Please read the abstract (Summary) in the section, 00front, of this document / Dissertation (MA (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / MA / unrestricted

Aggressive behaviour in children has been a problem for decades in the society we live in and it is a phenomenon which continues in children today in spite of the negative impact it has on the socialisation of the child and the parent-child bonding. Aggression is regarded as a normal feeling, but the way in which the child vents his anger must be determined according to boundaries. Children in their middle childhood years yearn for a feeling of belonging to. If the child is pushed at or even rejected by friends, they are inclined to protect themselves often by aggressive behaviour. It is the parent’s responsibility to build optimal relationships with the child. The child in the middle childhood years is still dependent on his parents for love and security. There is a connection between a child’s aggressive behaviour and the type of parent-child bonding. The research hypothesis, namely if the child in the middle childhood years gets support and advice by means of the play therapeutic intervention programme, the child should become aware of his aggression, and the parent-child bonding will be strengthened. The aim of the study was to make the aggressive child more aware of his aggression in order to support the child in improving his relationship with his parents. To achieve this goal a literature as well as an empirical study were carried at. Literature on the aggressive child in the middle childhood years, the parent-child bond and playtherapy using the gestalt approach enabled the researcher to complete the study successfully and to develop insight. The empirical research involved that six junior-primary school children who exhibited aggressive behaviour, were involved in the intervention programme which consisted of ten sessions. The parents of the relevant children were also involved during the first and last three sessions of the intervention programme. Intervention research in the form of a combination of qualitative and quantifying research was conducted. Quasi-experimental research in the form of the single system design was conducted to determine to what degree the independent variable influenced the dependent variable. Standardised scales were used as the measuring instrument during the pre and post testing. The research hypothesis could thus be established and the effectiveness of the programme could be determined. Conclusions and recommendations could be made from the study. From the study it seems that the intervention programme can be applied successfully with the aggressive child and his parents. The parent and the child could learn now behavioural patterns and thus accept responsibility for their behaviour and were enabled to make decisions. / Thesis (DPhil (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore the specific client issue of unfinished business by comparing the differential effectiveness of empathy plus the Gestalt empty-chair technique and empathic reflection. The population consisted of 28 subjects drawn from students enrolled in the first year of a Master's Degree program in Counselling Psychology at a major university. The subjects received two counselling sessions in either the empathy plus Gestalt condition or the Empathic reflection condition. Two relationship instruments, the Empathy Scale of the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory and the Task Dimension of the Working Alliance Inventory, were administered to assess the subject's perception of their therapist's behaviour and to screen for subjects who were not engaged in the process. Two outcome measures, the Target Complaint Measure and the Affective Reactions Questionnaire, were used to assess the amount of resolution subjects felt in their presenting complaint and the amount of change in their feelings toward the significant other. Two session measures, the Session Evaluation Questionnaire and the Target Complaint Discomfort Box Scale, were used to assess the current amount of discomfort regarding the presenting complaint and to evaluate the subject's perception of the sessions. The study showed that empathy plus the Gestalt empty-chair dialogue produced significantly more tolerance in the subjects' feelings toward a significant other person as measured by the Affective Reactions Questionnaire on an issue of unfinished business than those produced by empathic reflection. The results further suggest that a greater improvement in initial target complaint as measured by the Target Complaint Measure was felt for the empathy plus Gestalt condition than for the empathic reflection condition. The review of the literature suggests that the issue of unfinished business is an important one and the tentative results from this study suggest the need for further investigation to determine if the preliminary results are upheld in a clinical setting. The tentative results suggest that the Gestalt empty-chair dialogue in the context of an empathic relationship may make a contribution to the treatment of the issue of unfinished business. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The aim of the study was to determine how Gestalt play therapy may be used in the therapeutic treatment of children in middle childhood who stutter. Stuttering is a problem that touches the lives of many people and is associated with great interpersonal distress. Stuttering is especially difficult for children in middle childhood, a time dominated by the school experience. Gestalt play therapy creates a child-friendly environment, in which the child can share information in a safe manner through the use of play therapeutic techniques. Literature was reviewed according to relevant topics, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three respondents, the data obtained was qualitatively analysed and research findings were discussed. The researcher concludes that Gestalt play therapy can be used to good effect with children who stutter, as it allows them to work through their emotions, and therefore, encourages them to communicate more freely within the therapeutic environment. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

The aim of the study was to determine how Gestalt play therapy may be used in the therapeutic treatment of children in middle childhood who stutter. Stuttering is a problem that touches the lives of many people and is associated with great interpersonal distress. Stuttering is especially difficult for children in middle childhood, a time dominated by the school experience. Gestalt play therapy creates a child-friendly environment, in which the child can share information in a safe manner through the use of play therapeutic techniques. Literature was reviewed according to relevant topics, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three respondents, the data obtained was qualitatively analysed and research findings were discussed. The researcher concludes that Gestalt play therapy can be used to good effect with children who stutter, as it allows them to work through their emotions, and therefore, encourages them to communicate more freely within the therapeutic environment. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Afrikaans text / The purpose of the research was to investigate the experiences of adolescents who identify with the Emo subculture in a specific high school in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. Qualitative, applied research of an exploring and descriptive nature was conducted. The literature study focused on human development, the concepts contra-culture and subculture, Gestalt development, Gestalt therapy theories and the ecological theory. This served as a framework for the findings, which was based on unstructured interviews with persons who identified with the Emo subculture. Data triangulation was of special interest in this study to ensure reliability and validity, especially in the light of the fact that limited specialised literature is available on the Emo subculture. Various findings are described and recommendations are made for further research. / Die doel van die navorsing was om die belewenisse van adolessente wat met die Emo-subkultuur identifiseer, in ’n spesifieke hoërskool in die noordelike voorstede van Kaapstad te ondersoek. Kwalitatiewe, toegepaste navorsing van verkennende en beskrywende aard is gedoen. Die literatuurstudie het gefokus op menslike ontwikkeling, die konsepte kontrakultuur en subkultuur, Gestalt-ontwikkeling, Gestaltterapie-teorieë en die ekologiese teorie. Dit het as raamwerk vir die bevindinge gedien, wat gegrond is op ongestruktureerde onderhoude met persone wat met die Emo-subkultuur identifiseer. Data-triangulering was van besondere belang in hierdie ondersoek om vertrouenswaardigheid en geldigheid te verseker, veral in die lig daarvan dat daar min vakkundige literatuur oor die Emo-subkultuur beskikbaar is. Verskeie bevindinge word beskryf en aanbevelings word gemaak vir verdere navorsing. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Afrikaans text / The purpose of the research was to investigate the experiences of adolescents who identify with the Emo subculture in a specific high school in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. Qualitative, applied research of an exploring and descriptive nature was conducted. The literature study focused on human development, the concepts contra-culture and subculture, Gestalt development, Gestalt therapy theories and the ecological theory. This served as a framework for the findings, which was based on unstructured interviews with persons who identified with the Emo subculture. Data triangulation was of special interest in this study to ensure reliability and validity, especially in the light of the fact that limited specialised literature is available on the Emo subculture. Various findings are described and recommendations are made for further research. / Die doel van die navorsing was om die belewenisse van adolessente wat met die Emo-subkultuur identifiseer, in ’n spesifieke hoërskool in die noordelike voorstede van Kaapstad te ondersoek. Kwalitatiewe, toegepaste navorsing van verkennende en beskrywende aard is gedoen. Die literatuurstudie het gefokus op menslike ontwikkeling, die konsepte kontrakultuur en subkultuur, Gestalt-ontwikkeling, Gestaltterapie-teorieë en die ekologiese teorie. Dit het as raamwerk vir die bevindinge gedien, wat gegrond is op ongestruktureerde onderhoude met persone wat met die Emo-subkultuur identifiseer. Data-triangulering was van besondere belang in hierdie ondersoek om vertrouenswaardigheid en geldigheid te verseker, veral in die lig daarvan dat daar min vakkundige literatuur oor die Emo-subkultuur beskikbaar is. Verskeie bevindinge word beskryf en aanbevelings word gemaak vir verdere navorsing. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

The relationship that exists between the educator and the ]earners is very important. A positive relationship will contribute to the learners' feeling safe to explore their potentiaL A positive relationship will lead to educators feeling motivated towards teaching. Educators do, however, bring unfinished business to the classroom that affects their relationship with their learners. The learners also bring unfinished business to the classroom that affects their relationship with their educators. The resulting educatorlearner relationship is characterized by a contact making process of exclusion. 'I11is often leads to disciplinary problems and learners being referred to the school psychologist for counseling. The first research objective, therefore, was to develop a Gestalt program that wiiJ assist in creating a safe environment in which the learners and educators can share their feelings and emotions. The second objective was to establish a contact making process of inclusion between learners and educators in the foundation phase. After reviewing literature on the research problem. the researcher consulted experts on the subject. Thorough research was done on existing literature relating to the research problem. Using as a base the information gathered from consulting experts, the literature search and the preliminary exploratory studies, the researcher developed the program. The program was first pilot tested at school A. After completion of the pilot study, the program was tested under field conditions at school B. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis procedures were used to analyze the data. The results from both the pilot test and the field test indicated that the program increased the awareness of the educators who formed part of the experimental group. The awareness of the educators who formed part of the control group, who did not receive the intervention, stayed the same. The results of the research project allowed the researcher to continue developing a product for dissemination. The research study contributed to the development of a Gestalt program that assisted in creating a safe environment where the learners and educators could share their feelings and emotions. The program also contributed lo creating a contact making process of inclusion between educators and learners in the foundation phase. Finally the research study provided a program that can be used to assist professionals and other individuals in the fields of education, psychology or social work. / Social work / M. Diac.

This study was aimed at exploring and describing the role of music as a medium in the Gestalt play therapy process with children who experience emotional distress and therefore suffer loss of healthy contact. The case study method was used as research strategy. A literature study of the Gestalt approach and Gestalt play therapy was carried out as well as a study of the child in middle childhood, the child experiencing emotional distress in the form of loss, and music as a medium. In implementing of this research study three case studies were described. The sampling method was based on a non-probability purposive sampling technique. The criteria for inclusion in this study were children who experience emotional distress in the form of loss and who, subsequently, do not make effective contact. Between seven and eight therapeutic sessions per child were conducted. The role of music was evident in all three cases. / SOCIAL WORK / MDIAC (PLAY THERAPY)

The research was directed at developing guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners. The supposition of the study was that retained middle childhood learners require support in accepting the retention. For the purpose of this study a qualitative research approach with an exploratory and descriptive nature was used. The intervention research model of Rothman and Thomas (1994) was applied. A combination of Gestalt philosophical principles, existing literature and semi-structured interviews with educators, educational psychologists and middle childhood learners with experience of grade retention were used to develop guidelines. The researcher concluded that retained middle childhood learners require support in the process of accepting the grade retention. Counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners lack knowledge on how to support the retained child. Guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners were developed to successfully address the lack of knowledge in the field. / Social Work / (M.Diac.(Play Therapy))