Research on Cross-Cultural Counselling and Psychotherapy: Implications for the South African Context

Hickson, Joyce; Christie, Grania

doi:10.1177/008124638901900307

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…It is commonly postulated that mental health specialists should understand the patients' explanatory health model in regard to symptomatology, aetiology course of illness and treatment, and should compare their models with those of the patients'. Only then, through explanations and negotiation, will therapeutic success be possible (Hickson & Christie, 1989;Schlebusch, 1987Schlebusch, , 1989aWessels, 1985aWessels, , 1985bWessels, , 1985c. However, the goal of transcultural (mental) health care is not to abandon science and glorify folk wisdom.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Knowledge of the basic rules of cross-cultural factors in health care becomes a necessity in a multi-ethnic region such as southern Africa (Hickson & Christie, 1989;Schlebusch, 1985Schlebusch, , 1987Schlebusch, , 1989a wherein mental health specialists, raised in a variety of backgrounds and trained according to western models, deal with patients of diverse ethnic groups. Specifically, the role cross-cultural issues may play in the understanding of aggressive and violent behaviour in the aetiology, dynamics, symptomatology and evolution of psychological and psychiatric disorders cannot be overestimated.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Cross-Cultural Indicators of Help-Seeking Behaviour in Aggressive General Hospital Patients

Schlebusch

Wessels

Rzadkowolsky

1990

South African Journal of Psychology

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In this study the authors researched cross-eultural identification of aggressive behaviour disturbances as identifying factors for patients' family members to seek professional help for the patients. Patients (N = 40), mainly Zulu-speaking were drawn from the outpatient clinic of a large academic general hospital. In all 23 (57,5%) of the patients and 25 (62,5%) of the relatives were urbanized. A comparison was made between what the patients' families considered problematic as opposed to formal professional diagnostic and aetiological considerations in the same patients. Several trends emerged from the results. It was demonstrated that the behavioural disturbances formed the most important set of identifying criteria for the family of the index patient. It held true for people in various stages of urbanization. Cognitive, mood and perceptual disturbances were of a lesser identifying value to families. Predictably, there were some differences between urban and rural families. Rural families were more attuned to the patient's problems but generally remained more tolerant of the aggressive behaviour and were less ready to seek professional help. These findings, some known from clinical observations and anecdotal communications, have seldom been objectively analysed -particularly in Africa. Implications for management, along with various related crosscultural issues, are discussed.In hierdie studie het die outeurs die kruis-kulturele identifikasie van aggressiewe gedragsverteurings nagevors as identifiserende faktore vir pasients se gesinslede om professionele hulp vir die pasianta te versoek. Pasisnta (N = 40), hoafsaaklik Zulusprekend, is geneem vanuit die buita-pasiente kliniek van 'n groat akademiese algemene hospitaal. 'n Totaal van 23 (57,5%) pasienta en 25 (62,5%) gesinslede was verstedelik. 'n Vergelyking is getref tussen wat die pasienta se gesinne as problematies beskou het teenoor formeIe professionele diagnostiese en etiologiese oorwegings in dieselfde pastente, Verskeie neigings is deur die resultate uitgelig. Dit is gedemonstreer dat die gedragsversteurings die belangrikste stel identifiseringskriteria vir die gesinne van die lndekspasiente was. Dit was die geval vir individue in verskeie stadia van verstedeliking. Kognitiewe, affektiewe en perseptuele versteurings was van minder identifikasie belang vir die gesinne. Soos voarspel kon word, was daar verskille tussen die verstedelikte en landelike gesinne. Landelike gesinne was meer ingestel op die pasienta se probleme, maar verdraagsamer teenoor die aggressiewe gedrag oar die algemeen en minder gewillig om professionele hulp te bekom. Die resultate, waarvan sommige bekend was a.g.v. kliniese observasies en anekdotiese kommunikasies, is nog seide objektief onteed veral in Afrika. Implikasies vir behandeling, sowel as verskeie kruis-kulturele aangeleenthede word bespreek.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-Cultural Indicators of Help-Seeking Behaviour in Aggressive General Hospital Patients

Schlebusch

Wessels

Rzadkowolsky

1990

South African Journal of Psychology

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“…CWFs were conscious of culture-specific belief systems (Eagle, 2004) and their own cross-cultural competences (Hickson & Christie, 1989). They recognised a connection between CW and cross-cultural expectations and belief and healing systems (Van Dyk, 2000), and therefore promoted a cross-cultural CW approach: combining family therapeutic and traditional healing approaches (Moodley & West, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Cultural Issues for Constellation Work in South Africa

