An ethnographic exploration of psychological treatment and training in a psychiatric hospital

Abstract

Within the framework of ethnography, an inquiry was made into the many dimensions of psychological treatment and training in a psychiatric hospital, with particular reference to State Patients. Ethnography is the study of an intact cultural or social group based mainly on observations over a prolonged period of time in which the researcher is a participant. The multicultural aspects of the therapeutic community were also inquired into. Ethnographic data was collected and processed over a period of 16 years in three psychiatric hospitals, the main source of data gathered from Weskoppies Hospital in Pretoria. The ecosystemic psychotherapeutic perspective was used as a meta-model to describe eight therapeutic approaches in which intern-psychologists were trained. The hospital is described as a therapeutic community in which rehabilitation is a multi-professional responsibility. Each profession, or sub-culture, has its own framework and culture in which it works within the broader system of the psychiatric hospital. Ethical considerations and recommendations are levelled at the academic and practical aspects of clinical psychology, hospital management, and different levels of government.