The Client-Therapist Relationship

Top 2. Aug 11, 1999 4:56 PM

» barrie - Welcome to Suite101.com

Hi Bronwen
The topic you have chosen is an important and complex one for those of us who are lay people.

You described your the area on the West Coast of South Africa where you now live which sound wonderful. Did you relocate from else where in Africa?

I hope you enjoy your time here at Suite101.

Regards

-- posted by barrie

Top 3. Aug 19, 1999 12:53 PM

» Bronwen - Thank you

Thank you for your kind words. My reasons are simply that I like to write, and was involved in supervision for a number of years. I saw Suite 101 was looking for someone to write on the "client-therapist relationship" and I took the gap!

-- posted by Bronwen

Top 4. Aug 20, 1999 2:38 PM

» Bronwen - Barrie

My answer is that I am a born and bred South African - having grown up in Johannesburg, spent most of my career in an industrial area - secunda - on the West Rand of the Transvaal (now known as Mpumalanga - or where the sun rises).

I did spend a high school year in America - Hilliard Ohio to be exact. In fact, I lived in a little town called Amlin - with just a sherrif office and a post office (hows that!) And of course, I played softball for the school team, and did all sorts of things wrong, leading my teammates to call me "African Queen" rather loudly, so as not to totally embarras our team!

-- posted by Bronwen

Top 5. Aug 23, 1999 1:43 PM

» barrie - Say hi to a whale for me

Hi Bronwen
I think your US teammates let you off lightly. Since you are female it would seem that African Queen is a term of endearment. During my 30 years as a Rugby player I can recall being call a “toe nail” “turkey” and the name that stuck was “fumble fingers”.

The name African Queen brings back wonderful memories of an old boat two mates and I had in the late 50s and early 60s called the Whapper. It was often compared to the boat used in the African Queen. She was built in 1924 and powered with a single cylinder Easthope engine and named after the noise it made.

We live on the West Coast (inner coast) of Canada and in the Whapper days we regularly saw the Killer Whales. The decline in the salmon stocks on the South Coast in the past few years has cut down on the Orcas who roam coming into our area. By your description it seem that the feed stocks for your whales is in a better state than ours. Must be wonderful to have the whales close at hand.

All I know of your country is what I read in the news. If I believe what I read South Africa is going through a dramatic change politically, socially and economically (not to mention your rugby team’s decline). It would seem to me your skills as an industrial councilor would be in great demand. Are the problems we read about wide spread or localized within the larger cities?

You have a unique name. Is there a story behind it? I was named after my mother’s favorite author Sir James Barrie. My brother got Peter. I am pleased mom passed on Tinker Bell.

Regards

-- posted by barrie

Top 6. Aug 25, 1999 3:13 PM

» Bronwen - Hey Barrie

My name is not really uncommon - in fact it is very Welsh. Go to your local library and look up the Title "How Green was my Valley". My mom read it when she was pregnant.

South Africa is going through a tough time at the moment - and no-one really has an answer. You see, the history of our problem goes back yeas, when there was such a large gap between the "haves and the have nots" and now we are paying for our sins - years after much of the rest of the world.

Crime is a tough one now, which is why Langebaan is so pleasing. It is one of the few places left where I can actually leave my kids in the car while I run into the Post Office. And the front door of my house is invariably unlocked - we often realise we forgot to lock it the next morning!

Of course, industrial psychology is a problem in present-day South Africa because of Apartheid - no tests were developed to be used on the other 27 cultures living within our borders, so assessment measures had to be totally re-thought in order to bring culturally fair and unbiased selection procedures. Consultants spring up everywhere one looks - but they are invariably good - people sick of the old way of doing things, and looking to do it right!

Cheers

-- posted by Bronwen

Top 7. Feb 11, 2002 6:36 AM

» vbloom - Re: MENTAL HEALTH SUPERVISION

In response to message posted by vbloom:

I just found this almost three years after the fact. Why would I want to write on this subject for Suite101? I thought it would be a good idea for the readers to know what psychotherapy is really about, so they would consider it for themselves or others in case there is a need or some motivation to work on internal and behavioral change.

-- posted by vbloom