Interface management (IM) in its many forms (physical, contractual and organisational) has not received the management research it warrants in the construction sector. Offsite bathroom construction is seen as a sector of offsite construction that can aid the interface problems that are common in construction. However, interface problems that occur when using offsite bathrooms are considered to be as detrimental, if not more to the overall process when compared to traditional bathroom construction. This research will focus on organisational IM, through research into the relevant process and people factors required to mitigate potential IM problems in the offsite bathroom process. A literature review of IM, offsite construction and traditional construction was conducted which identified 16 factors that could have an influence on the organisational IM of offsite bathroom construction. A further literature review was carried out for each factor to establish its connectivity to the holistic process of the IM of offsite bathrooms. A proforma was constructed which gathered quantitative and qualitative data from 82 interviewees, associated with eight case study projects. The methodology adopted was based on the pragmatism philosophical stance, which concurs with a mixed method approach to the collection and analysis of the data. The quantitative data was analysed using frequency tables and the Wilcoxon sign rank test. The quantitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis identified nine of the 16 factors as main contributors to the IM of offsite bathroom construction. These nine factors consisted of six process factors: procurement, design management, supply chain management, health and safety, tolerance and quality. Three people factors were: communication, client/design team and the role of the project manager. A conceptual model was constructed to encapsulate each of the nine factors and their sub-factors. Important findings from the research identified the procurement route as both an enabler and a constraint, depending on its ability to allow early input from the main contractor and manufacturer to the uptake of offsite bathrooms. The cross-cutting importance of the people factors to the successful implementation of the process factors identified the importance of the main contractor maintaining supervision of the manufacturer and the interface problems created from incomplete design. Further analyses of all the findings identified communication and the role of the project manager as the two most influential factors, with early and informal communication and strong leadership from the project manager relevant to all factors that affect the successful IM of offsite bathroom construction.

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of the day-to-day and continuing work motivation of professional counsellors and psychotherapists. A life history methodology was employed to distill discrete motivational factors and to construct broader motivational frameworks. Nine professional mid-career counsellors/psychotherapists (6 women, 3 men, 3 psychologists, 3 social workers, 2 counselling psychologists and 1 privately trained PhD) drawn from private practice (3) and institutional workplaces (6) were given in-depth interviews to delve into the motivational experience occasioned by their work. Employing a series of guided questions each of the research participants were interviewed about the overall experience of the gratifications, satisfactions, and motivations occasioned by their work and discrete motivational experiences in session, in-the moment. Other questions delved into the experience of dissatisfaction and de-motivation, the factors that allowed them to persist in adverse circumstances, changes in their work motivation from the time they first entered the profession, and the effects of their work on their feelings of self-esteem and well-being. Through a grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts and informed by work motivation theory, the research participants’ observations on their motivational experience were used to construct three models. The first model demonstrated that the overall work motivation of the research participants was generated by the opportunity to simultaneously meet the three universal needs postulated by self-determination theory – autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The second model was based on the phenomenon of privilege experienced by the research participants. In essence, the research participants were motivated to return the gift of intimacy, honour, and trust accorded to them by vulnerable clients in the establishment of the therapeutic bond and alliance, which allowed them to meet their own needs for relatedness and competence and generated feelings of responsibility and obligation to safeguard trust and protect vulnerability. The third model was generated from the research participants’ experience of the process of counselling and psychotherapy, incorporating goal-setting with clients, privilege, in-the-moment experiences of efficacy, and effectance feedback to the realization of proximal goals within the process, which reinforced the motivation to work towards the distal goals of positive outcome. The three models were incorporated into an integrated framework, describing the factors and processes underlying the work motivation, work satisfaction, self-esteem, and well-being of the research participants. The research may be useful for professional counsellors and psychotherapists and the institutions which employ them.

