Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Significant research efforts have focused on developing treatments for trauma survivors and evaluating their effectiveness. However, little attention has been given to understanding the impact of working with trauma survivors on psychologists. This research aimed to address this gap in the literature. In South Africa, there is a scarcity of published qualitative studies that focus on the experiences of VT among psychologists who work with survivors of trauma. Given the increasing prevalence of traumatic events in South Africa and increasing patient load, psychologists may be vulnerable to the development of VT. Beneficial treatments for trauma survivors largely depend on psychologists who can effectively handle their clients' intense traumatic material. If a psychologist is adversely affected by the work of trauma, the quality of treatment for trauma survivors will be compromised (Figley, 1999). Hence, it is critical that research continues to explore the effects of VT and ways to ameliorate them. Aim: to explore the experiences of VT among a group of psychologists from Cape Town, South Africa, who work with trauma survivors and the related coping strategies used by them. This research aimed to expand the local research on the phenomenon of VT. Findings of the study will help to facilitate a better understanding of vicarious impact of trauma work as well as the related coping techniques used by psychologists. Identification of protective factors and effective coping mechanisms of those professionals in this study was a distinct contribution to the South African literature base. This study has practical implications for training, supervision and clinical practice for psychologists in South Africa to enhance the efficiency of psychological service delivery. Exploring the challenges South African psychologists experience as a result of working with trauma survivors may help inform policy and develop effective programmes to address the effects of VT. As such, psychologists would be better equipped to care both for themselves and their clients, and to ensure ethical and professional practice.

The aim of this study was to ensure that the Sefton Educational Psychology and Portage Service (SEPPS) maintained a high quality service to very young children, their families and settings while responding to the national changes in Children’s Services prompted by Every Child Matters (ECM) (DfES, 2003) and changes in team structure and personnel at a local level. The methodology used was based on the appreciative inquiry (AI) 4-D cycle described by Coghlan, Preskill and Catsambas, (2003) and consisted of four phases which were implemented over a period of eighteen months: Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny. During the Discovery phase of the project, three educational psychologists (EPs) provided rich narratives illustrating what drives them to work with very young children, families and settings and the contribution that they think EPs make to this area of work. Individual EP’s views of their own skills were corroborated by interviews with parents and analysis of all seven parental stories confirmed that the service that they received met the EPs’ expectations of best practice. In Phase Two, (Discovery/Dream) a workshop was held with representatives of the EP team’s other early years stakeholders to introduce them to AI and to elicit their perceptions of best practice in partnership working. The findings from the inquiry were then used to inform the work of the team during the period from April 2009 to February 2010 (Design/Destiny). Progress was tracked both formally and informally. At the end of the Destiny phase, the stakeholders involved in Phase Two of the project were interviewed to gather evidence on whether they had been able to apply AI in their own work and whether they had noticed any differences in the early years’ work of EPs since attending the initial workshop. The data collected by the author and other members of the EP team (who acted as co-researchers) included interview transcripts, worksheets, flipcharts, reflection/evaluation sheets and minutes of meetings. Each of these elements was analysed individually and collectively by the author according to the principles of thematic analysis, as described by Attride-Stirling (2001), Carter (2004) and Braun and Clarke (2006).At the end of the project, some of the stakeholders interviewed reported that the AI workshop had transformed their way of working from a deficit model to a strengths based model. There was also evidence that attendance at the workshop had changed participants’ perceptions of the role of the EP, facilitating improved channels of communication and the development of a shared vision. Each member of the early years EP team was mentioned in at least one positive story, indicating that high standards of service delivery were maintained during a period of considerable change. The extent to which AI contributed to this process and the challenges presented by this methodology are also discussed.

