INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

paperwork and bureaucracy that comes with a partial guardianship of fifty children. For
more extensive psychotherapy, 5Cees relies fairly heavily on external support and
referrals. Assessments and interventions are largely handled by therapists at Wits
University. For the most part, children are then further referred to more specific clinics to
deal with specific challenges.
Many of the psychological treatments and interventions are prescribed alongside
medical evaluations. Therapy and counseling needs are often discovered during a psychoeducational
evaluation, meaning that the goal behind many treatments is to eliminate an
impediment to the goal of education. Treatments that are commonly suggested are
chemistry-corrective, such as Ritalin or Cipramil prescriptions or pediatric neurology
treatments. Individualized play therapy or occupational therapy regimens are often
developed for children who demonstrate a particularly difficult time coping. It is common
in South Africa for mental health treatments to be attached to educational or physical
interventions. The Child, Adolescent, and Family Unit of the Department of Psychiatry
provides step-parenting workshops that are attended by most of the center’s staff.
Nancy mentioned that many of their psycho-social programs were on hiatus, with
the children having recently returned from holiday. She did invite me to look at the
previous year’s program for the children’s psychological development, authored in
collaboration with the Emthonjeni Centre from the School of Human and Community
Development at Wits University. Most of these interventions were focused on children in
the second grade or below, and the three major areas of focus were boundaries,
teamwork, and education. I looked over the course agenda which included sessions like
Age Restrictions, Fine and Gross Motor Skills, Communication and Effective Listening,
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