Abstract
M.Ed.
South Africa has been rated amongst the world's most violent societies. Most women and
children of all races and income level are victims of violence from their partners or
parents. There is a widespread recognition that domestic violence represents one of the
major causes of stress in modem social experience. There is, however, a large gap in our
knowledge about the adolescents' views and experiences of domestic violence in South
Africa. The focus in many studies has been mainly on women's experiences of domestic
violence. For this reason the focus of the present research is to explore a way in which
these adolescents can be helped to deal with their experiences of domestic violence. An
assumption is made that Solution Focused Group Therapy would go a long way to rectify
some of the problems facing Black adolescents in our communities. This is evident in the
fact that many Black people are not exposed to therapy, or if exposed never go for
therapy on issues such as domestic violence and abuse due to cultural beliefs. The
research explores Solution Focused Group Therapy as a therapeutic approach that is
brief, cost effective and possibly relevant to Black adolescents as its focus is on solutions
rather than on problems. This study utilized the generic qualitative methods based on the
exploratory paradigm. A case study of three Black adolescents, one boy and two girls,
who have experienced domestic violence was used. The research found three main
themes namely 1) the adolescents' attitudes towards therapy; 2) the adolescents'
experiences of domestic violence; and finally 3) how adolescents related to Solution
Focused Group Therapy. Findings revealed Solution Focused Group Therapy as best
suited for black adolescents. However, Solution Focused techniques had to be adjusted to
fit with the African culture of collectivism. An important contribution of this study was
the information obtained which provided a new perspective on domestic violence in
Black communities and the value of group therapy for Black adolescents. The
information, which has emerged from this study, may be useful for psychologists
working with Black adolescents.