Supportive-Counseling
Supportive Counseling
Supportive counseling is yet another form of counseling technique that includes programs to help provide support to patients battling chronic illnesses. Core counseling targets the basic illness and provides strategies and assistance to overcome the difficulties and shortcomings caused by that very illness. Other than providing guidance regarding the primary ailment, supportive counseling is used alongside core counseling to help manage problems and difficulties that could cause hindrance in the treatment of the primary illness or might eventually lead to relapse.
Disease Concepts
In the earlier parts of the treatment, supportive counseling is provided to the patient to help them get a better understanding by explaining the disease concept of the illness. It is of vital importance that the client comprehends what he has so the treatment can jumpstart in the right direction. It is common for individuals to move into denial and eventually to grief after learning about the nature of their illness.
At that point, supportive counseling is very helpful by aiding the patient in grief recovery and denial management. 12 steps are the core intellectual and spiritual content of AA fellowship (Alcoholics Anonymous) that outlines the program. These twelve steps are in fact principles that are spiritual in nature. When these principles are accepted and new routines and behaviors flow out of them; they lead to calm the obsessions relating to drinking and drugging thereby resulting in a happy and useful life.
Psychological Disorders
Addiction and alcoholism are diseases described by the uncontrollable urge and usage of drugs to the extent that it causes dysfunction in people’s lives. Addicts often use drugs for two major reasons; stress and boredom. While maintaining recovery, it is important to learn the necessary skills to avoid relapse. Such supportive counseling programs include stress management and anger management. When patients learn the necessary skills to control anger and overcome their stress, their chances of relapse reduce substantially. Stress is harmful in other illnesses as well such as psychological disorders.
Crucial Conversations
The treatment process also includes the process of intervention in which change is introduced into people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors by intervening in the patient’s life in order to listen and to accept help. In codependency, a disease of relationship, the person attached to the addict also suffers psychologically, emotionally, and even physically during the treatment process. Therefore, like any other chronic illness, this problem also needs healing and recovery. Human beings undergo a number of positive and negative emotions during their lifespan. Shame is one of these emotions.
However, the problem arises because it may be confused with guilt. In shame healing, the patient is taught how to face the shame, experience and incorporate it and replace it with mature guilt. Crucial conversations stem from situations where opinions vary, stakes are high and emotions run strong and result impact the quality of life. To make things work, skills are learned to handle dialogue and how to hold people accountable. Taking a stand and holding fast is known as Tough love. Setting limits and expectations is the most loving thing your loved ones can do even if it means causing them discomfort.
Emotional Healings
Emotional regulation which is regulating emotions and harnessing emotions and applying them to tasks is an important tool that is taught to the client so it helps them regulate not only their emotion but also the emotion of others. Their self-esteem reflects a person’s subjective emotional evaluation of their self-worth. Some people may have trouble coping with disappointment or managing anger. They may lack or lag behind crucial executive skills such as organizing, staying focused, and controlling impulses and emotions.
