Abstract
M.A. (Psychology)
Youth and children constitute seventy percent of the population in
South Africa. It is these children who carry the potential for the future
of our nation. They may be precluded from reaching their potential jf
we do not urgently address the problems brought about by violence.
Highly evident is the increased incidence of PTSD within the violence stricken
communities in South Africa. PTSD among black youths is so
high that it can be described as an epidemic.
Due to the limited therapeutic resources available, it is imperative that
a programme ofaction aimed atreducing the negative impact which
PTSD has and continues to have on children is designed. Thus,
following adiligent study of the literature, it was decided to train lay
counsellors I volunteers in terms of a previously devised Cognitive
Behavioural Group intervention formulated by Cowley, Hetz and Rosin
(1994) in order to reach out to these children who have been so
aversively affected by violence. Utilising the services of lay counsellors
rather than professionals is cost effective and time effective.
A large sample of PTSD positive subjects were selected from three
different schools on the basis that they satisfied the DSM IV criteria for
PTSD. The subjects participated in a six week intervention
programme. A large number of lay counsellors were trained and
selected to facilitate the intervention programme.
The administration of the intervention by the lay counsellors did not
alter the effectiveness of the Cognitive Behavioural intervention. The
results obtained were in accordance with those obtained by Cowley et
al.,(1994) in the paired sample tests which were deemed appropriate
for this kind of research.