Youth Centres such as Faure Youth Centre provide a challenge to questions such as violence and crime. This qualitative research journey started at Faure Youth Centre using narrative pastoral care and counselling and participatory action research to assist the young people there to find alternative ways of standing against violence and crime. Changing circumstances at Faure however, paved the way for the research to follow another direction. This resulted in different voices to emerge and for my family to receive an unexpected `gift' in the process. The `gift' that my pastoral care and counselling at Faure gave to my family initiated a process of change in us and transformed it into a spiralling journey of challenging patriarchal practices and finding alternative ways of living. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

This study enquires into the influence of the philosophical stance of a narrative pastoral therapist in therapeutic groups for people living with depression within a church context. For the purpose of this study, a philosophical stance is defined as a metaphorical position which represents the therapist's epistemological stance and which shapes his or her interactions with the therapy group members. An explanation of the building blocks of the therapist's preferred philosophical stance is provided, the influence of modern and postmodern discourses in developing such a stance is discussed, and the effects of the therapist's philosophical stance on the group members are explored. The research is directed towards everyone who is involved in pastoral therapeutic groups for people with depression. The study found that concepts such as 'relational', 'collaborative', 'participatory approach', 'mutual care,', 'self-other growth' and 'co-creation' highlight some of the most helpful contributions provided by the therapist's preferred philosophical stance. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / Thesis (M. Th. (Practical Theology with specialisation in Pastoral Therapy))-

Text in Afrikaans / Hierdie navorsing is gerig op die aanwending van narratiewe pastorale terapie met breadwinners wat werksonsekerheid tydens 'n rasionaliseringsproses ervaar. Die studie is kwalitatief van aard en is gebaseer op narratiewe pastorale gesprekvoerlng esook die proses van meervoudige refleksie waardeur die navorsing gerig en aangepas word. As navorser was ek deelnemer in die proses van verandering waarin veralgemening genegeer is en die rol van persoonlike kennis beklemtoon is. Die terapie is gerig op proaktiewe optrede tydens die rasionaliseringsproses en is ten opsigte van elkeen van die deelnemers aangewend in pasmaakgesprekke waartydens hul unieke behoefles aandag geniet het. Deur die metode van eksternalisering is die invloed van werksonsekerheid op die deelnemers geeksploreer en is hulie aangemoedig om in 'n ander verhouding tot die probleem van werksonsekerheid le staan. Namate die deelnemers tydens hierdie proses belangrike skuiwe op die vlak van identiteit gemaak het, ken hulie die toekoms met nuwe hoop bejeen. / The research was directed at the application of narrative pastoral therapy with breadwinners experiencing job insecurity during a process of rationalisation. This qualitative study was based on narrative pastoral conversations as well as the process of multiple reflection through which the research was directed and adapted. As researcher, I was a participant in the process of change in which generalisations were negated and the role of personal knowledge emphasised. The therapy was directed at proactive action during the rationalisation process and was applied in respect of each of the participants in a customised conversation. The influence of job insecurity on the participants was explored through the method of externalisation and they were encouraged to adopt a new relationship to the problem of job insecurity. In the process, as each participant made important shifts on the level of identity, they wera able to view the future with new hope. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Praktiese Teologie (Pastorale Terapie))

In South African schools various factors influence relationships between facilitators and learners, compounding their frustrations: class sizes, cultural and language barriers, and hierarchical power/knowledge relations. These problems have led to a polarisation between facilitators and learners which could cause facilitators to experience a lack of appreciation and agency. Learners participated in this qualitative study experienced themselves as without voices, and wanted to be acknowledged as people with worthwhile knowledges of their own. This report shows how the therapist and participants engaged in a participatory process of narrative co-search during individual and group conversations where social construction of knowledges and practices of acknowledgement and care, enchanced by letters and externalising conversations, led to the co-creation of a better understanding of one another. This resulted in a more caring, supportive and acknowledging school community, where facilitators re-connected with their preferred stories, and learners found acknowledgement for their own knowledge and preferred ways of living. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology with specialisation in Pastoral Theology)

