title: Being all ears: a systemic perspective on the role of the psychologist in cochlear implantation.
abstract: For those hearing-impaired individuals who do not derive any benefit from hearing amplification, cochlear implantation sometimes provides a useful alternative. Recently cochlear implant teams started to incorporate psychological services, mainly as a means to evaluate candidates as to their suitability to receive implants. This paper shows that cochlear implants can have serious and wide-ranging repercussions for the implantee and/or for the family, sometimes necessitating psychotherapeutic services. A case study is provided to illustrate the need for a much wider role for psychotherapeutic services and to also demonstrate how the adoption of a systems perspective can be of value to the therapeutic process.
authors.affiliation: University of South Africa.
authors.forename: Elsie M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Schoeman
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Fourie
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000523:psychology*; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations