Thesis (M. A.) (Hons) -- University of Western Sydney, 2004. / A thesis submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Hons) at University of Western Sydney, 2004. Includes bibliographical references and appendices.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of an adjunctive, community-based, Solution-focused therapy (SFT) group for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in terms of change in clinical symptoms and the subjective experiences of participants. Methods: The study employed a mixed-methods, naturalistic, service-evaluation design in which 9 outpatients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) attended 16-session SFT groups, and were assessed on clinically-relevant outcomes at baseline, 8 sessions and following group completion. Participants provided qualitative information about pre-intervention hopes and were interviewed post-group about their experience of the groups. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess change in clinical symptoms during treatment, and a priori contrasts were conducted to explore significant results. Qualitative data was analysed inductively using semantic-level, thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke (2006). Results: Improvements were indicated across all clinical outcomes with the most robust evidence of significant effects for: phobic anxiety; paranoid ideation; psychoticism; interpersonal functioning; and symptom severity. Qualitative analyses indicated that the intervention successfully addressed the hopes of the participants and that they valued: normalisation; acceptance and safety; the opportunity to share and work together; mutual support; an informal and non-directive atmosphere; and assistance with the pursuit of personally meaningful goals. They reported noticing change, progress towards their goals, and a subjective sense that they were coping better and feeling better. Conclusions: The study provides some preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention and it may represent a more easily-accessible, resource-efficient, less intensive alternative to specialised services. More general implications in relation to approaches to treatment for BPD are discussed.

This research project utilized concepts and methods from the field of marriage and family therapy, to help leaders from business organizations develop greater relationship competency. A training workshop was designed and then evaluated to improve the quality of the training process, and to answer the following question: what, if any, effect did the workshop have on the participants1 relationship competencies in their work and/or family roles? The workshop participants were 12 people from small to medium sized business organizations who held leadership positions in their companies. The training model consisted of an initial three-day session, followed by a two-month interim period where the participants were given individual coaching, concluded by a two-day follow-up session. Several qualitative methods were used for obtaining data including the use of focus groups, in-depth interviews, and case notes. Formative evaluation processes provided information critical to the program1s improvement. Summative evaluation results indicate that the training was effective in helping individuals increase their relationship competency in the following four areas: 1) increased awareness, 2) greater relationship orientation, 3) new relationship-oriented behaviors, and 4) perceived outcomes. Participants reported having greater awareness of their own cognitive and emotional processes, as well as greater empathy for the experiences of others. Participants1 attitudes became more relationally oriented and were followed by new behaviors that promoted closer family relationships and collaborative work relationships. Participants credited the training with positive relational outcomes such as greater trust, more intimacy, and better communication in selected relationships. Other outcomes, specific to the experience of particular individuals, were also attributed to the training experience. The results provide preliminary evidence that MFT processes may be effective in helping leaders develop interpersonal or relationship competencies in a workshop setting. This study adds to the collection of research where family therapy models have been successfully utilized in diverse human systems contexts. / Ph. D.

It is understood that trauma is something that can affect people in life. Trauma is a term that is readily used to acknowledge the experience of someone exposed to an adverse life event. There are various psychological therapies that help individuals to overcome trauma experiences. The unique contribution of this study is that little is known about the way in which Solution Focussed Brief Therapy (SFBT) can help clients coming to terms with such an experience, because it can help to facilitate post traumatic growth. SFBT is strengths based and is part of the positive psychology movement, where there is more of an emphasis on client resilience, rather than alleviating distress. SFBT offers a different way of working to the approaches already being utilised in this field. The current study aimed to provide insight into the experiences of Solution Focused Practitioners facilitating post traumatic growth during brief therapy, using qualitative methods. The study explored the experiences of a homogenous sample of six Solution Focused Practitioners; all had worked with trauma and were using SFBT in their working practice. Responses to questions asked during semi structured interviews were framed by the setting in which the practitioners worked, because they all operated from a centre known to the researcher. However, despite the potential influence of the setting, the researcher gained honest insight into the application of SFBT to trauma. Semi structured interviews were conducted and the interviews were transcribed. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and from this four main themes were found: (i) Who am I? – Becoming Solution Focused; (ii) A problem world where trauma exists; (iii) A positive cocoon where growth can occur; (iv) The longevity of the approach – a big fish in a small pond. Further exploration of these themes along with their subthemes is included in the paper. Research literature relevant to this study is discussed and implications for further research and practice are also taken into consideration.

