In this study the focus was on the use of play in the pastoral care of traumatized primary school children who lost a parent due to death.
From the basic-theoretical research (chapters 2 and 3) it was clear that the guide- lines found in Deut 6:6 – 9 can be used by parents to convey information regarding death to their children. In Mark 10:13 - 16, Jesus' actions in everyday life emphasized the importance of children. If Jesus loved the marginalised and healed them, then He will also heal children from emotional hurt after the death of a parent. Paul showed in 1 Cor 9:19 - 23 that he followed the example set out by Jesus. He (Paul) removed all unnecessary obstacles in order to serve people at their own level. He did not compromise his values, but approached people on their level of understanding. In 1 Cor 13:11 Paul acknowledges the fact that children function in a different way than adults and that they therefore should be approached in a different way. In Zech 8:5, there is also a clear indication of the role of play in the lives of children. As death is a normal part of life, children will need to process the death of a parent through “play”. In chapter 3 a literature study was done that focused on the historical development of pastoral care of children. From this literature study it was clear that a strong relationship with a child, as well as knowledge regarding the child’s development and experience of trauma, are of critical importance. It was further found that play is a suitable methodology with regard to pastoral care with children. In this regard, there is tremendous potential in the use of stories and biblical narratives within the therapeutic environment.
The meta-theoretical section (chapters 4 and 5) focused on contributions from the auxiliary sciences. Here, it appeared that the development phase of the primary school child has a particular role in their handling of the death of a parent. Attention was also given in particular to the impact of trauma in this regard on the brain. Furthermore, the origin and history of play therapy, as well as its use during the care taking process of children was investigated. During the empirical research in chapter 5 a proposed model that contains elements of play combined with a pastoral approach, was preliminarily tested to determine whether it could successfully be used during the care taking process of traumatized primary school children.
In the practice theoretical section (chapter 6), through a hermeneutical interaction between the basic theoretical and meta-theoretical perspectives an attempt was made to formulate a practice theoretical model relating to the use of play as a tool in the process of pastoral care of the traumatized primary school child as a result of the death of a parent. The practice-oriented model is as follows:
Session 1: Build a relationship.
Session 2: The expansion of the relationship and the gathering of information. Session 3: Help with storms of life and emotions.
Session 4: Examine all aspects of the funeral. Session 5: Discussion of changes.
Session 6: Making of a memory box. Session 7: Giving hope to the child.
The researcher is aware that there are no exact or correct steps to guide a child after the death of a parent. This model is simply a framework through which play, the unique language of children, can be combined with a pastoral approach to meaningfully guide emotionally wounded and traumatized children. / Thesis (PhD (Pastoral studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/9047 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Grobler, Linda, 1962- |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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