The impact of the diagnosis and the reality of being hearing impaired could trigger uncomfortable feelings at different times in the client's life. With the cochlear implant, these feelings will still be a reality, as the implant does not heal the hearing impairment. Psychological interventions could assist the client during this healing process. The process of cochlear implants could also bring other challenges into the client's life. Expectations of quick healing play a major role and should be addressed throughout the process of implantation and rehabilitation. This is another opportunity for the psychologist to intervene. This research shows that the role of the psychologist could be expanded not only to evaluate but also to bring about change. The treatment model gives a logical and workable explanation of how and where the psychologist may intervene in the process of cochlear implantation. This model was tested and adapted by the cochlear implant team at the University of Pretoria over a period of ten years. The model may be used as a template for new teams. Intervening as described in the model presents the opportunity to address various different needs as they occur. The qualitative research design proved to be a fitting method to explore the experiences of the participants from their own viewpoints. The qualitative research is also congruent with a systemic perspective and emphasises social context, multiple perspectives, complexity, recursion and holism. This study aims to develop a complementary psychological treatment programme and create awareness within professionals working with hearing impairment of the complexity of systems. The study shows that one can only understand the behaviour of any given system by tracking changes that occur within that system and its subsystems and by tracking changes between that system and the larger whole. In this study three different therapeutic interventions are used on three different case studies, two children from different age groups and an adult, to accommodate the multiple realities of the different systems. The aim of the study with cochlear implantees and their families is to stimulate new leads and avenues of enquiry that may be used as a basis for further research. / Psychology / Thesis (D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology))

The impact of the diagnosis and the reality of being hearing impaired could trigger uncomfortable feelings at different times in the client's life. With the cochlear implant, these feelings will still be a reality, as the implant does not heal the hearing impairment. Psychological interventions could assist the client during this healing process. The process of cochlear implants could also bring other challenges into the client's life. Expectations of quick healing play a major role and should be addressed throughout the process of implantation and rehabilitation. This is another opportunity for the psychologist to intervene. This research shows that the role of the psychologist could be expanded not only to evaluate but also to bring about change. The treatment model gives a logical and workable explanation of how and where the psychologist may intervene in the process of cochlear implantation. This model was tested and adapted by the cochlear implant team at the University of Pretoria over a period of ten years. The model may be used as a template for new teams. Intervening as described in the model presents the opportunity to address various different needs as they occur. The qualitative research design proved to be a fitting method to explore the experiences of the participants from their own viewpoints. The qualitative research is also congruent with a systemic perspective and emphasises social context, multiple perspectives, complexity, recursion and holism. This study aims to develop a complementary psychological treatment programme and create awareness within professionals working with hearing impairment of the complexity of systems. The study shows that one can only understand the behaviour of any given system by tracking changes that occur within that system and its subsystems and by tracking changes between that system and the larger whole. In this study three different therapeutic interventions are used on three different case studies, two children from different age groups and an adult, to accommodate the multiple realities of the different systems. The aim of the study with cochlear implantees and their families is to stimulate new leads and avenues of enquiry that may be used as a basis for further research. / Psychology / Thesis (D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology))

This study explored the impact of three psychological interventions over seven weeks - goal setting (GS), GS and imagery (IM), and GS and mindful self-compassion (MSC) - on 20 athletes' (Mage = 16.75 years) pain, cognitive appraisal, depression reinjury anxiety, psychological readiness to return to sport, and range of motion (ROM). IM and GS interventions have demonstrated initial effectiveness; however, no study has examined MSC in relation to post-ACL recovery. All athletes experienced significant decrease in pain (F(2) = 97.30, p = .000) from Week 1 to Week 7 and a significant increase in ROM from Week 2 to Week 7 (F(1) = 77.93, p = .000). All athletes experienced significantly higher depression at Week 1 compared to both Week 2 and Week 7 (F(2) = 9.01, p = .001), and significantly higher difficulty coping with their injury at Weeks 1 and 2 compared to Week 7 (F(2) = 6.32, p = .005). There were no statistically significant effects found between the intervention groups at Weeks 1, 2, and 7. However there were moderate effect sizes between interventions which suggest MSC and IM could help athletes cope with their injury during the first few weeks after surgery, and GS may contribute towards less depression at seven weeks post-surgery. Limitations include small sample size, low power, and use of self-report measures. Results have implications for orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and health professionals working with athletes recovering from serious sport injury.