Most intern-psychologists carry with them the knowledge they had acquired during training, to their different internship institutions. The aim of this study is to explore and record the experiences of Black and White intern-psychologists during therapy with clients of a different culture to themselves. A group of 6 intern-psychologists were selected by means of Quota sampling method as follows: 3 of the intern-psychologists had to be Black and the other 3 White. All of them had to be finishing their internship in December 2002 and during their 12 months internship, had to have been exposed to clients of a different culture to themselves. In the sample, 2 of the Black intern-psychologists are women and 2 of the White intern-psychologists are men. Of the Black inter-psychologists, 1 is Setswana speaking, 1 Zulu speaking and the other Xhosa speaking. Of the White intern-psychologists, 2 are Afrikaans speaking and 1 English speaking. A context specific methodological approach was used to concentrate on the experiences of the intern-psychologists during therapy with clients of a different culture to themselves. Respondents were asked to fill in a biographical questionnaire and thereafter, data was collected by means of biographical questionnaires and vignettes that will help prompt the intern-psychologists. The interpretation of the data showed that the intern-psychologists experienced differences during therapy with clients of a different culture to themselves as compared to those with the same culture as themselves. Factors such as the client’s race, home language, gender, cultural differences, stereotypes and historical background played an important role in the success or failure of therapy. The need for more exposure to cross cultural training and skills emerged through the interviews. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Psychology / unrestricted

Considering the high incidence of suicide in the South African context, the fact that suicide is considered an occupational hazard for psychologists, with more than half experiencing the suicide of a patient in their career and the dearth of post-suicide qualitative research among psychologists, the purpose of this study is to explore and describe the experience of psychologists after the suicide of their patient, and to develop guidelines as a framework of reference to assist psychologists in dealing with the suicide of their patient. In keeping with a social constructionist ontological and ecosystemic epistemological theoretical framework, data was collected by means of meaning-making conversations with six purposively selected psychologists, with a minimum of five years‟ experience and at least one year having passed after the suicide of their patient. The data was analysed independently by the researcher and an independent coder using Tesch‟s open and descriptive method. The present study found that, following the suicide of their patient, the participants were propelled into a myriad of acutely distressing emotions. They often described a suffocating sense of responsibility for the suicide and the lingering presence of their patient. The participants experienced feelings of guilt and self-doubt, often questioning their own professional competence. The post-suicide process was described as being both a personally and professionally isolating event, due to the sense of having to carry the burden of the suicide alone for ethical reasons and fear of social stigmatisation. The participants appeared to grapple with the paradoxical dance between their personal emotional realities and what they perceived to be “clinically” or “professionally” acceptable. Having gone through the traumatic experience of losing a patient to suicide, most of the participants eventually found new wisdom, which helped them become wounded healers. Based on these findings, post-vention guidelines with practical actions were developed to assist psychologists in dealing with the suicide of their patient. Recommendations are made with regard to suicidology research, suicide education and psychologists‟ practice. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The current study explored the work-related experiences of psychologists in public health facilities in Botswana. This topic has received minimal research attention, yet the World Health Organization has recognised the importance of treating mental health conditions. There is also recognition that there is a shortage of mental health practitioners, especially psychologists, in low to middle income countries such as Botswana. For this reason, the World Health Organisation has developed an initiative amongst its member states to increase access to mental health services by integrating them into the general health system. This is where psychologists in public health facilities are employed. In order to investigate how psychologists in public health facilities experience this integration, an explorative design was followed which adopted a qualitative methodology for data collection and analysis. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinical psychologists who were recruited through purposive sampling. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. Generally, the participants experienced their work in the public health facilities as a professionally enhancing experience in spite of the various challenges encountered. They described a wide range of supportive and therapeutic functions that served the institutions and society in general. It is hoped that the results of this study can inform policies on mental health and add some valuable insight for further investigation of this topic. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

Professional identity has shown to affect the manner in which people conduct themselves at their places of work, how people feel about their work, and how successful they are in their execution of it. Little research has yet been done on the professional identity of psychologists and, as such, this study aimed to construct a measure and explore the dimensions of psychologists’ professional identity. After an online recruitment process, 306 psychologists filled out an online survey and an exploratory factor analysis was employed to examine the data. Seven dimensions were found: 1) Humanistic Values, 2) Directiveness and External Focus, 3) Professional Confidence, 4) Connectedness to the Profession, 5) Neutrality, 6) Primacy of Intuition, and 7) Professional Development. The data was further examined in a cluster analysis and five clusters were found, differing in degree of identification with different theoretical orientations, age, and most common areas of work throughout one’s career.