For the past 69 years, since the start of the addiction treatment system in the United States, treatment providers have been utilizing the same interventions in rehab centers, the majority of which are based on outdated ideas about substance misusers. Though the premise of such interventions has been questioned by researchers, treatment providers continue to utilize them. Family therapy, in particular, shows promising results for substance misusers and their families; it has been cited as the most powerful form of intervention in addiction treatment. Nevertheless, family therapy is underrepresented in the addiction literature and rehab centers. Furthermore, postmodern models of family therapy are even more scarce within these contexts. The purpose of this study was twofold: to explore the viability of an underrepresented, alternative approach to treatment, and to explore the personal, organizational, and clinical processes occurring throughout the development of a systemic family program implemented in an adult inpatient rehab center with an individualistic approach. The researcher modified action research methodology to analyze archival data acquired from a completed clinical project, which was implemented over the course of three weekends. The researcher adapted categorizing and coding procedures from action research in order to analyze 34 personal journal entries and 11 supervision meetings, all of which illuminated the changes in the personal, organizational, and clinical processes that occurred throughout the clinical project. To illustrate the viability of a solution-focused, multiple family group (SFBT-MFG) approach for substance misusers and their families, the researcher collected and analyzed a total of 79 client and family evaluation surveys, 19 pretreatment change questionnaires, and six staff evaluation surveys. The results of this study support an SFBT-MFG approach for adult substance misusers and their families. The researcher identified enhanced communication, understanding, honesty, and support as key themes, along with nine other themes, in the evaluation surveys completed by the participants in the family weekends. The study can help other marriage and family therapists undergo their own processes of integration when practicing systemically in a culture guided by individualistic notions of 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)

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)

Afrikaans text / Besorgdheid het in die gemeenskap bestaan oar die toenemende getalle kinders wat binne die stedelike konteks van Pretoria op straat leef en werk. Hierdie navorsing is onderneem om die behoeftes van die kinders aan te spreek en om alternatiewe wyses te vind om met hulle te werk. 'n Konteks is geskep sodat na hulle stemme geluister kon word. nag 'n alternatief tot "tradisionele" vorme van gesinsterapie bruikbaar is, op sekere voorwaardes, soos aangedui in hoofstuk vier. Sleutelwoorde: reflekterende span; "straatkinders"; ekosistemiese benadering; ekologie; epistemologie; konstruktivisme; objektivisme; kubernetika; sisteemteorie; mikro-, meso- en makrosisteme; sirkulere en liniere punktuasie Ekosistemiese beginsels is aanvanklik benut, maar was nie vir die span wat saamgewerk het, betekenisvol nie. 'n Gevallestudie-ontwerp was nuttig om die ontwikkeling en "opleiding" van die span wat sou saamwerk, te beskryf, asook die benutting van ekosistemiese beginsels tydens dienste aan die "straatkinders" en hulle gesinne by ltumeleng. Die navorsing het aangedui dat 'n ekosistemiese benadering tot gesinsterapie as / The community showed concern about the increasing number of children living and working on the streets within the urban context of Pretoria. This researchwas undertaken to address the needs of these children and to find alternative ways of working with them. A context was created so that their voices could be heard. Ecosystemic principles were initially used, but were not meaningful to the team who worked together. A case study design proved useful in developing and "training" of the team who would be working together, as well as applying ecosystemic principles while making services available to the "street children" and their families in ltumeleng. The research indicated that an ecosystemic approach to family therapy could be used as an alternative to "traditional" forms of family therapy, subject to certain conditions, as stipulated in Chapter Four. / Social Work / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe (Geestesgesondheid))

Afrikaans text / Besorgdheid het in die gemeenskap bestaan oar die toenemende getalle kinders wat binne die stedelike konteks van Pretoria op straat leef en werk. Hierdie navorsing is onderneem om die behoeftes van die kinders aan te spreek en om alternatiewe wyses te vind om met hulle te werk. 'n Konteks is geskep sodat na hulle stemme geluister kon word. nag 'n alternatief tot "tradisionele" vorme van gesinsterapie bruikbaar is, op sekere voorwaardes, soos aangedui in hoofstuk vier. Sleutelwoorde: reflekterende span; "straatkinders"; ekosistemiese benadering; ekologie; epistemologie; konstruktivisme; objektivisme; kubernetika; sisteemteorie; mikro-, meso- en makrosisteme; sirkulere en liniere punktuasie Ekosistemiese beginsels is aanvanklik benut, maar was nie vir die span wat saamgewerk het, betekenisvol nie. 'n Gevallestudie-ontwerp was nuttig om die ontwikkeling en "opleiding" van die span wat sou saamwerk, te beskryf, asook die benutting van ekosistemiese beginsels tydens dienste aan die "straatkinders" en hulle gesinne by ltumeleng. Die navorsing het aangedui dat 'n ekosistemiese benadering tot gesinsterapie as / The community showed concern about the increasing number of children living and working on the streets within the urban context of Pretoria. This researchwas undertaken to address the needs of these children and to find alternative ways of working with them. A context was created so that their voices could be heard. Ecosystemic principles were initially used, but were not meaningful to the team who worked together. A case study design proved useful in developing and "training" of the team who would be working together, as well as applying ecosystemic principles while making services available to the "street children" and their families in ltumeleng. The research indicated that an ecosystemic approach to family therapy could be used as an alternative to "traditional" forms of family therapy, subject to certain conditions, as stipulated in Chapter Four. / Social Work / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe (Geestesgesondheid))