The Cape Flats is characterised by widespread poverty, unemployment and frequent incidents of domestic and gang related violence. The presence of gangs in and around many of the schools in this area poses a serious problem for the community and the Western Cape Education Department. Schools are disrupted, while principals, teachers and learners are in constant fear and danger of gangsters' bullets. Families in these communities are exposed to chronic traumatisation from both gang and domestic violence. This qualitative study was concerned with exploring a narrative pastoral therapy approach to trauma counselling in schools. It focused specifically on crisis counselling as well as counselling with regard to loss and abuse. Informed by contextual and feminist theology, an action research model was used in this study. I documented my own developing practice by telling the stories of adults and children struggling against the trauma threatening to overwhelm their lives. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology -Pastoral Therapy)

The marginalisation of palliative and pastoral care practices by conventional approaches to care for terminally ill patients, motivated the research curiosity. The significance of terminal patient's spirituality, their language practices and communities of concern are endorsed as being the major contributing factor to meaningful 'living' with terminal illness. Listening to stories has been the qualitative research practice, revealing meaning-making, quest stories. Feminist theology and post-modern ideas and discourses have assisted me, and the participants, in the deconstruction of power, patriarchy and dualism as the primary contributing factors to marginalisation of people due to illness, race, gender, poverty, culture and education. Pastoral care practices and feminist theology have guided us to emphasise the necessity to recognise the God of Grace as an important part to ensuring holistic patient care. Recognising the 'God-Self, respectful narrative and pastoral care practices paved the way to honour sacred spaces and voice stories of terminal illness. / Practical Theology / M.Th (Specialisation Pastoral Therapy)

In South Africa the death of a significant caregiver is a haunting possibility. Violence, crime, road accidents, HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes and substance abuse are household words that describe some of the causes of "untimely deaths" of parents who still have young, school-going children. These children carry their bereavement with them to school. The challenge of standing with them lies not only with their caregivers, but also with staff and children in our school community. In co-authoring conversations with children in our school who have experienced bereavement and loss, this qualitative study used research as co-search to uncover children's preferred knowledges and spiritualities about coping, hope, care and communities of concern. This study used therapy-as-research and participatory action research-as-therapy in what developed into a network of caring communities for the participants, caregivers and therapist. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Pastoral Therapy)

South African schools provide an enormous challenge for transformation towards inclusive and caring communities of learners, facilitators and caregivers. This qualitative study conducted at a primary school used narrative pastoral therapy-as-research and participatory action research-as-therapy to develop inclusive and caring practices. Co-authoring conversations with learners and caregivers from a diverse cultural and religious traditions and collaborating with facilitators challenged me to develop pastoral care as political care. This paved a way for future transformation of a school as a multi-religious community of care and respect. I engaged with participants in finding alternative ways of dealing with loss due to death of loved ones or separartion from caregivers. Children with chronic illness challenged their experiences of rejection and marginalisation at school by writing and producing a play while those whose voices were silenced chose other ways to inform learners and facilitators about their illness. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology with specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)

A group of four widows undertook this research journey with me. They reflected on their widowhood experiences. Narrative and participatory practices guided our conversations. Participatory, contextual, postmodern, liberational feminist theology, poststructuralism and the social construction theory of reality informed this work. Reflective and summarising letters after each group meeting played a central part in the research. The letters were structured to make visible the "taken-for-granted" which informed the widows about who and what they are. The alternative stories of preferred widowhood practices that emerged during and between sessions were centralised in the letters. Elements of transformation, hope and empowerment surfaced as counter stories to the culture of oppression, providing the scaffolding for re-storying their lives. The group formed Chiedza Widows Association in order to support other widows who are still marginalised. / Practical Theology / (M.Th - Specialisation Pastoral Therapy))

As participants, we agreed that women's silenced voices need to be heard, more specific to this participatory action research, the voices of women with new babies. Through wellness pastoral care, we co-laboured in finding ways of standing up to prescribed religious and cultural ideas regarding womaness and motherhood. Pastoral care in partnership with feminist theology and mutuality in community opened a safe place to renegotiate our own preferred ways of seeing our bodies, selves, sexuality, and womaness. The pastoral care, counselling, and mutuality experienced as a research group became the prevalent characteristic of our wellness that we wished to extend beyond the group and into families, churches, community cohorts, and the planet. This research is one platform on which the participating women shared hurts, found a place to be heard, and having come to know our Self more deeply, offer this Self as a gift to the reader. / Practical Theology / M.Th.