This research is qualitatively aimed at investigating how female clinical psychologists reflect on the construction of gender in psychotherapy. The motivation behind such research was to investigate how gender influences the co-construction of reality within this space. Female clinical psychologists were interviewed due to the historical prejudice of the female gender in psychology. Where previous research has been directed towards patients' experiences of gender, this study aimed to understand the psychotherapist's understanding of it. Gender has been treated as static within psychology. In addition, feminist constructionist writers have argued for a more analytical engagement with gender in the field. This is important in the South African context, as previous research has indicated psychologist may be ill equipped in their training to deal with gender and gender-based violence. This study is positioned from a social constructionist epistemology. It is concerned with constructions of gender through talk-as-interaction. It considers the usage of language as the vehicle of such construction. Therefore the method of analysis used here is conversational analysis, as to consider just how these psychologists construct gender. Hence, this research is of a descriptive nature. Some of the finding of this research indicate that gender is not only present in psychotherapy, but important in its work. Even though gender was difficult to describe outside of anatomical difference, these therapists indicated how it affected their therapeutic work. This was described through gendered projections and transference. These psychologists believed that their limited training affected their initial work with gender, often requiring them to learn about it in vivo. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

The school psychologist shortage has been a persistent problem in education, and there is a lack of research on what current administrative supervisors are doing to address shortages. This study examined the perceptions of district leaders regarding the recruitment and retention of school psychologists. Participants included 19 administrative supervisors in public school districts in Colorado (CO), Utah (UT), Nevada (NV), and Wyoming (WY). Data for this qualitative study were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with administrative supervisors of school psychologists. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for common themes. A total of 10 themes were identified, and the first theme reflected concerns about school psychology graduate programs not producing enough school psychologists. Additionally, being farther away from a graduate program creates recruiting difficulties. Another related theme revealed that close relationships with graduate programs contributes to successful recruiting. Administrative supervisors noted the role that the surrounding community plays in retaining current school psychologists. They also expressed the importance of creating appealing workloads that matched salaries, being responsive, matching school psychologists’ preferences, and offering job flexibility. Other key themes included the challenges of finding school psychologists to hire and competing with neighboring local education administration (LEAs). Finally, administrative supervisors believe that they are in a worker’s market that favors the school psychologist. Overall, there appeared to be a theme of administrative supervisors feeling a lack of control over their current situation. Limitations for the study include collecting data across several months that may have influenced participants responses due to the demands of hiring during certain times of year. The sample included participants from states in the western United States, which may reflect limited perspectives based on geographic needs and trends. Directions for future research may include a larger sample size that reflects national demographic characteristics. Further research could also investigate the effectiveness of current efforts to address shortages on a systemic level. This could include researching how state and national associations advocate for school psychologists and how graduate programs grow and adapt to match current needs.

Ethical codes and principles, and laws govern the behavior of health-care professionals. Yet, the impact that ethical codes and laws have on the actual moral behaviors of health-care professionals is relatively unknown. A survey on the ethical beliefs and practices of health-care professionals was sent to the United States membership of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. AAPB's heterogeneous membership offers a unique opportunity to compare the ethical beliefs and behaviors of professionals across various health-care professions, educational levels, licensure and certification statuses, age, years in practice, and gender. The survey examined the respondents' ethical beliefs and practices in the domains of confidentiality, dual relationships, and professional practice. Five hundred thirty-six surveys were returned completed. The results of the survey indicate that all respondents have substantially the same reported ethical beliefs and practices across the three domains. There were no statistically significant differences between the reported ethical beliefs or practices when compared across disciplines, educational levels, licensure or certification statuses, age, or years in practice. Statistically significant gender differences were found.

A survey was created and mailed to 500 school psychologists randomly selected from the National Association of School Psychologists' membership lists. The final sample consisted of 228 school psychologists working at least half-time in a school setting. The survey's purpose was to gather information from school psychologists on their perspectives on crisis training and on crises experienced by public schools, as well as what schools have for crisis plans/teams, and what they do for crisis response. Nearly all of the participants (98.2%) reported that they had some type of crisis intervention training. The majority of respondents indicated that their schools had both crisis plans (95.1%) and teams (83.6%). Most of the participants reported that their schqols have experienced and responded to serious crises. Respondents indicated that lll psychological debriefing was being used by the majority of schools (67%). Many participants suggested that additional training and practice would improve schools' crisis responses.