Browsing by Author "Trangos, Katherine Milota"

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    Exploring drawing as a tool for externalising and re-authoring conversations with children who have experienced trauma
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Trangos, Katherine Milota; Perold, M. D.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Given the high rates of abuse, violence, crime, life-threatening diseases and accidents in South Africa, the experience of trauma is a reality faced by a sobering number of youths in our country. Due to the various maladaptive and lifelong implications of unresolved trauma, there is a dire need to address trauma experienced by our youth in a way that is both accessible and effective. Narrative therapy in the resolution of trauma, avoids re-traumatisation and ‘victimhood’, and rather focuses on generating self-agency in response to trauma. The use of expressive arts in the resolution of trauma, proposes that creative expression can aid individuals in expressing elements of their traumatic experience, which youths typically find difficult or are unwilling to express verbally. Realising the possible benefits of both approaches, this study sought to explore the use of drawings integrated into a narrative approach to the resolution of trauma, as experienced by youths. This qualitative study took place within a high school setting in an underprivileged community in the Western Cape, marked by high rates of crime and violence. The study followed a phenomenological design where five participants engaged with drawing while talking about their experiences of trauma through externalising and re-authoring conversations. It was found that all the participants initially held problem-saturated narratives dominated by the ‘victimhood’ of trauma. Through the approach, participants were able to discover their values; special abilities and goals for the future which allowed them to develop preferred stories of self-agency in the face of trauma – which in turn enhanced the development of self-efficacy in the participants. These transformations took place in a relatively short amount of time, which could have a positive influence on the resolution of trauma within a South African context, where psychological support services are vastly limited. Four participants found no direct value in the drawing component of the process and explained this according to having a preference for verbal communication and that they felt that they could not express themselves through drawing. One participant found value in drawing component, where she reported that it aided her in talking about the difficult experience. As an unexpected finding, participants found value in an alternative creative activity that allowed them to symbolically represent their preferred stories, thus indicating that future research should explore other forms of creative outlets suited to the individual within a narrative approach to the resolution of trauma.