D.Litt. et Phil. / Encopresis is a complex problem which is often under-reported, and is not well known by the general public. The humiliating nature of the problem results in denial and a reluctance to seek help from professionals; parents will therefore rather attempt to solve the problem themselves. Research on the subject is relatively scarce, especially regarding effectiveness of treatment models. The etiological factors of this complex problem are interlinked and it is often difficult to identify the primary cause of the problem. A primarily physical problem may have secondary emotional implications, while a primarily emotional problem may result in a physical problem. The complex nature of encopresis results in referrals from one professional to the other, generally without great success; this has resulted in parents often becoming desperate to get effective help. Treatment in the past tended to be profession-orientated and fell either into a medical or a psychological approach, with little, if any, acknowledgement of the social factors. Only recently has the biopsychosocial approach been recognised and received more credit. The low success rate in the treatment of encopresis gave rise to the development of a holistic approach which attempts to address the problem in the context of the physical, behavioural, cognitive and emotional modalities in order to find appropriate assessment, diagnostic and management strategies. The purpose of the present study was to integrate these modalities and to develop a form of therapy tailored to the specific needs of the child. The holistic treatment model attempts to bring relief to children suffering from encopresis and their families who are burdened with the problem. The purpose was further to evaluate the effectiveness of the holistic treatment model with regard to the prevalence of encopresis, depressive symptomatology, parental involvement and self-image of the children. Standardised measuring instruments used were the "Reynolds Child Depression Scale", the "Bene Anthony Family Relations Test", as well as the "Human Figure Drawings". Experimental and control groups were used in order to compare the variables prior to any intervention. The experimental group received treatment while the control group received treatment only after completion of the post-tests. The purpose was to measure the degree of change as a result of the intervention. The experimental group improved significantly with regard to all the variables, while the control group showed no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results. The study indicated a relatively high success rate using the holistic treatment approach. Promising results can be expected when applying this holistic form of treatment to other children with similar problems in an endeavour to alleviate the often silent burden carried by children with encopresis and by their families.