Moenie oplaai nie - ons speel hiermeeThis study focuses on using sand play as play medium within the framework of gestalt therapy. The researcher explored the effectiveness of this medium with the aim to assist children in their toddler phase, to vent their experiences of family violence and to furthermore teach them coping skills. During the research process, the researcher involved three toddlers who are victims of family violence, in therapeutic sessions. Sand play was utilized as play medium during these sessions. As theoretical basis for the research, aspects of the phenomenon of family violence, the emotional impact of family violence on the child (specifically the toddler), the impact of family violence on the behavioural characteristics and developmental skills of the toddler, the theoretical principles and process of gestalt therapy, the therapeutic process with the toddler as victim of family violence as well as the use of sand play as play medium, were investigated. The researcher used applied research for this study and trusts that the findings regarding the use of sand play, will improve service delivery in the field of social work, with toddler victims of family violence. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

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

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a major concern in the South African society. Although policies and legislation are directed at the protection of children, the high incidence of child sexual abuse is indicative of problems in society which cannot be addressed adequately with current service delivery. Individual interventions with children directly affected with CSA are still the norm, and even such services are inadequate to accommodate the high numbers of children affected by CSA. There is a polarity in terms of the shortage of social workers versus the need for intervention for this vulnerable group. Innovative and effective approaches to intervention for families affected by CSA were clearly needed. Based on practical experience in the field of CSA the researcher was interested in family play therapy as a possible approach to address CSA. Not only would more people be reached with limited services, but by involving family members in intervention it was envisaged that family systems would be strengthened, family members would be more attuned to each other and that the family would be more able to provide a safe space for the direct victim between sessions. Furthermore family members would be enabled to attend to their own processes of integration regarding the CSA. Intervention research guided this study aimed at developing tools for the helping profession. The research question focused on what the typical components would be of an integrated family play therapy approach. Participant groups included professionals working in the field of CSA. Focus groups and discussion groups with such professionals and also a literature review helped the researcher to identify functional elements to be included in a preliminary family play therapy model that was applied to four families who were affected by CSA. During the family play therapy sessions rich information was obtained on the experiences of families. Based on the data collection from the various participant groups an integrated family play therapy model was developed. Findings are reported in three articles. Article 1 outlines the views of professionals on family play therapy within the context of child sexual abuse in South Africa. The professional participants agreed that individual intervention in the context of CSA is not the ideal and that systemic, Gestalt-based family play therapy may offer avenues for trauma integration for family members. They also indicated that they do not have adequate knowledge and skills to engage in family play therapy. They made some suggestions for the incorporation of play in family play therapy interventions. The second article captured the experiences of family members as expressed in the family play therapy context and article 3 outlined an integrated family play therapy model based on the previous phases of the intervention research. / PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Children constitute a large part of the client group that social workers deal with on a daily basis. Establishing a helping relationship between the child client and the social worker is crucial for accurate assessments and successful interventions. In the rural areas there are limited resources for social workers and that impedes referrals for therapeutic interventions with children. The social worker is then expected to be able to intervene in order for children to deal with their problems and improve their well-being. If the social worker is unable to establish a relationship with the child client, then his/her assessments and interventions would be affected detrimentally. The literature is clear that an established helping relationship is necessary in order for social workers to be able to intervene successfully. This study endeavoured to qualitatively explore the relationship building experiences in the initial phase of social work intervention between social workers and child clients in their middle childhood years. The findings of the study showed that it is indeed a