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The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy
Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613487052619776 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Theron, Linda |
| author_browse | Theron, Linda |
| author_facet | Theron, Linda |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/100533 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:55.449Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/100533 The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy Theron, Linda judith@sandplaytherapy.co.za Bredekamp, Judith UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Anxiety in children House-tree-fire-water-person drawings Parent-psychologist alliance Resilience to anxiety Sandplay therapy Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2024. While the literature is clear that children's mental health resilience can be bolstered by effective parenting, child psychotherapy, and enabling psychologist-parent alliances, it is less clear how psychologists might facilitate all these processes simultaneously. In response, I investigated the benefits of sharing the House-Tree-Fire-Water-Person (HTFWP) drawing with parents when their children, aged 10 to 12, diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), were in sandplay therapy. I drew on the Multisystemic Theory of Resilience that explains resilience as the child's capacity to thrive in the face/aftermath of significant stress as being dependent on resources within themselves and their social and physical ecology. I employed a qualitative approach with an exploratory, instrumental, multiple case study design. My sample consisted of seven purposefully selected cases, involving nine primary (parents) and seven secondary informants (child-clients). I used reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to identify patterns and themes in the data. The findings of my study demonstrated the benefits for the parent, psychologist and child. The parent(s) acquired heightened insight into their child’s anxiety and felt supported and effective in their caregiving role. The psychologist benefitted from the facilitation of an alliance with the parent and the drawings provided feedback regarding therapy progress. For the child, there was increased potential for therapy gains to be sustained and understanding and connection was fostered. Supporting children’s mental health resilience requires input into multiple systems (the child and their parents). The contribution my study makes helps establish evidence-based practices that not only enhance the parent-psychologist alliance but also optimizes the therapeutic process for children experiencing anxiety. In addition, the findings of my study are distilled into insights for other mental health professionals wanting to use the HTFWP drawing to bolster the resilience of children diagnosed with GAD. Educational Psychology PhD (Educational Psychology) Unrestricted Faculty of Education SDG-03: Good health and well-being 2025-02-05T08:11:38Z 2025-02-05T08:11:38Z 2025-04 2024-10 Thesis * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/100533 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.28347149 en © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Anxiety in children House-tree-fire-water-person drawings Parent-psychologist alliance Resilience to anxiety Sandplay therapy The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy |
| title | The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy |
| title_full | The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy |
| title_fullStr | The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy |
| title_full_unstemmed | The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy |
| title_short | The benefits of sharing house-tree-fire-water-person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy |
| title_sort | benefits of sharing house tree fire water person drawings with parents when their anxious child is in therapy |
| topic | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Anxiety in children House-tree-fire-water-person drawings Parent-psychologist alliance Resilience to anxiety Sandplay therapy |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/100533 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.28347149 |