The researcher proposes guidelines in a model for pastoral counselling through the use of play with children. There is a new awareness of the place of the child in the church. The researcher has done pioneering work through the study in this area. An approach to the healing effects through play has been investigated with the direction of the Osmer model for practical theology.An Empirical study using the “mixed research method” was conducted and all results recorded. The appearances of child play and cultural practices surrounding the child in the Mediterranian world were examined. Jesus Christ’s approach, how He received the children and spoke out over them was investigated. The narratives, metaphors (parables) and projections of Scripture are of value. Play therapy developed from every physchological viewpoint and the researcher summarised major schools of psychology and showed the development of play therapy. The use of play therapy, resources and theories were discussed. A child first starts abstract reasoning at the age of eleven years, and until then their words are toys and language play. The researcher addresses issues of child theology. The history and background of pastoral counseling as a subdivision in practical theology was addressed. Incidences of pastoral moments occur naturally during the time of play. Prayer is an integral part of the planning and interpretation of events in the play room. Questions from the child about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are treated honestly and Scripturally. The counselor needs to be sensitve to the child’s search for God and to transfer Scriptural truth to the child. Human- and Scriptural views of the reformatory tradition is included in the appendix. / PhD (Pastoral studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The researcher proposes guidelines in a model for pastoral counselling through the use of play with children. There is a new awareness of the place of the child in the church. The researcher has done pioneering work through the study in this area. An approach to the healing effects through play has been investigated with the direction of the Osmer model for practical theology.An Empirical study using the “mixed research method” was conducted and all results recorded. The appearances of child play and cultural practices surrounding the child in the Mediterranian world were examined. Jesus Christ’s approach, how He received the children and spoke out over them was investigated. The narratives, metaphors (parables) and projections of Scripture are of value. Play therapy developed from every physchological viewpoint and the researcher summarised major schools of psychology and showed the development of play therapy. The use of play therapy, resources and theories were discussed. A child first starts abstract reasoning at the age of eleven years, and until then their words are toys and language play. The researcher addresses issues of child theology. The history and background of pastoral counseling as a subdivision in practical theology was addressed. Incidences of pastoral moments occur naturally during the time of play. Prayer is an integral part of the planning and interpretation of events in the play room. Questions from the child about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are treated honestly and Scripturally. The counselor needs to be sensitve to the child’s search for God and to transfer Scriptural truth to the child. Human- and Scriptural views of the reformatory tradition is included in the appendix. / PhD (Pastoral studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The postmodern context in which the church currently performs its duties, necessitates a reconsidering of its pastoral practice. This venture is undertaken by introducing the social constructionist paradigm as a thought form for therapeutic and pastoral approaches. The social constructionist perspective proposes a non-referential, non-descriptive and communicational view of language. Language does not mirror the world, but we create the world we know and inhabit through joint communicative action. This constructionist view of language has radical implications for the way we practice therapy and pastoral care. It invites a move away from expert knowledge, professional diagnosis, essentialist thinking and therapeutic master narratives. It encourages a not-knowing position, multiple descriptions of the reality experienced as the problem, a narrative understanding of identity and the development of local meaning in the therapeutic conversation. If the above mentioned implications of social constructionist thought for pastoral practice are taken seriously, the following question emerges: What is the role of the Bible in a pastoral approach which aligns itself with social constructionist commitments? Does this sacred text allow the pastor to hold a not-knowing position and the development of local meaning in conversation? The question is addressed by explicating the Protestant Orthodox view of Scripture as authorative, perspicuous, sufficient and dependable. This view of Scripture is critiqued by reviewing the complex and challenging developments in modern literary criticism, which give rise to generating alternative descriptions of the status and identity of the text we Christians call ‘The Bible’. These alternative descriptions result in a postfoundationalist view of the Bible. In conclusion a set of values for pastoral therapy, as informed by social constructionism, is formulated. A focus group joins the venture by reflecting on the values. The final chapter is a rumination on therapeutic narratives and context. / Thesis (DD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Practical Theology / unrestricted