Mayer

Viviers

2015

ANZ J of Family Therapy

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Constellation work is a therapeutic and counselling intervention recognised in Germany and other European countries since the 1970s. Various scientists and practitioners have contributed to its theoretical and practical development, and research on the subject has increased over the past few years. However culture in constellation work has received little research attention and has not been empirically studied in African contexts. The aim of this article is to reflect on culture and its influence on constellation work in multicultural, post-apartheid South Africa. An empirical qualitative research approach within the phenomenological paradigm was adopted. Six constellation facilitators were interviewed with indepth and field notes taken during participative observations of constellation workshops. The findings provide insight into culture in constellation work in the South African context. Theoretical and practical recommendations for scientists and therapy practitioners working with systemic interventions like constellation work are provided.Keywords: constellations, culture, South Africa, post-apartheid, emic perspectives, qualitative research, family therapy Key Points 1 Constellation work (CW) is a therapeutic intervention that integrates aspects of family systems therapy. 2 The concept of culture has hardly been addressed in CW research. 3 Culture impacts on CW in terms of topics and key issues. 4 CW in South Africa can contribute to the improved understanding of members from different cultural groups. 5 CW is a cross-cultural approach to achieve healing, well-being and mental health.Culture is an aspect of diversity that places particular emphasis on the differences between individuals and members of groups belonging to various cultures and races, and between individuals of different genders and ages (Mayer, 2011). It is an important aspect of therapeutic and counselling interventions, shapes individuals' perceptions and interpretations (Ross, 2007), determines a person's goals, and influences the transmission and interpretation of messages (Gudykunst, 2005). Therapists, counsellors and constellation work facilitators (CWFs) can benefit from understanding the cultural influence of experiences and interpretations in counselling and group intervention settings.Family constellation work is a therapeutic group process that integrates components of family systems therapy (Schweitzer, Bornhäuser, Hunger & Weinhold, 2012;Weber, 2007;, existential phenomenology and ancestral beliefs (Cohen, 2006;Mayer & Hausner, 2015). It has become an international interdisciplinary movement, starting with the pioneering work of Bert Hellinger in the 1970s, and has gained the interest of European psychologists, family therapists and counsellors (Stiefel, Harris & Zollmann, 2002). Constellation work (CW) has been defined from cultural and inter-disciplinary perspectives (Levine, 2005;Payne, 2005;Ruppert, 2000;Schusterman, 2003;Van Kampenhout, 2003) and in this article is presented as a therapeutic intervention.In South Africa rese...

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“…The questionnaire is reproduced in Table 1. The questionnaire items were based on relevant literature pertaining to cultural sensitivity training, class-based issues in South African psychology, evolutionary systemic approaches to family therapy, and Triad Model Training (e.g., Hickson & Christie, 1989;Pedersen, 1985;Radford & Rigby, 1986;Sue, 1981;Turton, 1986).…”

Section: Measurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is unlikely that Eurocentric theories of human behavior can be fully relevant for people concerned with survival issues in a severely oppressive society (Hickson & Christie, 1989). Psychological theory and practice in South Africa has frequently been said to reflect counsellor's encapsulation in a bourgeois ideology and, consequently, alienation from the majority of working class clients (Turton, 1986;Cloete & Pillay, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the Triad Model's efficacy in training family counsellors for diverse South African groups

Strous

Skuy

Hickson

1993

Int J Adv Counselling

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Abstract. South Africa is a multicultural, ethnically diverse society, the vast majority (over 80%) of whose members have been oppressed by the white minority under the apartheid system. A model which takes into account the sociopolitical context and is sensitive to culture and class would provide a useful theoretical framework for the formulation of clinical interventions here. Pedersen's Triad Model is considered to constitute such an approach. There have been no known attempts to introduce this model into South African clinics or training centres. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the perceptions of the Triad Model's potential effectiveness held by trainers in family counselling. A role-play of a family counselling session was constructed, using a procounsellor and an anticounsellor Triad design, respectively. This was sent to family counselling trainers, together with an evaluation questionnaire, Of the 16 university-and 25 clinic-based trainers approached, 12 returned the questionnaire. Results reflected a significant and consistent preference for the procounsellor over the anticounsellor Triad design, and for the anticounsellor design over conventional family counselling. The findings provide encouragement for the feasibility of the Triad Model's further investigation and adoption in South Africa.

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Research on Cross-Cultural Counselling and Psychotherapy: Implications for the South African Context

Cited by 9 publications

References 63 publications

Cross-Cultural Indicators of Help-Seeking Behaviour in Aggressive General Hospital Patients

Cross-Cultural Indicators of Help-Seeking Behaviour in Aggressive General Hospital Patients

Exploring Cultural Issues for Constellation Work in South Africa

Perceptions of the Triad Model's efficacy in training family counsellors for diverse South African groups

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