. The programme is discussed in an attempt at evaluating whether children of divorced families are being supported in terms of their view of the reality of the situation as well as coping with the divorce. Divorce is described as an idiosyncratic life event that causes confusion and fear for all those involved. The affected child is a victim of these circumstances in that he has no control over the decisions that are made and are forced into a position where he is obliged to accept whatever others decide. The child's fear and needs are being ignored. These children have poor self concepts and experience conflict regarding their family concept. This programme was designed as an attempt at supporting children during these difficult periods and involves a comprehensive therapy. In order to accommodate the withdrawn child, the therapy is presented in the context of a group. The child finds it easier to cope if he realizes that he is not the only one whose parents are going through divorce. The child normally experiences feelings of shyness and embarrassment pertaining to the divorce, and regards himself as an outsider at school, and in his peer group. The child who is able to share his feelings with other children who experiences similar feelings will be able to better cope with his situation. The child often feels guilt and blames himself for the divorce. Such feelings are intensified if the parents fail to inform him about the impending divorce. This program offers the child an opportunity to discuss his feelings with other children, and to realise that he is not the only child subjected to divorce. Family concept difficulties occur as a result of the changed family circumstances, which difficulties are of such a nature that the child cannot solve same without professional assistance. In certain instances children attempt to solve their unbearable circumstances by fantasizing about the reconciliation of their parents, and the restoration of a normal and happy family life. This despite the fact that their parents are involved in a second marriage. Loyalty conflicts with associated guilt feelings arise due to the fact that children feel torn between their parents, and are of the view that they are obliged to choose between the parents. The ideal is to teach the child coping mechanisms to cope with the divorce and to support the child at this critical stage of his life.

Text in Afrikaans / Divorce is a prominent phenomenon that affects thousands of children in South Africa. The point of departure for this research is that children in divorce situations require therapeutic guidance in order to manage their experience of loss. The research problem formulated was concerned with the lack of guidelines for Gestalt play therapists to address those losses experienced by children during the latency period. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to provide a guideline in order to ensure a meaningful therapeutic experience for children in the latency period. In order to reach this goal, the research process was guided by qualitative research. Triangulation was used as a data collection technique, in order to achieve this goal of investigating children who experience loss and behavioural responses. The value and suitability of Gestalt therapy during the therapeutic management process was examined. Stemming from the process and integration of results obtained in the empirical investigation, guidelines consisting of six diverse phases were developed and explicated. The goal of the research was therefor achieved with the application of: A guideline for Gestalt play therapists in addressing loss through divorce in children in the latency period. / Social work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Text in Afrikaans / Divorce is a prominent phenomenon that affects thousands of children in South Africa. The point of departure for this research is that children in divorce situations require therapeutic guidance in order to manage their experience of loss. The research problem formulated was concerned with the lack of guidelines for Gestalt play therapists to address those losses experienced by children during the latency period. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to provide a guideline in order to ensure a meaningful therapeutic experience for children in the latency period. In order to reach this goal, the research process was guided by qualitative research. Triangulation was used as a data collection technique, in order to achieve this goal of investigating children who experience loss and behavioural responses. The value and suitability of Gestalt therapy during the therapeutic management process was examined. Stemming from the process and integration of results obtained in the empirical investigation, guidelines consisting of six diverse phases were developed and explicated. The goal of the research was therefor achieved with the application of: A guideline for Gestalt play therapists in addressing loss through divorce in children in the latency period. / Social work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

The global rise in divorce since the 1960s has brought into question the idealised view of the nuclear family which has for centuries been awarded special status in western societies and has been regarded as the primary social institution. According to contemporary research parental divorce has become a reality for every one in six children in South Africa. Until recently, little consideration had been given to how divorce affects black South African families, as it was considered to be an occurrence which only took place in white, mainly middle-class, families. The proportion of black South African couples divorcing has been increasing over the past decade, and in 2008 was said to contribute to 35% of all divorce in South Africa. Most research to date on the children of divorce has focused on young white children and adolescents and is largely concerned with those who have found parental divorce particularly difficult, and are manifesting adjustment and other behavioural problems. The research which has been done on the effects of parental divorce on young adults focuses mainly on clinical studies with middle-class families based either in the United States or in the United Kingdom. This research, using an experience-centred, life-story narrative approach, explores the stories which young black South African adult women between the ages of 18 and 25 tell, to give account to the ways in which recent parental divorce has affected their lives, views on family life, and what it has meant to them. The use of an experience-centred, life-story narrative approach allows for a process of rupture, acceptance and re-storying to be accounted for, as the participant’s narrative shifts from past, to present and the future. Five young black women from a South African university each participated in two narratively sequenced semi-structured interviews based on McAdams’ personal narratives protocol, which includes six core themes, namely: Key Events, Significant People, Stresses and Problems, Personal Meanings and Life-Lessons, Future Script, and Life Theme. Crossley’s narrative analysis was then used to identify emergent themes and images in each individual narrative, after which they were woven together into a coherent story linked to previous literature. This study found that divorce involves a highly complex transition and reconfiguration process perhaps not fully accounted for in the existing idea and images associated with it. Despite being young adult women who had moved away from home and were engaged in their own lives, it became apparent that parental divorce was still a difficult and complicated experience, but that it is possible to tell both pessimistic and optimistic stories of parental divorce and its consequences.

The drastic readjustments brought on by the ending of a love relationship make divorce one of the most stressful events that divorced persons may face. Divorced persons often experience the negative consequences of divorce including, amongst others, an increased level of unhappiness, greater physical and psychological distress, less support systems, lower life satisfaction, elevated risk of suicide, asocial behavioural problems, and a decline in the standard of living. Therefore, expounding on the nature of social work services to divorced persons and determining divorced persons’ needs with regard to social work services were of critical importance in order to develop guidelines that would inform social work practice and social welfare policies. A qualitative research approach was employed, guided by an explorative, descriptive, and contextual research design. A sample of 20 participants, comprising10 divorced persons (males and females) from different ethnic groups and 10 social workers employed at different organisations (including governmental, non- governmental and private practice) in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, was drawn through purposive and snowball sampling. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and analysed following Tesch’s eight steps (in Creswell 2009:186) framework. Guba’s model (Krefting 1991:215-222) was applied for data verification. Amongst others, the study found that divorced persons experience loneliness, stigma, financial hardships, lack of support, loss of self-esteem and companionship, loss of trust in the opposite sex, anger, regret, suicidal thoughts, rejection, challenges related to children, and post-divorce adjustments. Most of the divorced persons did not know about the social work services available to them. There are social workers employed at different organisations who provide mediation and parenting plan services to divorced persons, but most of them do not deal with cases related to divorced persons. Although there are social workers who believe that the counselling services provided to divorced persons are helpful, most of them were not entirely satisfied and feel that they could do more by involving group work and community work methods of social work practice. Based on the research findings, recommendations pertaining to social work practice, social work training and education, social welfare policy, and further research were put forward. / Social Work / PhD. (Social Work)