Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
This is a contextual, exploratory and descriptive generic qualitative study. A contextual study collecting evidence of a practice whilst investigating the meaning of the context. The contextual background relates to the preferred techniques that counsellors employ in school environments with children who experience and are exposed to violence. Registered counsellors and teachers are among the most visible and significant professionals working at educational institutions who are faced with these issues on a day to day basis. The primary purpose of this specific inquiry was to investigate the techniques counsellors can use in a school environment with learners who have been subjected to violence.
A qualitative research methodology was used to obtain raw data, interview schedules were conducted with six participants who were registered counsellors from different schools to gain information on the research topic pertaining to different types of techniques that counsellors use when dealing with learners who have encountered violence. I collected data by sending out the interview schedule via a secure email and afterwards observed the participants during an interview where I gathered more in-depth data and clarified certain aspects from the emailed interview schedule. During the interviews, I collected information through observation and note taking as well as probing and discussing further until data saturation was reached.
Categories were identified in the raw data through the process of thematic analysis and coding, resulting in the emergence of three themes, namely, the therapeutic process followed for counselling, the most relevant types of violence that children are subjected to and lastly the different counselling techniques relating to violence. It was evident that the three top types of violence that children are subjected to are abuse, bullying and trauma. It is therefore imperative that counsellors acquire skills and techniques to assist children dealing with violence on a daily basis in their communities...