D.Ed. / The primary goal of this research is to describe a model for educational psychologists to guide the child in the informal housing community to deal constructively with anger. The rationale for the research is derived from changes in the South African society. In the struggle for survival, the child develops inappropriate ways of dealing with anger. The child's mental health is therefore endangered and through facilitative interaction the educational psychologist can support the child in developing skills in dealing constructively with anger. The study commences with a theoretical framework in which the suppositions of the research are discussed. The meta-theoretical suppositions, based on the theory of educational psychology for the whole person, phenomenology, educational philosophy and developmental psychology are discussed. Thereafter theoretical suppositions developed from the meta-theoretical suppositions are discussed. The theoretical suppositions are complemented by a chapter on the design of the research. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design and functional school of thought are followed. The principle of logic and justification for scientific research is answered from a postmodern perspective. The descriptive phenomenological method of Giorgi (1985:8-19) was used to conduct an in-depth exploration of the child's management of anger. Guba's model of trustworthiness (1985:201) - which was used and based on truth-value -applicability, consistency and neutrality is then discussed. Ethical precautions that were taken are discussed. The discussion of the research results is presented from the child's perspective - interviewing, observation and information are derived from documents during the course of twenty-one weeks. Eight children took part in exploring their management of anger. During the course of eleven weeks facilitative interaction supported by the Gestalt-therapeutical process of Oak!ander (1978:53-66; 2002:1-17) took place in a group context. Individual interviews were then conducted. The last six weeks were succeeded by informal sessions with soccer play as main activity. The children revealed how they experience difficulty in dealing with anger due to inadequate support and modelling in their interaction with the community in which they live. This was done by means of projective media. The child's predisposition in relation to anger is reflected in an external locus of control. It develops into a cycle of problematic management of anger. The research resulted in the development of a model for educational psychologists. The primary supposition of the model is that facilitative interaction supported by the Gestalttherapeutical process of Oaklander can aid the educational psychologist to guide the child between the age of eleven and twelve, to deal constructively with anger. In the process of facilitative interaction the child is supported to develop self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-regulation through which the child is enabled to deal with anger constructively. The development of the model is initiated by identification, definition and classification of central and associated concepts. The relationships between the concepts are drawn, involving the description of the model. This model is of particular significance to the child living in the informal housing community who has little access to mental health resources. A continued co-operative process involving the educational psychologist as interactive-facilitator consulting with community services and resources is brought about as the child's needs surrounding the issue of anger become apparent. This process not only benefits the child in question, but also serves as an educational opportunity involving the child's micro-, meso-, eco- and macro-systems in accepting the educative responsibility of supporting the child in dealing with anger, working towards self-regulation and mental health.

Surveys have shown that alcohol misuse is the biggest substance misuse problem in the world today, affecting millions of people. With the disease being part of a family, all members of the family experience the distress of parental alcohol misuse. While the challenges that these families have to face are many, they seem to have the ability to “bounce back”, in other words, have resilience. There has been limited research to date on family relations and alcohol misuse in South Africa, especially in terms of the parental member as the alcohol misuser. The proposed research aimed to explore and describe the factors that facilitate adjustment and adaptation in families where a member misuses alcohol. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation was used to analyze the factors that enable a family to adapt to the alcohol misuse, as outlined in the broader study at the University of Stellenbosch. An exploratory descriptive research design was employed in the proposed study. For the purposes of this study, the researcher combined qualitative and quantitative research methods in order to use their complementary strengths to enrich the data obtained from the proposed study. Sixty three families were surveyed using a biographical questionnaire and seven pencil-and-paper questionnaires. These families were accessed via drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities throughout South Africa. The data from the biographical questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. The quantitative data was analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The findings of the proposed research allow for better management of the alcohol misuser’s condition through the understanding of what resiliency areas the family may improve upon. Furthermore, the study can be used as a stepping stone for future research of resilience in families living with a parental member who misuses alcohol, and ultimately contributes to the broader context of family resilience research in South Africa. Key words: alcohol misuse, alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, family, resilience, adjustment, adaptability.

This research aimed to trace the development of psychologists as therapists within a South African context. Two distinct career levels were explored in relation to a competency model, a skills development model, and a developmental phase model of psychotherapists' professional development. Through purposive sampling five intern psychologists and six registered psychologists with at least seven years post-qualification client contact were selected according to the inclusion criteria of the study. Through semi-structured interviews, couched in the social constructionist position, the participants' experiences were thematically analysed. In addition, the researcher's own personal journey of developing as a psychotherapist was reflected upon. The current research study found that a number of aspects fostered the development of psychotherapists. Across the two career levels the life experiences of participants particularly featured events that were personally wounding or placed the participant in the helper role. The theoretical orientation(s) of participants were voiced as influential in their development, yet the ability to adjust their theoretical orientation to clients' needs was of overriding importance. Participants emphasised forming a strong therapeutic relationship with clients as the centrepiece of psychotherapy and depicted the therapeutic process using diverse metaphors. No key differences in use of metaphors emerged between intern and established psychologists. Catalysts for professional growth included personal therapy, "unforgettable cases", group supervision and, in the case of established psychologists, continuing professional development workshops. xiii Shifts in competency were recognised by intern psychologists as they gained more experience, namely, dissolution of naivety, a decrease in anxiety regarding their clinical work, a greater flexibility in the therapeutic process, a decreased sense of inappropriate responsibility for clients' progress, and an ongoing process of negotiating the interface of their personal and professional lives. Established psychologists spoke of having gained more confidence through their years of practice and yet experienced moments of anxiety which they found fostered humility. Limitations of the study and potential future research directions were outlined.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / In families, almost no interaction is simply the result of group processes. Even when the process of interaction seems to take on a life of its own, it is the product of personalities, persons conscious of the possibilities of interactions. A perusal of the current literature reveals a move toward the reintroduction of the individual and his/her possibilities into the system. The insistence of a focus on family dynamics, while providing a sharpened awareness of relationships and interactive patterns, resulted in selective absorption and the tendency to ignore individual family matters. In this thesis it is suggested that there is a need for the reintroduction of the individual into family therapy practice. This approach is based on the discovery in a number of therapies, that different individual family members were reacting differently to the same intervention. A detailed case example is presented to illustrate this approach. The study questions the need for all family members to be present" in each therapy session. Furthermore, the study describes concurrent individual therapy processes with individual members of the family and the resulting systemic changes that were observed. Family therapy has demonstrated that it is important to consider relational as well as individual realities in evaluating health and dysfunction. Implications for therapy and treatment anslnq from this study include the need for a broader view which takes into account the realities of all members of the problem determined system. In conclusion, the author warns against the dangers of focusing on any single viewpoint. A lack of respect for the realities of all members of the professional family system, and adherence to a single perspective may in fact perpetuate the trauma and contribute to the distress of the family.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, Clinical Psychology. Johannesburg, September 1992 / No abstract provided.

This thesis is a study of the development of a group of students during the time they spentworking as a reflecting team in family therapy. Due to an increase in the number of students enrolled for the Masters degree in Educational Psychology in the years from 2001, there was concern about the students experience of family therapy, since they would not all be likely to counsel a family. The study, which was undertaken over a period of two years, allows a comparison of two different experiences of being part of a reflecting team. The first year the whole group formed a single team, whereas, the group in the second year split into two teams, working on a fortnightly basis. The growth of the students as therapists was assessed by means of questionnaires and an interview with the trainer in terms of self-reflection, willingness to risk. / Social work / MA(SS)(Mental Health)

This thesis is a study of the development of a group of students during the time they spentworking as a reflecting team in family therapy. Due to an increase in the number of students enrolled for the Masters degree in Educational Psychology in the years from 2001, there was concern about the students experience of family therapy, since they would not all be likely to counsel a family. The study, which was undertaken over a period of two years, allows a comparison of two different experiences of being part of a reflecting team. The first year the whole group formed a single team, whereas, the group in the second year split into two teams, working on a fortnightly basis. The growth of the students as therapists was assessed by means of questionnaires and an interview with the trainer in terms of self-reflection, willingness to risk. / Social work / MA(SS)(Mental Health)

The early relationship between mother and child is formative of a child’s later wellbeing. Disruptions in the mother-infant bond can result in insecure attachments. There therefore exist certain interventions which endeavour to avoid the development of insecure relationships and instead begin to develop more secure mother-infant bonds. Such interventions include the Ububele Baby Mat project run in Alexandra township, Johannesburg. As this intervention is still developing, the Ububele team requested that research be conducted on this intervention. This research aims to better understand the Ububele Baby Mat’s influence on those caregivers who access the Baby Mat service, and also to record the subjective experiences of the therapists who facilitate the mat service. The current research was therefore aimed at exploring the subjective experiences of both the mothers and therapists involved in the Baby Mat intervention and further to explore any similarities or differences between these two groups’ experiences. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with mothers who accessed the Baby Mat service and with both the therapists who facilitated the mother participants’ sessions. Thematic content analysis was used to analyses the data. The findings showed that in general mothers had a positive experience of the Baby Mat service and of the therapists on the mat. Another finding was that there were more similar experiences than different ones between mothers and therapists.

Narcissism, often linked to a sense of entitlement and inflated sense of self, is a complex condition that has been studied for approximately a century. It is typically associated with individualistic cultures, which place emphasis on the self. Although much is known about narcissism, there is far less knowledge on narcissism in collectivist cultures. The Xhosa culture is commonly seen as a collectivist culture. No research to date has been conducted on this construct with Xhosa-speaking South Africans. The aim of the study was to explore and describe therapist perceptions of narcissism in traditional cultural contexts. The objectives of the study included an investigation into how narcissism presents in the Xhosa culture, and an exploration of the narcissistic elements that manifest more prominently. A qualitative, exploratory descriptive research design was employed, and snowball sampling was used to identify psychologists from the Nelson Mandela Metropole for inclusion in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, and data was analysed by thematic analysis. The findings of the thematic analysis consisted of six themes, which are thoughts on the Xhosa culture, culture and personality, contemporary Western theory lacking, traits, parenting, and interpersonal and personal difficulties. These themes reflect the participants’ experience, thoughts, and opinions on narcissism in individuals from the Xhosa culture.

The purpose of this research is to document the response of a rape survivor to a treatment based on Ehlers and Clark's (2000) therapy model and to use the material to evaluate the effectiveness of this kind of therapy in the South African context. In so doing, the specific local cultural and contextual factors, which may affect the overall effectiveness of the treatment, will be highlighted and discussed.