Abstract:
Teddy Bear Therapy is a specialised type of intervention which calls for effective
training oftherapists interested in conducting Teddy Bear Therapy. However, no structured
training programme for psychotherapists in this child therapy exists to this date. The current
study therefore developed a training programme for psychotherapists in Teddy Bear Therapy.
The investigation was done by using a qualitative, descriptive research design. This
allowed for a systematic description of the nature of child psychotherapy training
programmes by means of a narrative literature review. From the literature review, questions
were derived to be used in semi-structured interviews with three clinical psychologists. The
data obtained from the interviews were analysed and common themes identified. These
findings were combined with the data obtained from the literature review.
This integration resulted ina training programme in Teddy Bear Therapy. The
training programme incorporates theoretical as well as experiential learning. The programme
outline provides the facilitator with clear instructions as to what each session's objectives and
tasks are. The trainee is provided with a manual that firstly provides background information
necessary to understand the application of Teddy Bear Therapy. Secondly, the manual
provides specific information on the development and process of Teddy Bear Therapy. The
trainee must work through the manual, do exercises, take part in discussions or prepare
readings whenever indicated to do so by the facilitator.
In spite of the contribution which the training programme and its manual can make to
the South African context, it is limited to the theoretical framework of a dissertation and has
not yet been implemented or empirically tested.