wonderful and motivating experience to be able to establish a helping relationship with a child and to be allowed to influence the child’s life. But social work is practical and sometimes has to focus on immediate needs and crisis decisions instead of solely focusing on building a helping relationship. First impressions are lasting and the helping relationship often has to be built swiftly and in difficult circumstance. There are a few major constraints to establishing the helping relationship in the initial phase of social work. Limited time and resources prevent social workers from committing to individual intervention with a child. Children are wary of social workers due to the stigma of statutory work, and building rapport is thus difficult as a result of the resistance the social worker experiences from the child client and/or his parents. Rural social workers often have to travel to the child client as the child does not have the means to come to the social worker, and these guest locations are usually not child- and/or intervention-friendly. The participants observed that the children are not familiar with play material which limits the initial relationship building activities that one can employ. An interesting experience that the social workers had, was that they withdrew from certain individual interventions with children for fear that they might worsen the child’s experience due to their lack of skills in working with children on sensitive matters. Certain professional attributes of the social workers aid the initial relationship building experience with children. It was observed that the natural appeal between the social worker and child plays a significant role in establishing the relationship and that it cannot be forced. Based on the findings of the study certain recommendations could be made towards further research in the future. Apart from discussing their experiences and constraints in relationship building during the initial phase, the children and social workers also made suggestions for practice. These suggestions were captured in guidelines for the readers of this report. Propositions are made to non-government organisations for training opportunities for social workers in the field. A few recommendations are also made to researchers who propose to do research with children as participants. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a major concern in the South African society. Although policies and legislation are directed at the protection of children, the high incidence of child sexual abuse is indicative of problems in society which cannot be addressed adequately with current service delivery. Individual interventions with children directly affected with CSA are still the norm, and even such services are inadequate to accommodate the high numbers of children affected by CSA. There is a polarity in terms of the shortage of social workers versus the need for intervention for this vulnerable group. Innovative and effective approaches to intervention for families affected by CSA were clearly needed. Based on practical experience in the field of CSA the researcher was interested in family play therapy as a possible approach to address CSA. Not only would more people be reached with limited services, but by involving family members in intervention it was envisaged that family systems would be strengthened, family members would be more attuned to each other and that the family would be more able to provide a safe space for the direct victim between sessions. Furthermore family members would be enabled to attend to their own processes of integration regarding the CSA. Intervention research guided this study aimed at developing tools for the helping profession. The research question focused on what the typical components would be of an integrated family play therapy approach. Participant groups included professionals working in the field of CSA. Focus groups and discussion groups with such professionals and also a literature review helped the researcher to identify functional elements to be included in a preliminary family play therapy model that was applied to four families who were affected by CSA. During the family play therapy sessions rich information was obtained on the experiences of families. Based on the data collection from the various participant groups an integrated family play therapy model was developed. Findings are reported in three articles. Article 1 outlines the views of professionals on family play therapy within the context of child sexual abuse in South Africa. The professional participants agreed that individual intervention in the context of CSA is not the ideal and that systemic, Gestalt-based family play therapy may offer avenues for trauma integration for family members. They also indicated that they do not have adequate knowledge and skills to engage in family play therapy. They made some suggestions for the incorporation of play in family play therapy interventions. The second article captured the experiences of family members as expressed in the family play therapy context and article 3 outlined an integrated family play therapy model based on the previous phases of the intervention research. / PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Children constitute a large part of the client group that