The aim of the qualitative study was to explore and describe the utilisation of Gestalt Play Therapy in Occupational Therapy intervention with traumatised children. An applied study was conducted and the case study strategy was used with a flexible design. Objectives for the study included conducting literature reviews regarding the profile of the traumatised child and Occupational Therapy and Gestalt Play Therapy intervention with the traumatised child. The empirical study included data collection and analysis, with data gathered through semi-structured interviews. The gathered data was analysed with the use of Creswell's Data Analysis Spiral. The empirical data showed that Occupational Therapists do utilise Gestalt Play Therapy in their intervention with traumatised children by drawing on their combined knowledge base of Gestalt Play Therapy and Occupational Therapy. Occupational Therapists then conduct a holistic assessment and treatment aims are set according to the assessment with a focus on providing holistic intervention. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

This qualitative study aimed to explore how to handle aggression in therapy from a Gestalt perspective. In order to reach the aim of this study a conceptual framework was done exploring terms central to this project including aggression and Gestalt Play therapy. Unstructured, telephonic interviews were then conducted with seven Gestalt Play therapists working with children in the Western Cape exploring ways to handle and treat aggression in therapy. The data collected during these interviews were then analyzed and several themes were identified and explored by conducting a literature control. Guidelines were then formulated and written on how to handle aggression in therapy from a Gestalt perspective as part of the concluding chapter of this research report. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

This study describes three case studies with three children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, the focus of the dissertation being the sensory processing issues that these children experience, the limited intervention regarding this subject, and the possible emotional connotations that may accompany these difficulties. In the study, three children partook in six Gestalt Play Therapy sessions, where sensory stimulants were utilised as a medium of expression. The data was analysed, with the emphasis on the children's responses to the sensory work and the emotions that could be linked to this experience. A detailed description of the sessions is provided. It was found that these children were able to make use of the Gestalt Play Therapy setting, along with the sensory work, as a means of emotional expression. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Through literature and personal experience it became apparent that cerebral palsy is a condition that poses physical challenges to the everyday lives of children diagnosed with this condition. Negative feedback from society and significant others in the lives of these children may lead to an emotional imbalance in these children. Although various models for addressing emotional issues in children with cerebral palsy exist, their needs within a therapeutic setting are not addressed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of the Schoeman model in therapy with the child with cerebral palsy. The Schoeman model is a therapeutic model that is based on the Gestalt philosophy and is used in conjunction with Gestalt play therapy. Through applying the different aspects of this model the study sheds light on the usefulness of the Schoeman model in therapy with the child diagnosed with cerebral palsy. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Although aggression as social phenomenon is widely researched, this research study aimed to illuminate the importance of early identification of excessively aggressive children specifically. The aim was to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of excessive aggressive behaviour during the preschool years. A qualitative research methodology was employed consisting of a parent interview, observations of the research participant and numerous play sessions consisting of various activities including free drawings; ‘Draw-a-Person ‘, a family drawing; the ‘Children’s Apperception Test’, and free play activities. The study explored various factors possibly leading to the onset and continuation of excessive aggressive behaviour. It seems clear that no single factor is responsible for the display of excessive aggression, but rather, multiple factors contribute to the problem of aggression as a whole. Play therapy is suggested as an effective method in the assessment and counselling of excessive aggressive behaviour in preschool children / Psychology / M.Sc. (Psychology)

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Text in English / Children with learning disabilities often exhibit emotional problems. Conversely, children experiencing emotional upsets cannot achieve scholastically. The exact nature of the relationship is difficult to elucidate. Most aid programmes deal with one aspect of the problem, placing little or no emphasis on the child in totality. This study focuses on the learning disabled child as a whole from a relation theory perspective. The aim is to ascertain how the child's difficulties affect his relation structures. Once the interaction between the relation structures had been established a programme was devised to assist the child emotionally and scholastically. Play therapy has proved one of the most successful methods of child psychotherapy. This study attempts to incorporate the essential elements of play therapy into a remedial programme. It was found that the children benefitted from both components of the programme and that it had a positive influence on their relation structures / Kinders met leerprobleme toon dikwels ook emosionele probleme. Omgekeerd kan kinders met emosionele versteurings dikwels nie skolasties presteer nie. Die presiese aard van hierdie verwantskap is nie duidelik nie. Die meerderheid hulpprogramme fokus op enkele aspekte van die probleem, ,met min of geen klem op die kind·in-totaliteit nie. Hierdie studie is daarop gerig om die leergestremde kind vanuit die relasieteorie waar te neem en van hulp te wees. Die doel is om te bepaal hoe die kind se probleme sy relasies be"invloed. Nadat die interaksie vasgestel is, is 'n hulpprogram ontwerp om emosionele sowel as skolastiese hulp te verleen. Spelterapie. blyk een van die mees geslaagde metodes in kinderpsigoterapie te wees. Die studie poog om die essensiele elemente van spelterapie by 'n remedierende hulpprogram in te sluit. Daar is bevind dat die proefpersone by hierdie program gebaat het en dat hulle relasies positief be"invloed is. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of filial therapy training in: (a) increasing immigrant Korean parents' empathic behavior with their children; (b) increasing immigrant Korean parents' acceptance level toward their children; and (c) reducing immigrant Korean parents' stress related to parenting.The experimental group, consisting of 17 immigrant Korean parents in the United States, received 10 weekly 2-hour filial therapy training sessions and participated in weekly 30-minute play sessions with one of their children. The control group, consisting of 15 immigrant Korean parents in the United States, received no treatment during the ten weeks. All the parents were videotaped playing with their child before and after the training as a means of measuring change in empathic behavior. The two written self-report instruments completed for pretesting and posttesting purposes were the Porter Parental Acceptance Scale and the Parenting Stress Index. Analyses of covariance revealed that the immigrant Korean parents in the experimental group had significant changes in 10 of 12 hypotheses, including (a) a significant increase in their level of empathic interactions with their children; (b) a significant increase in their attitude of acceptance toward their children; and (c) a significant reduction in their level of stress related to parenting. This study supports the use of filial therapy for promoting the parent-child relationship in immigrant Korean families in the United States. Filial therapy helps immigrant Korean parents to be therapeutic agents for their children. It helps them regain their own power as parents and restore positive relationships with their children.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

This qualitative study aimed to explore how to handle aggression in therapy from a Gestalt perspective. In order to reach the aim of this study a conceptual framework was done exploring terms central to this project including aggression and Gestalt Play therapy. Unstructured, telephonic interviews were then conducted with seven Gestalt Play therapists working with children in the Western Cape exploring ways to handle and treat aggression in therapy. The data collected during these interviews were then analyzed and several themes were identified and explored by conducting a literature control. Guidelines were then formulated and written on how to handle aggression in therapy from a Gestalt perspective as part of the concluding chapter of this research report. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

This study describes three case studies with three children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, the focus of the dissertation being the sensory processing issues that these children experience, the limited intervention regarding this subject, and the possible emotional connotations that may accompany these difficulties. In the study, three children partook in six Gestalt Play Therapy sessions, where sensory stimulants were utilised as a medium of expression. The data was analysed, with the emphasis on the children's responses to the sensory work and the emotions that could be linked to this experience. A detailed description of the sessions is provided. It was found that these children were able to make use of the Gestalt Play Therapy setting, along with the sensory work, as a means of emotional expression. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)