The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of professionals utilizing sensory-motor play (SMP) with young children (YC) in Gestalt play therapy in order to provide recommendations for professionals and to create an awareness of the value of SMP in Gestalt play therapy. Coming from an occupational therapy background, the researcher became aware of the potential value of utilizing sensorymotor play in Gestalt play therapy with YC. SMP, being a vital part of the sensory integration developmental process of YC, promotes body awareness through muscle movement and control. Awareness is one of the major aims of Gestalt play therapy. All the senses contribute to YC's awareness, including the frequently unacknowledged vestibu lar and proprioceptive senses. In order to treat YC holistically, the developmental importance of SMP should be acknowledged and integrated in the therapy process. Professionals young children working in this field, coming from diverse educational backgrounds, do not necessarily have the knowledge or experience of the utilization of SMPwith YC. A qualitative research approach with a case study research design was adopted in order to explore and describe the experiences of professionals regarding the utilization of SMP with YC in Gestalt play therapy, through applied research. The empirical data was collected by conducting two focus group discussions with professionals from diverse educational backgrounds. Two main themes with different sub-themes and categories were identified by analysing the data. The main themes are that participants are of the opinion that SMP enhances the therapeutic relationship and that SMP has a self-regulatory function. The researcher concludes that professionals gained a new awareness regarding the subject of discussion and experienced that uti lizing SMP in Gestalt play therapy with YC can promote and facilitate whole body/mind awareness and integrated healing. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of professionals utilizing sensory-motor play (SMP) with young children (YC) in Gestalt play therapy in order to provide recommendations for professionals and to create an awareness of the value of SMP in Gestalt play therapy. Coming from an occupational therapy background, the researcher became aware of the potential value of utilizing sensorymotor play in Gestalt play therapy with YC. SMP, being a vital part of the sensory integration developmental process of YC, promotes body awareness through muscle movement and control. Awareness is one of the major aims of Gestalt play therapy. All the senses contribute to YC's awareness, including the frequently unacknowledged vestibu lar and proprioceptive senses. In order to treat YC holistically, the developmental importance of SMP should be acknowledged and integrated in the therapy process. Professionals young children working in this field, coming from diverse educational backgrounds, do not necessarily have the knowledge or experience of the utilization of SMPwith YC. A qualitative research approach with a case study research design was adopted in order to explore and describe the experiences of professionals regarding the utilization of SMP with YC in Gestalt play therapy, through applied research. The empirical data was collected by conducting two focus group discussions with professionals from diverse educational backgrounds. Two main themes with different sub-themes and categories were identified by analysing the data. The main themes are that participants are of the opinion that SMP enhances the therapeutic relationship and that SMP has a self-regulatory function. The researcher concludes that professionals gained a new awareness regarding the subject of discussion and experienced that uti lizing SMP in Gestalt play therapy with YC can promote and facilitate whole body/mind awareness and integrated healing. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Sexual abuse of children and adolescents has reached pandemic proportions in Namibia. It is widely recognised that this traumagenic experience could have a profound and long-lasting effect on survivors. Nevertheless, few survivors in Namibia access therapy; often because of non-disclosure or non-reporting, being socioeconomically disadvantaged and the overburdened public sector therapists. This study set out to explore how adolescent survivors use the Nine Figure Picture Story (9FPS) embedded within the context of Gestalt Healing tasks. A variety of play therapy experiments was used to raise the clients’ awareness and to evoke their therapy stories (as these relate to Gestalt therapy) and their trauma stories (by means of the 9FPS). The researcher-therapist hoped that the study would enhance the understanding of the meaning-making of sexually abused adolescent clients, and in doing so, contribute to therapeutic practice in Namibia and elsewhere. Research which aims to uncover personal meaning-making and hear the voice of the participants already suggests that the qualitative paradigm would be apposite. An