social workers deal with on a daily basis. Establishing a helping relationship between the child client and the social worker is crucial for accurate assessments and successful interventions. In the rural areas there are limited resources for social workers and that impedes referrals for therapeutic interventions with children. The social worker is then expected to be able to intervene in order for children to deal with their problems and improve their well-being. If the social worker is unable to establish a relationship with the child client, then his/her assessments and interventions would be affected detrimentally. The literature is clear that an established helping relationship is necessary in order for social workers to be able to intervene successfully. This study endeavoured to qualitatively explore the relationship building experiences in the initial phase of social work intervention between social workers and child clients in their middle childhood years. The findings of the study showed that it is indeed a wonderful and motivating experience to be able to establish a helping relationship with a child and to be allowed to influence the child’s life. But social work is practical and sometimes has to focus on immediate needs and crisis decisions instead of solely focusing on building a helping relationship. First impressions are lasting and the helping relationship often has to be built swiftly and in difficult circumstance. There are a few major constraints to establishing the helping relationship in the initial phase of social work. Limited time and resources prevent social workers from committing to individual intervention with a child. Children are wary of social workers due to the stigma of statutory work, and building rapport is thus difficult as a result of the resistance the social worker experiences from the child client and/or his parents. Rural social workers often have to travel to the child client as the child does not have the means to come to the social worker, and these guest locations are usually not child- and/or intervention-friendly. The participants observed that the children are not familiar with play material which limits the initial relationship building activities that one can employ. An interesting experience that the social workers had, was that they withdrew from certain individual interventions with children for fear that they might worsen the child’s experience due to their lack of skills in working with children on sensitive matters. Certain professional attributes of the social workers aid the initial relationship building experience with children. It was observed that the natural appeal between the social worker and child plays a significant role in establishing the relationship and that it cannot be forced. Based on the findings of the study certain recommendations could be made towards further research in the future. Apart from discussing their experiences and constraints in relationship building during the initial phase, the children and social workers also made suggestions for practice. These suggestions were captured in guidelines for the readers of this report. Propositions are made to non-government organisations for training opportunities for social workers in the field. A few recommendations are also made to researchers who propose to do research with children as participants. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Afrikaans text / Kreatiwiteit is die sentrale tema van hierdie navorsing. Die doel van die navorsing was om die relevansie en waarde van kreatiwiteit in spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders in die multi-kulturele konteks van Suid-Afrika, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Die navorsing is vanuit „n konstruktivistiese epistemologiese fundering en „n eksistensieel-fenomologiese paradigma gedoen, deur uitgebreide teoretiese en empiriese navorsing. Die teoretiese navorsingproses het eerstens op die holistiese impak van seksuele misbruik op kinders, te midde van hul spesifieke verhoudings- en omgewingskonteks gefokus. Dit het duidelik geword dat seksuele misbruik ernstige trauma by kinders veroorsaak, wat alle modaliteite van die kinders affekteer. Die voorkoms van komplekse posttraumtiese stresversteuring, vanweë langdurige seksuele misbruik, is teoreties beskryf en ook empiries bevestig. „n Sintese van gestalt-, persoonsgesentreerde en logoterapeutiese teorieë, is deur die navorser ontwikkel om die traumatiese nagevolge van die seksuele misbruik kreatief aan te spreek in spelterapie. Die verband tussen en vervlegting van kreatiwiteit en spelterapie is ondersoek en beskryf. Ook die bemagtigende waarde van kreatiwiteit om die kompleksiteit van hierdie kinders se trauma te hanteer is teoreties én empiries nagevors. Die oënskynlik teenstrydige prosesse van kreatiwiteit as „n intuïtiewe, artisitieke, én logiese, kognitiewe proses is ondersoek, om die waarde daarvan vir die navorsingsdoel te bepaal. Die aard en waarde van kreatiewe aktiwiteite en die uitdagings wat gestel word aan die terapeute om kreatief te werk te gaan om die komplekse proses van seksueel-misbruikte kinders aan te spreek, is verder teoreties en empiries nagevors en beskryf. Die noodsaaklikheid van die ondersteunende sisteme vir die kind en terapeut, in belang van „n suksesvolle afloop