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of the day-to-day and continuing work motivation of professional counsellors and psychotherapists. A life history methodology was employed to distill discrete motivational factors and to construct broader motivational frameworks. Nine professional mid-career counsellors/psychotherapists (6 women, 3 men, 3 psychologists, 3 social workers, 2 counselling psychologists and 1 privately trained PhD) drawn from private practice (3) and institutional workplaces (6) were given in-depth interviews to delve into the motivational experience occasioned by their work. Employing a series of guided questions each of the research participants were interviewed about the overall experience of the gratifications, satisfactions, and motivations occasioned by their work and discrete motivational experiences in session, in-the moment. Other questions delved into the experience of dissatisfaction and de-motivation, the factors that allowed them to persist in adverse circumstances, changes in their work motivation from the time they first entered the profession, and the effects of their work on their feelings of self-esteem and well-being. Through a grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts and informed by work motivation theory, the research participants’ observations on their motivational experience were used to construct three models. The first model demonstrated that the overall work motivation of the research participants was generated by the opportunity to simultaneously meet the three universal needs postulated by self-determination theory – autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The second model was based on the phenomenon of privilege experienced by the research participants. In essence, the research participants were motivated to return the gift of intimacy, honour, and trust accorded to them by vulnerable clients in the establishment of the therapeutic bond and alliance, which allowed them to meet their own needs for relatedness and competence and generated feelings of responsibility and obligation to safeguard trust and protect vulnerability. The third model was generated from the research participants’ experience of the process of counselling and psychotherapy, incorporating goal-setting with clients, privilege, in-the-moment experiences of efficacy, and effectance feedback to the realization of proximal goals within the process, which reinforced the motivation to work towards the distal goals of positive outcome. The three models were incorporated into an integrated framework, describing the factors and processes underlying the work motivation, work satisfaction, self-esteem, and well-being of the research participants. The research may be useful for professional counsellors and psychotherapists and the institutions which employ them.

Background: Group CBT approaches have been shown to be equally as effective as individual CBT for reducing depressive symptoms and preventing relapse; however, the predictors of response are poorly understood. The primary objective of the studies presented in this thesis was to further examine the formal and process factors within group CBT for depression that contribute to various treatment outcomes. The first study investigated the relationship between group CBT for depression and changes in interpersonal distress, as well as the process mechanisms that might influence this relationship. The second study assessed whether formal feedback provided to therapists and clients derived from the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45), a robust measure of client functioning, would enhance group processes and treatment outcomes. Method: Study 1: Secondary data from clients having received individual CBT for depression at a community-based mental health training centre constituted one condition (18 clients). Data for the group condition (12 clients) were collected from clients attending group CBT for depression at a tertiary care facility. Relationship distress, as measured by the OQ-45 relationship distress subscale score, was assessed at intake and termination. Group participants also completed process measures at the start and end of treatment. In study 2, participants were recruited from a tertiary care facility to participate in a CBT group for depression. Participation involved completing brief questionnaires assessing psychological and process variables before and after treatment, as well as the OQ-45 at every session. Three groups (21 clients) received standard CBT and two groups (12 clients) received enhanced CBT, which included feedback about their progress from the OQ-45. Results: Results of study 1 suggest that clients who participated in group CBT experienced a significantly greater reduction in relationship distress across time than clients who participated in individual CBT. Results also indicate that therapeutic alliance, and not group cohesion, mediates the relationship between pretreatment relationship distress on posttreatment relationship distress in group CBT. Results of study 2 indicate that participants in the enhanced condition experienced greater improvements in quality of life, dysfunctional beliefs, and therapeutic bond at termination, relative to participants in the standard condition. Trends also suggest a greater reduction in depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Group CBT for depression may be more effective than the individual modality for reducing interpersonal distress. Furthermore, therapeutic alliance plays a significant role in improving interpersonal distress within a structured group CBT protocol. Feedback from the OQ-45 may help improve client outcomes and enhance therapeutic bonding with facilitators in group CBT for depression.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Cape Town is suffering from high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems. Despite the need for effective treatment, there are insufficient AOD treatment facilities available, with barriers to AOD treatment being particularly pronounced among historically disadvantaged communities (HDCs). In addition, the high drop-out rate of patients from AOD treatment, and the finding that retention in treatment is predictive of positive outcomes, increases the necessity of retaining people who enter AOD treatment.This study therefore aimed to identify those patient-level factors impacting on the successful completion of and retention in AOD treatment. In particular, the study aimed to describe the relationship between treatment process factors (therapeutic alliance,motivation, treatment satisfaction, social support), demographic and psychological variables, and treatment completion and retention. The Texas Christian University (TCU) Treatment Model, which conceptualises the AOD treatment process, provided the theoretical framework for the study. Using a quantitative design, secondary data analysis was conducted on a section of data that was originally collected by the Medical Research Council (MRC) via a cross-sectional survey. The sample consisted of 434 individuals from HDCs who had previously entered AOD treatment. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the therapeutic alliance, treatment satisfaction, abstinence-specific social support and depression were significant predictors of treatment completion, while race,therapeutic alliance, abstinence-specific social support and anxiety were predictive of the time spent in treatment. These predictors were positively associated with treatment completion and time in treatment. Black Africans spent significantly less days in treatment than Coloured individuals, although both groups were equally likely to complete treatment. The results suggest that by strengthening the therapeutic alliance,social support and treatment satisfaction, treatment completion and retention can be improved. This can be achieved by training, ongoing monitoring of these factors during treatment, and greater involvement of supportive social networks in a patient’s recovery. The findings also point towards the need for improved service delivery for Black Africans, who confront many barriers to accessing inpatient AOD treatment.