The development of a photo therapy tool for educational psychologists within the South African context

Abstract

The study reports on the development of a photo therapy tool for educational psychologists within the South African context. A literature study explores the nature, advantages, characteristics and the application of photo therapy with clients in a therapeutic setting. The developmental intervention research design guided the practical development of an electronic photo therapy tool that can be applied by educational psychologists in a therapy setting with clients. The empirical research is qualitative in nature, as the effectiveness of the newly developed photo therapy tool is evaluated by emerging adults and educational psychologists as an intervention strategy. In order to accomplish this purpose, emerging adults, as well as educational psychologists shared their perceptions of the newly developed photo therapy tool. Thus the usefulness of the photo therapy tool was investigated as an intervention approach. Qualitative data generation techniques, focus group interviews and photographs were utilised. The research results show that the newly developed electronic photo therapy tool has the potential, as a modern therapeutic tool, to be used by educational psychologists as an intervention strategy. The developmental intervention research design is a continuous process, and as the life world is forever changing, improvements to the photo therapy tool can always be added according to new suggestions and ideas. The findings allow theorisation about the significance of the photo therapy tool. The study further determines that there is definite potential in the electronically created photo therapy tool, as both the young adults and the educational psychologists perceived the photo therapy tool as a possible and valuable tool in the therapeutic intervention process.