van terapie, is ook ondersoek, beskryf en beklemtoon.In die empiriese navorsingsproses is veelvuldige gevallestudies, met behulp van vyf deelnemende veldnavorsers gedoen, waar elkeen „n terapeutiese proses gevolg het, volgens riglyne en onder leiding van die navorser, met „n seksueel-misbruikte kind. Die benutting en waarde van kreatiwiteit is ondersoek, beskryf en geëvalueer in die samelopende proses van die navorser met elke deelnemende navorser en kind binne die diverse kulturele konteks in Suid-Afrika. Die teoretiese raamwerk van die navorser en die riglyn vir kreatiewe spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders is sodoende getoets, verfyn en afgerond as hulpmiddel in die breër Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Die navorsingsbevinding was dat kreatiwiteit onontbeerlik is in spelterapie met kinders wat seksueel misbruik is in „n multi-kulturele konteks soos Suid-Afrika. / Creativity is the central concept of this research. The goal of the research was to explore the value of creativity in play therapy with sexually abused children in the multi-cultural South-African context. The research was done from a constructivistic epistemological foundation and existential-phenomological paradigms. Extensive theoretical research was supported and substantiated by empirical research. The theoretical research process focused on the holistic impact of sexual abuse on children in and as part of their specific context (field). It became clear that sexual abuse implies severe trauma for the child, and affects all of their modalities, and their functioning in their field. The impact of severe and ongoing sexual abuse on children, as complex post-traumatic stress disorder, was described to clarify their therapeutic needs. A synthesis of gestalt-, person-centred- and logotherapy to address the traumatic after-effects of sexually abused children creatively in play therapy, was developed and described and motivated in the research paper. The concept of creativity was defined and extensively explored an applied in the context of therapy with sexually abused children. Creativity as a cognitive process, a problem solving process, and an artistic process is explored and applied in this context. The value of creative activities, the challenges of being a creative therapist, the supportive role of the supervisor and the systems in society, was explored and described. The empirical research process was done in a participatory way in the form of a multiple case study. Five therapists followed a therapeutic process, according to the guideline, guidance and supervision of the researcher, with a child who had been severely sexually abused. The results from the research confirmed the value and necessity of creativity in dealing with the severe trauma of sexually abused children and bridging gaps in a multi-cultural setting. The theoretical framework of the researcher and a guideline for creative therapy with sexually abused children was tested in the empirical research process, and could be refined and finalised. It was concluded that the use of creativity is crucial in play therapy with sexually abused children in a multi-cultural context, such as South Africa. / Social Work / D. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Afrikaans text / Kreatiwiteit is die sentrale tema van hierdie navorsing. Die doel van die navorsing was om die relevansie en waarde van kreatiwiteit in spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders in die multi-kulturele konteks van Suid-Afrika, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Die navorsing is vanuit „n konstruktivistiese epistemologiese fundering en „n eksistensieel-fenomologiese paradigma gedoen, deur uitgebreide teoretiese en empiriese navorsing. Die teoretiese navorsingproses het eerstens op die holistiese impak van seksuele misbruik op kinders, te midde van hul spesifieke verhoudings- en omgewingskonteks gefokus. Dit het duidelik geword dat seksuele misbruik ernstige trauma by kinders veroorsaak, wat alle modaliteite van die kinders affekteer. Die voorkoms van komplekse posttraumtiese stresversteuring, vanweë langdurige seksuele misbruik, is teoreties beskryf en ook empiries bevestig. „n Sintese van gestalt-, persoonsgesentreerde en logoterapeutiese teorieë, is deur die navorser ontwikkel om die traumatiese nagevolge van die seksuele misbruik kreatief aan te spreek in spelterapie. Die verband tussen en vervlegting van kreatiwiteit en spelterapie is ondersoek en beskryf. Ook die bemagtigende waarde van kreatiwiteit om die kompleksiteit van hierdie kinders se trauma te hanteer is teoreties én empiries nagevors. Die oënskynlik teenstrydige prosesse van kreatiwiteit as „n intuïtiewe, artisitieke, én logiese, kognitiewe proses is ondersoek, om die waarde daarvan vir die navorsingsdoel te bepaal. Die aard en waarde van kreatiewe aktiwiteite en die uitdagings wat gestel word aan die terapeute om kreatief te werk te gaan om die komplekse proses van seksueel-misbruikte kinders aan te spreek, is verder teoreties en empiries nagevors en beskryf. Die noodsaaklikheid van die ondersteunende sisteme vir die kind en terapeut, in belang van „n suksesvolle afloop van terapie, is ook ondersoek, beskryf en beklemtoon.In die empiriese navorsingsproses is veelvuldige gevallestudies, met behulp van vyf