Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Community Psychology) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2000. / Loss through death is an inevitable part of life. Not only does it separate families from their loved ones; it also threatens community cohesion and solidarity. In most cultures, the painful road from loss to healing concerns not only the immediate family, but the community at large. In other words, grief is a shared experience. The disposal of the dead and the accompanying mourning rituals are a social, if not a public affair. Though it is never solicited, support subsequent to bereavement is expected from friends, relatives, and the community at large. This is well expressed in the Zulu poetic saying, "umuntu umuntu nga bantu/" (broadly translated as ''Only through you do I become"). Community psychology as a discipline cannot afford to give casual attention to alternative support services offered in communities, including, grief counselling. This study therefore explores community intervention practices in grief counselling. The research seeks to clarify the experiences of people who experience grief with the objective of understanding how they are supported. Grief counselling, as practised in communities in this study, has been found to be an informed process. It takes the bereaved step-by-step from the initial stage of informing them about the death, through the shock and denial and ushers them into the awareness of loss phase. Burial ceremonies accentuate the departure of the deceased from among the living, while they also offer solace, support and solidarity to the bereaved as they are confronted with the reality of death. Not much was found to be done in terms of post-burial support except for the purification rites and traditional inquests with healers and prophets. Of the ten participants that were interviewed, eight attributed the death of their loved ones to bewitchment. The wearing of mourning clothes marked the transitional period and facilitated for the withdrawal of the bereaved for purposes of their healing over time. This transitional period culminated into the re¬incorporation celebration. This progression has, as delineated above, been recommended to form guidelines for the development of a psycho-educational grief counselling programme in order to recycle resources.

PhD (Psychology) / Department of Psychology

Text in Afrikaans / Rituals are part of our everyday life and are usually performed unconsciously. In this dissertation rituals are used consciously, within a therapeutic context, with the purpose to facilitate healing and growth. The aim of the research is to focus the readers' attention on the therapeutic potential of rituals and its value as an intervention strategy. The study concentrates on the grieving process. The researcher therefore specifically wants to show how rituals are used during grief counselling. The following research problem was investigated in the study: "What is the attitude, opinion and knowledge of professional caregivers concerning the use of rituals as a therapeutic tool during grief counselling?" Out of the research data the following hypothesis was formulated: - To grief over a loss is essential. Because of the basic properties and remedial functions of rituals, rituals can be a valuable therapeutic tool in the facilitation of this process. - There is an inherent connection between professional caregivers' attitudes, opinions and knowledge of therapeutic rituals and the regular and effective use of them during grief counselling. - The use of rituals during grief counselling is only one component in the comprehensive pastoral care of the bereaved. / Practical theology / M.Th.

Text in Afrikaans / Rituals are part of our everyday life and are usually performed unconsciously. In this dissertation rituals are used consciously, within a therapeutic context, with the purpose to facilitate healing and growth. The aim of the research is to focus the readers' attention on the therapeutic potential of rituals and its value as an intervention strategy. The study concentrates on the grieving process. The researcher therefore specifically wants to show how rituals are used during grief counselling. The following research problem was investigated in the study: "What is the attitude, opinion and knowledge of professional caregivers concerning the use of rituals as a therapeutic tool during grief counselling?" Out of the research data the following hypothesis was formulated: - To grief over a loss is essential. Because of the basic properties and remedial functions of rituals, rituals can be a valuable therapeutic tool in the facilitation of this process. - There is an inherent connection between professional caregivers' attitudes, opinions and knowledge of therapeutic rituals and the regular and effective use of them during grief counselling. - The use of rituals during grief counselling is only one component in the comprehensive pastoral care of the bereaved. / Practical theology / M.Th.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how narrative therapy may facilitate not only a lessening of distressing symptoms for bereaved persons, but may also facilitate growth in identity. Five case studies are presented. The participants were chosen to illuminate different grief experiences. The case studies include a description of grieving people from different backgrounds, each with a unique relationship with the person or people who died, all of whom had different causes of death such as suicide, murder and natural causes. These differences provide an opportunity to explore the application of the therapy model with a range of grief experiences. A full and rich description of the experiences of the participants yield insight into the shared themes such as the impact of social expectations of how a grieving person should conduct him or herself, difficult physical and emotional experiences, the many losses flowing from the death, as well as an in-depth discussion of the identity growth that takes place as the bereaved person takes on different roles and tasks. Postmodern epistemology and social constructivism informed the praxis and interpretation of narrative therapy as bereavement model. Narrative therapy is shown as especially effective for grief therapy with therapeutic tenets such as deconstructing and creating richer narratives and alternative stories that enables the bereaved to explore diverse aspects of their character. The emphasis on what remains rather than what is lost, and the concept of remembering the loved one who died in the community of those who stay behind, transmute the loss-story to one of remembering and incorporating, which tends to bring significant emotional relief. This study contributes towards the field of growth through bereavement for which there seems to be a paucity in research. Furthermore, it provides additional evidence for post-traumatic growth in general, especially with the assistance of narrative therapy. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)