An investigation of the experiences of psychotherapists regarding Ubuntu in their psychotherapy practice: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
- Authors: Qangule, Lumka Sybil
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Ubuntu (Philosophy) , Psychotherapy -- Cross-cultural studies , Psychoanalysis and culture -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Xhosa (African people) -- Mental health , Black people -- South Africa -- Psychology , Black people -- South Africa -- Mental health , Psychotherapists -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146923 , vital:38577
- Description: Psychotherapy is a Eurocentric concept and practice that has migrated to South Africa with technology, as part of the general transfer of knowledge (Mkhize, 2003). It has embedded Eurocentric principles that sometimes do not easily accommodate working with Africans. It has been practised by psychotherapists of African origin with clients of African origin, but is based upon Eurocentric ideas and guidelines for practice. Many African people consider their core values to be uBuntu, rooted in a principle ‘umntu ngumntu ngabantu’ (translated as ‘a human being is a human being because of other human beings’). Some important features of uBuntu are interdependence, respect, spirituality and the primacy of communality as an approach to life. Some of the ways in which these impact on daily functioning are not foregrounded by adherence to Western principles. The use of only Eurocentric principles when working with clients of African origin may thus not lead to the desired outcomes in psychotherapy. However, these Eurocentric principles are recognised and enforced by the authoritative bodies in the field of psychology, such as the Health Professions Council of South Africa. A distinction will be made between the more inflexible ethical principles of psychology and the ideas of therapy frames. Therapy frames are not seen as being as rigid as ethical codes and they could be augmented, to be appropriate for the context, particularly in the commonly multicultural settings that are found here. Psychotherapists of African origin are torn between abiding by the ethical principles that they have been taught and practising in the way that they, together with their clients, have been socialised. Abiding by the principles as described in the codes is safe because it does not pose any threat of being sanctioned by the regulator of practice, but clients may be let down and there may be limited success with certain clients. This clash of ideas of ways of practice poses dissonance and many dilemmas among psychotherapists of African origin. Due to the nature of this study, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was adopted as a suitable methodology, where eight practising amaXhosa psychotherapists were interviewed about their experiences of incorporating uBuntu in their psychotherapy practice. The raw data from initial interviews were analysed and the findings concluded that although psychotherapists were trained in Western ways of practice, they included some practices of uBuntu in their practice as well as upholding some Eurocentric principles that seemed to be helpful for their clientele. Subsequently a summary of the findings were discussed with participants in a focus group setting, where participants endorsed and expanded upon their original responses. With the above in mind, a psychotherapy model called uBuntu-Centred Psychotherapy was created, which reflects the principles and therapy frames that have been found to be useful in treating clients of African origin. This modality is more congruent with the worldviews and style of living of many South Africans, in the post-apartheid era. It embraces some Eurocentric principles that are relevant for Africans, while it is embedded in the phenomena and way of life reflected in uBuntu, a predominant mode of functioning for the group that was the focus of this study, the amaXhosa. The study ends by making recommendations for practice, as well as highlighting the need for further and more extensive research to contribute to the project of Africanising psychotherapy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Qangule, Lumka Sybil
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Ubuntu (Philosophy) , Psychotherapy -- Cross-cultural studies , Psychoanalysis and culture -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Psychology , Xhosa (African people) -- Mental health , Black people -- South Africa -- Psychology , Black people -- South Africa -- Mental health , Psychotherapists -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146923 , vital:38577
- Description: Psychotherapy is a Eurocentric concept and practice that has migrated to South Africa with technology, as part of the general transfer of knowledge (Mkhize, 2003). It has embedded Eurocentric principles that sometimes do not easily accommodate working with Africans. It has been practised by psychotherapists of African origin with clients of African origin, but is based upon Eurocentric ideas and guidelines for practice. Many African people consider their core values to be uBuntu, rooted in a principle ‘umntu ngumntu ngabantu’ (translated as ‘a human being is a human being because of other human beings’). Some important features of uBuntu are interdependence, respect, spirituality and the primacy of communality as an approach to life. Some of the ways in which these impact on daily functioning are not foregrounded by adherence to Western principles. The use of only Eurocentric principles when working with clients of African origin may thus not lead to the desired outcomes in psychotherapy. However, these Eurocentric principles are recognised and enforced by the authoritative bodies in the field of psychology, such as the Health Professions Council of South Africa. A distinction will be made between the more inflexible ethical principles of psychology and the ideas of therapy frames. Therapy frames are not seen as being as rigid as ethical codes and they could be augmented, to be appropriate for the context, particularly in the commonly multicultural settings that are found here. Psychotherapists of African origin are torn between abiding by the ethical principles that they have been taught and practising in the way that they, together with their clients, have been socialised. Abiding by the principles as described in the codes is safe because it does not pose any threat of being sanctioned by the regulator of practice, but clients may be let down and there may be limited success with certain clients. This clash of ideas of ways of practice poses dissonance and many dilemmas among psychotherapists of African origin. Due to the nature of this study, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was adopted as a suitable methodology, where eight practising amaXhosa psychotherapists were interviewed about their experiences of incorporating uBuntu in their psychotherapy practice. The raw data from initial interviews were analysed and the findings concluded that although psychotherapists were trained in Western ways of practice, they included some practices of uBuntu in their practice as well as upholding some Eurocentric principles that seemed to be helpful for their clientele. Subsequently a summary of the findings were discussed with participants in a focus group setting, where participants endorsed and expanded upon their original responses. With the above in mind, a psychotherapy model called uBuntu-Centred Psychotherapy was created, which reflects the principles and therapy frames that have been found to be useful in treating clients of African origin. This modality is more congruent with the worldviews and style of living of many South Africans, in the post-apartheid era. It embraces some Eurocentric principles that are relevant for Africans, while it is embedded in the phenomena and way of life reflected in uBuntu, a predominant mode of functioning for the group that was the focus of this study, the amaXhosa. The study ends by making recommendations for practice, as well as highlighting the need for further and more extensive research to contribute to the project of Africanising psychotherapy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Attentive amelioration: developing and evaluating an applied mindfulness programme for psychologists