deelnemende veldnavorsers gedoen, waar elkeen „n terapeutiese proses gevolg het, volgens riglyne en onder leiding van die navorser, met „n seksueel-misbruikte kind. Die benutting en waarde van kreatiwiteit is ondersoek, beskryf en geëvalueer in die samelopende proses van die navorser met elke deelnemende navorser en kind binne die diverse kulturele konteks in Suid-Afrika. Die teoretiese raamwerk van die navorser en die riglyn vir kreatiewe spelterapie met seksueel-misbruikte kinders is sodoende getoets, verfyn en afgerond as hulpmiddel in die breër Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Die navorsingsbevinding was dat kreatiwiteit onontbeerlik is in spelterapie met kinders wat seksueel misbruik is in „n multi-kulturele konteks soos Suid-Afrika. / Creativity is the central concept of this research. The goal of the research was to explore the value of creativity in play therapy with sexually abused children in the multi-cultural South-African context. The research was done from a constructivistic epistemological foundation and existential-phenomological paradigms. Extensive theoretical research was supported and substantiated by empirical research. The theoretical research process focused on the holistic impact of sexual abuse on children in and as part of their specific context (field). It became clear that sexual abuse implies severe trauma for the child, and affects all of their modalities, and their functioning in their field. The impact of severe and ongoing sexual abuse on children, as complex post-traumatic stress disorder, was described to clarify their therapeutic needs. A synthesis of gestalt-, person-centred- and logotherapy to address the traumatic after-effects of sexually abused children creatively in play therapy, was developed and described and motivated in the research paper. The concept of creativity was defined and extensively explored an applied in the context of therapy with sexually abused children. Creativity as a cognitive process, a problem solving process, and an artistic process is explored and applied in this context. The value of creative activities, the challenges of being a creative therapist, the supportive role of the supervisor and the systems in society, was explored and described. The empirical research process was done in a participatory way in the form of a multiple case study. Five therapists followed a therapeutic process, according to the guideline, guidance and supervision of the researcher, with a child who had been severely sexually abused. The results from the research confirmed the value and necessity of creativity in dealing with the severe trauma of sexually abused children and bridging gaps in a multi-cultural setting. The theoretical framework of the researcher and a guideline for creative therapy with sexually abused children was tested in the empirical research process, and could be refined and finalised. It was concluded that the use of creativity is crucial in play therapy with sexually abused children in a multi-cultural context, such as South Africa. / Social Work / D. Diac. (Spelterapie)

This research focuses on the perception of the learning support teacher regarding the use of play therapy with learners with special educational needs. The purpose of the research was to determine the perception of learning support educators regarding the utilization of play therapy as an aid with foundation phase learners with special educational needs. In order to achieve this purpose, information was gathered and a theoretical framework drawn up through an extensive literature study in consultation with experts. An empirical study was conducted by means of in-depth interviews with ten different learning support educators, in order to obtain empirical information. The researcher worked from an applied research perspective to attempt to use this newly gained practical information to determine whether play therapy could be utilized to help the learner with special educational needs. The researcher made use of an exploratory research design and the following research question formed the basis of the study: What is the perception of the learning support educator regarding the value of using play therapy as a form of aid with the foundation phase learner having special educational needs? Flowing from the empirical information gleaned during the interview schedule the following points emerged: · Learning support educators identify emotional, social, behavioural, family and academic problems, as well as other forms of trauma, associated with the learner who has special educational needs; · The learning support educator regards it as his or her task to refer problems connected to the learner and the learner’s family, where such problems are outside of his or her field of expertise. · The learning support educator has both positive and negative perceptions, as well as misconceptions regarding play therapy; and · The learning support educator has a need for a working relationship with the play therapist in the assistance of the learner with special educational needs. The research has therefore shown that the learning support educator has a positive perception regarding the utilization of play therapy with the foundation phase learner with special educational needs. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted