Abstract
M.Cur.
Violence stalks the streets of our erstwhile civilised cities and towns, and has also involved too many homes, transforming them from places of protection into pits of powerlessness and victimization. No immunization to this epidemic is afforded by culture, social class, economic states, education or ever religious affiliation. It is time to lift the shroud of silence and to shine the spotlight of truth on this social dilemma (Couden, 1999: 5).
This research begins with the journey of awareness, which is intended to lead to healing, mental health and wholeness for the victimised women. It is intended to give victimised women a voice, since they are the experts of their own lives. Through sharing of their experiences, it is hoped that such awareness will positively impact our families, communities, churches and the wider society.
The objectives of this research are to:
• Explore and describe the experiences of victimised women of group interventions in a psychiatric clinic.
• Formulate guidelines for the promotion of mental health of victimised women of group interventions.
• In phase one of the research, the researcher made conclusions that the group interventions had an effect on victimised women. Group interventions enabled these women to understand that they can do something about being victimised. The main themes that came out were ventilating of emotions, support for each other in the group interventions, a sense of being empowered and a sense of forgiveness towards their perpetrators.
In phase two guidelines were described for the advanced psychiatric nursespecialist to facilitate and promote the mental health of victimised women. An empowerment programme based on the suggestions given by Goodman and Fallon (113) described on the survey list by Dickoff et al (1968: 423). Conclusions, limitations and recommendations for the nursing practice, nursing education and research in nursing have been made.