- Authors: McGarvie, Susan
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Attentive Amelioration Programme , Mindfulness (Psychology) , Psychotherapy -- Practice , Counseling -- Practice , Medical professionals -- Mental health
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/166186 , vital:41336
- Description: It is readily accepted that healthcare in many third world countries is in crisis, but interestingly, even in wealthy first world countries, many healthcare systems are stretched to their limits, as fewer people choose to follow a career in healthcare and more staff members struggle under the pressures of an overextended system (Krasner, et al., 2009). Ways to improve healthcare practitioner wellbeing is thus a relevant and widely investigated topic (McCann et al., 2013), which has, until recently, been aimed at reducing the negative symptoms associated with poor wellbeing, such as stress and burnout. More recently, there has been burgeoning interest in the effects and potential benefits of mindfulness practice to wellbeing, especially in developed English-speaking countries like the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, as well as in Europe. The aim of this study was to contribute to this body of literature by proposing a more personalised and person-centred means to support and improve wellbeing. It was guided by an overarching research question, about the benefits of a mindfulness-based wellness course for practicing psychologists. This study is a mixed-methods narrative inquiry which employs both Action Research (AR) and Programme Evaluation methods. It involved the design, implementation and evaluation of a mindful-wellness programme, subsequently named the Attentive Amelioration programme. Ten participants were purposively recruited and enrolled in the programme, which ran over eight weeks and included coaching and blended learning facilitation methods, including: an introductory workshop (with a pedagogical mix of lecture, group discussion, practical activities, learners manual and YouTube clips), individual and group coaching sessions, and an online learning programme. The findings suggest that psychologists do experience a great deal of stress and perceived levels of burnout are high, even if the scores on the pre- and post- intervention self-assessment scales do not entirely support this perception. This study found that participants were open to and engaged with mindfulness training and practice and sustained that practice for several months post-intervention. Finally, overall findings suggest that while the Attentive Amelioration programme was effective as a means to cultivate and develop mindfulness, self-compassion and overall wellbeing in the short-term, further investigation is required to determine the sustainability of the effects over the long-term. The findings of this study support the overall aims of the study in that it has found that the participating psychologists found the Attentive Amelioration programme to be beneficial, supportive and even therapeutic. By contributing to and supporting findings of existing research, that suggest that a mindfulness-based coaching programme would be beneficial to psychologist wellbeing and therapeutic proficiency, it serves to advocate for mindfulness as a means to improve and sustain psychologist wellbeing..
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Attentive amelioration: developing and evaluating an applied mindfulness programme for psychologists
- Authors: McGarvie, Susan
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Attentive Amelioration Programme , Mindfulness (Psychology) , Psychotherapy -- Practice , Counseling -- Practice , Medical professionals -- Mental health
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/166186 , vital:41336
- Description: It is readily accepted that healthcare in many third world countries is in crisis, but interestingly, even in wealthy first world countries, many healthcare systems are stretched to their limits, as fewer people choose to follow a career in healthcare and more staff members struggle under the pressures of an overextended system (Krasner, et al., 2009). Ways to improve healthcare practitioner wellbeing is thus a relevant and widely investigated topic (McCann et al., 2013), which has, until recently, been aimed at reducing the negative symptoms associated with poor wellbeing, such as stress and burnout. More recently, there has been burgeoning interest in the effects and potential benefits of mindfulness practice to wellbeing, especially in developed English-speaking countries like the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, as well as in Europe. The aim of this study was to contribute to this body of literature by proposing a more personalised and person-centred means to support and improve wellbeing. It was guided by an overarching research question, about the benefits of a mindfulness-based wellness course for practicing psychologists. This study is a mixed-methods narrative inquiry which employs both Action Research (AR) and Programme Evaluation methods. It involved the design, implementation and evaluation of a mindful-wellness programme, subsequently named the Attentive Amelioration programme. Ten participants were purposively recruited and enrolled in the programme, which ran over eight weeks and included coaching and blended learning facilitation methods, including: an introductory workshop (with a pedagogical mix of lecture, group discussion, practical activities, learners manual and YouTube clips), individual and group coaching sessions, and an online learning programme. The findings suggest that psychologists do experience a great deal of stress and perceived levels of burnout are high, even if the scores on the pre- and post- intervention self-assessment scales do not entirely support this perception. This study found that participants were open to and engaged with mindfulness training and practice and sustained that practice for several months post-intervention. Finally, overall findings suggest that while the Attentive Amelioration programme was effective as a means to cultivate and develop mindfulness, self-compassion and overall wellbeing in the short-term, further investigation is required to determine the sustainability of the effects over the long-term. The findings of this study support the overall aims of the study in that it has found that the participating psychologists found the Attentive Amelioration programme to be beneficial, supportive and even therapeutic. By contributing to and supporting findings of existing research, that suggest that a mindfulness-based coaching programme would be beneficial to psychologist wellbeing and therapeutic proficiency, it serves to advocate for mindfulness as a means to improve and sustain psychologist wellbeing..
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
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