Individual psychotherapeutic interventions conducted at the University of Cape Town Child Guidance Clinic (CGC) between 2000 and 2009 were investigated quantitatively with a view to offering informed conclusions on the current nature of clinical practice at the Clinic. Considering relevant socio-economic, political and pedagogical contexts of the Clinic's work, some observations are also offered on the applicability of such individual psychotherapeutic practice more generally in the local South African setting today. The 156 individual case files that make up the sample were reviewed and a broad range of clinical information was collated including data on clients' demographics, their presenting difficulties and interventions employed, as well as on clients' apparent clinical outcomes. Results indicated that clients' social class had little or no effect on clinical outcomes. The majority of clients in the sample appeared to have positive outcomes upon termination, despite a significant proportion of clients reporting histories of childhood sexual abuse and othertrauma. Trainee clinicians at the CGC appear to manage well, achieving what appear to be generally positive clinical results over relatively short time frames despite clinical inexperience and clients' often severe presenting difficulties. This, it is argued, attests to the power of individual work to unlock individual potential in the local context.
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