Multicultural Counseling in a Divided and Traumatized Society: The Meaning of Childhood and Adolescence in South Africa

by Joyce Hickson, Susan Kriegler

Overview

This book is developed from the framework of locating childhood and adolescence within the wider context of South African society. The merging world-view and identity of South African children are described. A portion of the book describes the psychological traumas associated with political unrest and a society undergoing major transition, paying particular attention to three major traumas: child abuse and neglect, children who have been the victims of an unjust and inequitable educational system, and children caught in the war of political violence. The book addresses issues within the South African context by recognizing the effects of the wider social, economic, and political setting. By promoting a better understanding of diverse cultures, a mechanism is in place for bringing about reconciliation in a divided society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313285547
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/18/1996
Series:	International Contributions in Psychology , #32
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

JOYCE HICKSON received her Ph.D. in counseling from Mississippi State University. Dr. Hickson spent six years in the southern Africa region where she was a Professor with the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and worked as a consultant to several African nations. She currently serves as Chair of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Programs at Columbus College in Columbus, Georgia.

SUSAN KRIEGLER is Associate Professsor of Education Psychology and Special Education at the University of Pretoria./e She is a recipient of the Psychological Association of South Africa's Presidents Award for her contribution to renewal in the profession.

Table of Contents

Preface
Foundations
Issues and Concepts of Cross-Cultural Counseling: Implications for the South African Context
Psychology in South Africa
World-View and Identity
Understanding the Client's World-View
Beginning Life as an African Child
Born into an Indian Community
Growing up White and Afrikaner
The Shaping of Colored Identity
Psychological Trauma in Childhood and Adolescence
Child Abuse in South Africa
Adolescence in a Changing Society
Educational and Mental Health Issues
From Bantu Education to People's Education
Education for Reconciliation
Cultural Effective Skills for Guidance Teachers and Other Helping Professionals
Options and Directions for Psychology within a Framework for Mental Health Services in South Africa
Afterword: Hope and Reconcilation in the "New" South Africa
References
Name Index
Subject Index

Editorial Reviews

Taking post-apartheid South Africa as an example, offers guidance on how the helping professions can contribute to creating harmony in multiethnic societies. Describes current counseling and educational issues in the country and a myriad of disorders generated by structural inequality. Places individuals, especially children and adolescents, in the wider social, economic, and political context, and in the division of society into privileged and nonprivileged sectors. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews