ETD Collection

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Racial identity in psychotherapy: a study of trainee psychologists’ experiences
    (2019) Samakosky, Alexandra
    Racial identity permeates psychotherapy and holds particular meaning in South Africa because of its history of racial naming, oppression and segregation. This qualitative research study set out to investigate trainee psychologists’ experiences of working with racial identity in psychotherapy during the transformative process of becoming psychologists. This process involves the negotiation of their personal and professional identity. Interviews were conducted with trainee psychologists. A relational psychoanalytic framework informed an understanding of the interview exchange as a mutual engagement between two raced subjects. Interview transcripts were analysed using Thematic Analysis (TA). Four themes were identified: the difficulty of addressing racial identity in psychotherapy; the experience of White guilt; the complexity of being Black; the process of becoming a raced psychologist and the research interview as an intersubjective encounter. Findings suggest that although trainee psychologists acknowledged the importance of addressing racial identity in psychotherapy, they experienced difficulties, resulting in either avoiding the topic, or attempting to address it unsuccessfully. This links to their inexperience and fear that talking about racial issues may potentially create ruptures in psychotherapy. It would be helpful for trainee psychologists to gain further insight into how to address racial identity therapeutically during the transformative process of becoming psychotherapists.
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    The application of African mourning rituals within the Drama therapy space in order to support responses to loss
    (2019) Mqwathi, Veronicah Zandile
    This heuristic research explores African mourning rituals as a possible drama therapy approach with particular attention to supporting responses to loss and grief, which are vital aspects of all human existence (Thompson, 2002). The word loss is related directly to grief and research shows that we don’t necessarily grieve over something that doesn’t have any meaning to us (Hunt, 2018). Making meaning in our lives is an important human endeavour. Both loss and grief are important building blocks of our life experiences, grief being the felt response to the factual event of loss. In addition, rituals have traditionally been used at times of loss because they intensify the intensity of a shared experience, allowing us to recognise that we are not alone but are part of an invisible whole. According to Roose-Evans, the greatest of all ritual expressions is religion. He defines religion as the search for meaning in the universe and offers a series of rituals to mark seasons or events in the life of an individual or nation (as cited in Pearson, 1996:104). This study seeks to enquire and demonstrate: in what ways can African mourning rituals be employed in drama therapy as a method to support clients’ responses to loss.
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    The effectiveness of family therapy in the treatment of adolescence substance abuse: a scoping review
    (2018) Mogotlane, Beauty
    Purpose and objective: This scoping review identified and examined existing evidence based literature relating to the effectiveness of family therapy in the treatment of substance abuse disorders in adolescents. To describe what is known from existing literature, about the effectiveness of family therapy as an intervention in the treatment of adolescents using substances. Method: The scoping review method was used to synthesize study evidence and map the key concepts around adolescent substance use treatment. A total of 10 articles were sourced through electronic databases and through manual reference list searching. In the articles, family based therapy was compared with other interventions (manualized/non-manualized) on their effectiveness in treating adolescent substance use. Results: the identified themes throughout the articles were, the effects of treatment on substance use; retention of the adolescent in treatment and problems associated with substance use in adolescents. Although family therapies (such as EBFT, MDFT, FFT, BSFT) did not always outperform other interventions, there was significant improvement in the key themes. Conclusion: Evidence suggest family therapy as a promising treatment in adolescents using substances.
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    A review of the prevalence rates of comorbid personality disorders and substance use disorders at the psychotherapy unit at Tara Hospital
    (2018) Miller, Laura Natasha
    This study is a retrospective, descriptive study that involved a review of 85 patient files from the Psychotherapy Unit (Ward 4&5) at Tara Hospital, admitted between 01st January to 31st December 2012. The Psychotherapy Unit services patients with personality disorders, together with other comorbid disorders; and provides pharmacological and psychotherapeutic management to such individuals. The study described and analysed demographics, personality traits and disorders, details of substance misuse, taking into account gender and comorbid axis 1 pathology. Options for referral to various substance use treatment facilities were considered, and presence of substance testing was also noted. The majority of patients included in the study were predominantly young, single, unemployed and female. The most common axis II diagnosis was borderline personality disorder. 81% of the individuals included in the study had a comorbid axis 1 psychiatric pathology. Seventy-three percent of the study sample had a substance use disorder, with 33.9% meeting the criteria for substance dependence. There were significant differences observed between types of substances used and frequency, especially with regard to the different personality disorders. Also there was significant gender variability observed between the different personality disorder subtypes. This study highlights the high frequency of comorbidity between individuals with personality disorders and substance use disorders, and other axis 1 pathology in general. It necessitates the need to conduct further research in this group, and consider the possibility of opening a dual diagnosis unit on site, to provide adequate treatment to such a vulnerable subgroup.
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    Violence and the pathological third: an examination of violence in psychotic, perverse and narcissistic patients
    (2017) Van der Walt, Clinton Michael
    This thesis formulates symptomatically violent patients psychoanalytically using the notion of thirdness as a particular theoretical and clinical lens It examines three psychopathological cohorts, those being psychosis, pervesion and narcissism. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]
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    Honouring the life stage of the Crone: self-revelatory performance as rite of passage
    (2016) De Beer, Welma
    This study gave expression to my initiatory journey into the last life-cycle of my life, as archetypally represented by the Crone (Prétat, 1994:7–11). It is a personal journey that engages with a specific research question: In what ways can Drama Therapy facilitate the contemplation and initiation of the “Crone” as life stage through self-revelatory performance? Two essential questions frame this study: How can Drama Therapy help us to create a process that contains the inherent destruction that forms part of transformation? If so, what would be the elements and methods that can help facilitate such a process? These questions will be investigated through a creative project, using the method of Performance as Research and the form of self-revelatory performance. The self-revelatory performance engaged with autobiographical moments from my own life and focussed on the theme of transformation. This research report seeks to extrapolate and evaluate the process for the purposes of defining the role and function of drama therapy as self-revelatory performance. The work of Rene Emunah (2009) on the self-revelatory play as a tool for Drama Therapy serves as foundation for this research. Other writings which influenced the study were the work of Victor Turner (Schechner,1993) on liminality, Richard Schechner (1976) on ritual and performance, anthropology of performance and environmental space, Kabi Thulo (2009) on shamanism, Willmar Sauter (2000) on the Theatrical Event and Jacob Moreno’s idea of the Encounter (Kristofferson, 2014). Key concepts that will be investigated are: Jung’s concept of transformation and how it expresses itself through rites of passage, initiation and ritual, myth and storytelling, the crone archetype and self-revelatory theatre. The study’s research findings were derived from the processes of devising, performance and post-performance “insights” which form a part of this creative project. Essentially, this study suggests possible processes that can be used effectively in drama therapy to create a “rite of passage”, “honouring” a new life stage that can “reprogram” or transform us. The study posits that transformation is contained and facilitated when we are able to self-reflect on our history, thoughts, beliefs and cultural coding. Self-revelatory playmaking can be a valuable tool in drama therapy which holds the potential to assist cathartic self-reflection in a safe space (Emunah, 1994:225). This study provides a qualitative description of the phenomena of self-revelatory v playmaking and performance and grapples with how it creates a “rite of passage” to facilitate the transitioning into the last phase of life.
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    Brief dynamic psychotherapy.
    (2015-03-05) Doctor, Ronald Samuel
    In this short report I shall first discuss the history of" brief dynamic psychotherapy. I will then compare short term and long term dynamic psychotherapy: What are their aims; can short dynamic therapy bring about lasting structural changes in the personality; and the impact of short term therapy on the therapeutic relationship. I will look into the concepts of enthusiasm and expectation of the therapist as they apply to short term therapy. Other factors important to short term psychotherapy are selection of patients, technique and matching the patient to a particular technique. I shall also deal with the concept of interpretation, transference and keeping to a consistent focus throughout therapy. The length and termination of brief therapy, the concept of time, and the activity of the therapist as opposed to the passivity of psychoanalysis, are other essential features of short-term therapy. I shall compare the results of brief behavioural therapy with brief analytical therapy and finally mention the implications of one-session analytical psycho
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