exploratory case study was conducted in Namibia between August 2010 and November 2010. Two adolescent survivors of sexual abuse who met the eligibility criteria were drawn from the population by means of nonprobability sampling. The sample was heterogeneous: one participant was a survivor of chronic intrafamilial rape; the other of a single incident, extrafamilial child sexual abuse (CSA). The data corpus included six and ten recorded therapeutic sessions with the two clients respectively; transcribed intake and termination semi-structured interviews with the parents; the researcher’s process and observation notes; and the clients’ objets d'art and Therapy diaries. To capture the tapestry of CSA accurately and holistically, the stories of the two participants were first analysed individually and thereafter synthesised into a theoretical comparative analysis. Trustworthiness was enhanced by means of investigator, theory, data and methodological triangulation. A number of safety, beneficence and non-maleficence measures contributed to the ethicality of this sensitive research. The research uncovered that, despite their differences, the two participants presented with posttraumatic signs and patterns often reported in the literature. Most insightful was how the survivors disavowed the CSA to become “not me” (Joyce & Sills, 2006: 92). As it relates to neurobiological hypotheses, it was revealed that the tactile and visuospatial Gestalt play therapy, specifically the 9FPS, seemed to access and address the fragmented, non-sequenced and non-verbal trauma memory. It was found that the 9FPSs gave the unfinished business from the past a miniaturised dimension in the present and that the “differentiated unity” (Reynolds, 2005: 162) enhanced its assimilation into the self. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Sexual abuse of children and adolescents has reached pandemic proportions in Namibia. It is widely recognised that this traumagenic experience could have a profound and long-lasting effect on survivors. Nevertheless, few survivors in Namibia access therapy; often because of non-disclosure or non-reporting, being socioeconomically disadvantaged and the overburdened public sector therapists. This study set out to explore how adolescent survivors use the Nine Figure Picture Story (9FPS) embedded within the context of Gestalt Healing tasks. A variety of play therapy experiments was used to raise the clients’ awareness and to evoke their therapy stories (as these relate to Gestalt therapy) and their trauma stories (by means of the 9FPS). The researcher-therapist hoped that the study would enhance the understanding of the meaning-making of sexually abused adolescent clients, and in doing so, contribute to therapeutic practice in Namibia and elsewhere. Research which aims to uncover personal meaning-making and hear the voice of the participants already suggests that the qualitative paradigm would be apposite. An exploratory case study was conducted in Namibia between August 2010 and November 2010. Two adolescent survivors of sexual abuse who met the eligibility criteria were drawn from the population by means of nonprobability sampling. The sample was heterogeneous: one participant was a survivor of chronic intrafamilial rape; the other of a single incident, extrafamilial child sexual abuse (CSA). The data corpus included six and ten recorded therapeutic sessions with the two clients respectively; transcribed intake and termination semi-structured interviews with the parents; the researcher’s process and observation notes; and the clients’ objets d'art and Therapy diaries. To capture the tapestry of CSA accurately and holistically, the stories of the two participants were first analysed individually and thereafter synthesised into a theoretical comparative analysis. Trustworthiness was enhanced by means of investigator, theory, data and methodological triangulation. A number of safety, beneficence and non-maleficence measures contributed to the ethicality of this sensitive research. The research uncovered that, despite their differences, the two participants presented with posttraumatic signs and patterns often reported in the literature. Most insightful was how the survivors disavowed the CSA to become “not me” (Joyce & Sills, 2006: 92). As it relates to neurobiological hypotheses, it was revealed that the tactile and visuospatial Gestalt play therapy, specifically the 9FPS, seemed to access and address the fragmented, non-sequenced and non-verbal trauma memory. It was found that the 9FPSs gave the unfinished business from the past a miniaturised dimension in the present and that the “differentiated unity” (Reynolds, 2005: 162) enhanced its assimilation into the self. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Afrikaans text / Kreatiwiteit is die sentrale tema van hierdie navorsing. Die doel van die navorsing was om die relevansie en waarde van kreatiwiteit in spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders in die multi-kulturele konteks van Suid-Afrika, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Die navorsing is vanuit „n konstruktivistiese epistemologiese fundering en „n eksistensieel-fenomologiese paradigma gedoen, deur uitgebreide teoretiese en empiriese navorsing. Die teoretiese navorsingproses het eerstens op die holistiese impak van seksuele misbruik op kinders, te midde van hul spesifieke verhoudings- en omgewingskonteks gefokus. Dit het duidelik geword dat seksuele misbruik ernstige trauma by kinders veroorsaak, wat alle modaliteite van die kinders affekteer. Die voorkoms van komplekse posttraumtiese stresversteuring, vanweë langdurige seksuele misbruik, is teoreties beskryf en ook empiries bevestig. „n Sintese van gestalt-, persoonsgesentreerde en logoterapeutiese teorieë, is deur die navorser ontwikkel om die traumatiese nagevolge van die seksuele misbruik kreatief aan te spreek in spelterapie. Die verband tussen en vervlegting van kreatiwiteit en spelterapie is ondersoek en beskryf. Ook die bemagtigende waarde van kreatiwiteit om die kompleksiteit van hierdie kinders se trauma te hanteer is teoreties én empiries nagevors. Die oënskynlik teenstrydige prosesse van kreatiwiteit as „n intuïtiewe, artisitieke, én logiese, kognitiewe proses is ondersoek, om die waarde daarvan vir die navorsingsdoel te bepaal. Die aard en waarde van kreatiewe aktiwiteite en die uitdagings wat gestel word aan die terapeute om kreatief te werk te gaan om die komplekse proses van seksueel-misbruikte kinders aan te spreek, is verder teoreties en empiries nagevors en beskryf. Die noodsaaklikheid van die ondersteunende sisteme vir die kind en terapeut, in belang van „n suksesvolle afloop van terapie, is ook ondersoek, beskryf en beklemtoon.In die empiriese navorsingsproses is veelvuldige gevallestudies, met behulp van vyf deelnemende veldnavorsers gedoen, waar elkeen „n terapeutiese proses gevolg het, volgens riglyne en onder leiding van die navorser, met „n seksueel-misbruikte kind. Die benutting en waarde van kreatiwiteit is ondersoek, beskryf en geëvalueer in die samelopende proses van die navorser met elke deelnemende navorser en kind binne die diverse kulturele konteks in Suid-Afrika. Die teoretiese raamwerk van die navorser en die riglyn vir kreatiewe spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders is sodoende getoets, verfyn en afgerond as hulpmiddel in die breër Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Die navorsingsbevinding was dat kreatiwiteit onontbeerlik is in spelterapie met kinders wat seksueel misbruik is in „n multi-kulturele konteks soos Suid-Afrika. / Creativity is the central concept of this research. The goal of the research was to explore the value of creativity in play therapy with sexually abused children in the multi-cultural South-African context. The research was done from a constructivistic epistemological foundation and existential-phenomological paradigms. Extensive theoretical research was supported and substantiated by empirical research. The theoretical research process focused on the holistic impact of sexual abuse on children in and as part of their specific context (field). It became clear that sexual abuse implies severe trauma for the child, and affects all of their modalities, and their functioning in their field. The impact of severe and ongoing sexual abuse on children, as complex post-traumatic stress disorder, was described to clarify their therapeutic needs. A synthesis of gestalt-, person-centred- and logotherapy to address the traumatic after-effects of sexually abused children creatively in play therapy, was developed and described and motivated in the research paper. The concept of creativity was defined and extensively explored an applied in the context of therapy with sexually abused children. Creativity as a cognitive process, a problem solving process, and an artistic process is explored and applied in this context. The value of creative activities, the challenges of being a creative therapist, the supportive role of the supervisor and the systems in society, was explored and described. The empirical research process was done in a participatory way in the form of a multiple case study. Five therapists followed a therapeutic process, according to the guideline, guidance and supervision of the researcher, with a child who had been severely sexually abused. The results from the research confirmed the value and necessity of creativity in dealing with the severe trauma of sexually abused children and bridging gaps in a multi-cultural setting. The theoretical framework of the researcher and a guideline for creative therapy with sexually abused children was tested in the empirical research process, and could be refined and finalised. It was concluded that the use of creativity is crucial in play therapy with sexually abused children in a multi-cultural context, such as South Africa. / Social Work / D. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Afrikaans text / Kreatiwiteit is die sentrale tema van hierdie navorsing. Die doel van die navorsing was om die relevansie en waarde van kreatiwiteit in spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders in die multi-kulturele konteks van Suid-Afrika, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Die navorsing is vanuit „n konstruktivistiese epistemologiese fundering en „n eksistensieel-fenomologiese paradigma gedoen, deur uitgebreide teoretiese en empiriese navorsing. Die teoretiese navorsingproses het eerstens op die holistiese impak van seksuele misbruik op kinders, te midde van hul spesifieke verhoudings- en omgewingskonteks gefokus. Dit het duidelik geword dat seksuele misbruik ernstige trauma by kinders veroorsaak, wat alle modaliteite van die kinders affekteer. Die voorkoms van komplekse posttraumtiese stresversteuring, vanweë langdurige seksuele misbruik, is teoreties beskryf en ook empiries bevestig. „n Sintese van gestalt-, persoonsgesentreerde en logoterapeutiese teorieë, is deur die navorser ontwikkel om die traumatiese nagevolge van die seksuele misbruik kreatief aan te spreek in spelterapie. Die verband tussen en vervlegting van kreatiwiteit en spelterapie is ondersoek en beskryf. Ook die bemagtigende waarde van kreatiwiteit om die kompleksiteit van hierdie kinders se trauma te hanteer is teoreties én empiries nagevors. Die oënskynlik teenstrydige prosesse van kreatiwiteit as „n intuïtiewe, artisitieke, én logiese, kognitiewe proses is ondersoek, om die waarde daarvan vir die navorsingsdoel te bepaal. Die aard en waarde van kreatiewe aktiwiteite en die uitdagings wat gestel word aan die terapeute om kreatief te werk te gaan om die komplekse proses van seksueel-misbruikte kinders aan te spreek, is verder teoreties en empiries nagevors en beskryf. Die noodsaaklikheid van die ondersteunende sisteme vir die kind en terapeut, in belang van „n suksesvolle afloop van terapie, is ook ondersoek, beskryf en beklemtoon.In die empiriese navorsingsproses is veelvuldige gevallestudies, met behulp van vyf deelnemende veldnavorsers gedoen, waar elkeen „n terapeutiese proses gevolg het, volgens riglyne en onder leiding van die navorser, met „n seksueel-misbruikte kind. Die benutting en waarde van kreatiwiteit is ondersoek, beskryf en geëvalueer in die samelopende proses van die navorser met elke deelnemende navorser en kind binne die diverse kulturele konteks in Suid-Afrika. Die teoretiese raamwerk van die navorser en die riglyn vir kreatiewe spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders is sodoende getoets, verfyn en afgerond as hulpmiddel in die breër Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Die navorsingsbevinding was dat kreatiwiteit onontbeerlik is in spelterapie met kinders wat seksueel misbruik is in „n multi-kulturele konteks soos Suid-Afrika. / Creativity is the central concept of this research. The goal of the research was to explore the value of creativity in play therapy with sexually abused children in the multi-cultural South-African context. The research was done from a constructivistic epistemological foundation and existential-phenomological paradigms. Extensive theoretical research was supported and substantiated by empirical research. The theoretical research process focused on the holistic impact of sexual abuse on children in and as part of their specific context (field). It became clear that sexual abuse implies severe trauma for the child, and affects all of their modalities, and their functioning in their field. The impact of severe and ongoing sexual abuse on children, as complex post-traumatic stress disorder, was described to clarify their therapeutic needs. A synthesis of gestalt-, person-centred- and logotherapy to address the traumatic after-effects of sexually abused children creatively in play therapy, was developed and described and motivated in the research paper. The concept of creativity was defined and extensively explored an applied in the context of therapy with sexually abused children. Creativity as a cognitive process, a problem solving process, and an artistic process is explored and applied in this context. The value of creative activities, the challenges of being a creative therapist, the supportive role of the supervisor and the systems in society, was explored and described. The empirical research process was done in a participatory way in the form of a multiple case study. Five therapists followed a therapeutic process, according to the guideline, guidance and supervision of the researcher, with a child who had been severely sexually abused. The results from the research confirmed the value and necessity of creativity in dealing with the severe trauma of sexually abused children and bridging gaps in a multi-cultural setting. The theoretical framework of the researcher and a guideline for creative therapy with sexually abused children was tested in the empirical research process, and could be refined and finalised. It was concluded that the use of creativity is crucial in play therapy with sexually abused children in a multi-cultural context, such as South Africa. / Social Work / D. Diac. (Spelterapie)