THE PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CLOSING OF A MINE FOR WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

This article arose from a project which was launched on behalf of the Labour Union Solidarityafter the interim liquidation and immediate closing of the Durban Roodepoort Deep (DRD) GoldMine at Stilfontein. This mining community was also traumatized by an earthquake shortlybefore the closing of the mine. The process commenced on 27 April 2005, when a contract wasdrawn up with Solidarity’s Helping Hand Fund to do a psychosocial situation analysis amongthe community. Based on the results of the psychosocial situation analysis, a project plan wassubmitted to Solidarity, after which a formal agreement was reached between the two parties anda meeting with the representatives of the labour union was held. Following this, the plan ofaction was proposed, the facilitators trained and the programme implemented. The data of thepsychosocial situation analysis, the contents and course of the group sessions as well as theresults that ensued from the questionnaire that was filled in by the women during the women’sday as well as certain strengths present in the community are discussed. This is followed by anintegrated discussion of the investigation. A number of recommendations are also made for thefuture

INTRODUCING LIFE MAPS AS TECHNIQUE IN A SOCIAL GROUP WORK PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG ADULTS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS

The first literature regarding life maps was found in a philosophy textbook dated 1909. The focus of this book was the individual’s life (the map of life) and the correlation with happiness and contentment throughout one’s life span. This book indicated many links with life maps as described in this study. The following interesting topics (Lecky, 1909) are worth mentioning: Happiness is a condition of the mind; Contentment and the desire for progress and self-growth should be balanced; Life actions should be guided; There is an ending to life – namely death.The map of life could describe one’s being from birth to death, emphasising different events, people, attitudes, choices, problems/difficulties and biological processe

THE ROLE OF HOSPICE CAREGIVERS IN CARING FOR FAMILIES INFECTED WITH, OR AFFECTED BY, HIV/AIDS

Hospice TLC is the name of a non-profit organization (NPO) rendering services in the Kokstadarea situated in the southern region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Hospice TLC has been inoperation since June 2006 and its main focus is to render holistic palliative and frail care to allpatients in their area of operation. In this article the focus will be on the role Hospice TLCcaregivers can play in meeting the bio-psychosocial needs of families infected or affected byHIV and AIDS in the Kokstad area. Through their contact with frail and terminally ill patientsthe caregivers have access to their families, affording them an opportunity to identify and meetsome of the bio-psychosocial needs of the families

2010).A complicated grief intervention model

ABSTRACT Complicated grief refers to a prolonged state of grief and indicates the inability of the client to incorporate the death into his or her life. Few social workers in South Africa assess the possibility of complicated grief as a contributing factor to impaired social functioning. This can be as a result of limited knowledge, ignorance and/or insufficient skills on the part of the social worker to assess and identify complicated grief. In this article, the researchers tabulate some of the models and approaches to bereavement and discusses its applicability to complicated grief. Specific attention is given to the Dual Process Model (Stroebe & Schut 1999) and the Task-Centred approach (a social work approach to therapy) in an attempt to develop a model for complicated grief intervention. This article furthermore proposes the Complicated Grief Intervention Model through the integration of the Dual Process Model and the Task-Centred approach while drawing on intervention techniques from other therapeutic approaches. OPSOMMING Gekompliseerde rou verwys na 'n verlengde staat van rou en impliseer 'n onvermoë by die klient om die dood van 'n geliefde in sy/haar lewe te integreer. Gekompliseerde rou word deur min maatskaplike werkers as bydraende faktor tot verlaagde maatskaplike funksionering geassesseer. Dit kan toegeskryf word aan beperkte kennis, ignorering van/of ontoereikende vaardighede by die maatskaplike werker in die identifisering en assessering van gekompliseerde rou. Die outeurs tabuleer sommige van die rouberadingsmodelle en -benaderings in hierdie artikel en bespreek die toepaslikheid daarvan op gekompliseerde rou. Spesifieke aandag word aan die Tweeledige Prosesmodel (Dual Process Model) (Stroebe & Schut 1999) verleen, asook aan die taakgesentreerde benadering ('n maatskaplike werkbenadering) in 'n poging om 'n model te ontwikkel vir gekompliseerde rou intervensie. Die artikel beveel aan dat die Gekompliseerde Rou Intervensie Model (GRIM) deur middel van die integrasie van die Tweeledige Prosesmodel en die taakgesentreerde maatskaplike werkbenadering aangebied word, terwyl intervensietegnieke van verskeie terapeutiese benaderings benut word