H.A.B.I.T.s to Break to Build a Better YOU

Health Hints by Alexandra Nicole Torres (HealthCare Magazine)

PhotoCredit: Dreamstime.com

Breaking free from an unhealthy routine to build a good one requires time, patience and commitment - it's a process. Let's face it, we all have our guilty pleasures that are really difficult to depart from.

To Guide us on our Journey, let's remember the acronym H-A-B-I-T:

1. (H)AVE A GOAL. In order for you to be successful, you must learn to KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. The key to building a solid plan is knowing yourself and knowing what you really want to do and what you want to achieve.

Therapeutic Therapy

A simple type of milieu therapy by which the total social structure of the treatment unit is involved in the helping process.

Goal and Objectives

1. To help the patient develop a sense of self-esteem and self- respect.
2. To help him learn to trust others.
3. To improve his ability to relate to others and with authority.
4. To return him to the community, better prepared to resume his role in living and working.

Elements

1. People
2. Organized activities
3. Environment

Characteristics of therapeutic community

1. Emphasis on social and group interaction
2. Focusing communication
3. Sharing responsibilities with patient
4. Living and learning abilities

Therapeutic Activities

1. Music appreciation thru arts
2. Craft and occupation therapy
3. Newspaper discussion
4. Bibliotherapy
5. Activities of daily living
6. Calisthenics
7. Indoor/ outdoor games
8. Play therapy

Therapeutic Meetings

1. Circle meeting – highlights of 24 hours
2. Small group – personal problems of patient
3. Community meeting – problems of patient encountered in the ward of general interest
4. Treatment planning – treatment regimen of a patient
5. Discharge planning conference – discharge plan for patient
6. Patient government meeting – officers of the patients discuss issue related to their welfare
7. Staff’s shift-to-shift meeting – discussion of the demotion and promotion of patient status

Attitude therapy

• Prescribed ways on how to handle mentally ill patients according to the behavior symptoms they manifest.

Types of attitude therapy

1. Active friendliness – withdrawn patient
2. Passive friendliness – paranoid patient
3. Kind-firmness – depressed client
4. Matter-of-fact – manipulative/ demanding client related
5. No demand – furious in rage

Characteristics of attitude therapy

1. Consistency must be used in order for the client to reach the maximum therapeutic value.
2. All persons who come in contact with the patient should have a uniform attitude.
3. Should be prescribed by the physician and should be individualized depending on the individual needs.

Group Therapy

PhotoCredit: RandyDellosa.Blogspot.com

Definition

Group psychotherapy is a special form of therapy in which a small number of people meet together under the guidance of a professionally trained therapist to help themselves and one another. The therapy has been widely used and has been a standard treatment option for over 50 years. It provides a place where you come together with others to share problems or concerns, to better understand your own situation, and to learn from and with each other.

Group therapy helps people learn about themselves and improve their interpersonal relationships. It addresses feelings of isolation, depression or anxiety. And it helps people make significant changes so they feel better about the quality of their lives. Additionally, group therapists can apply the principles of group to other settings and situations such as businesses, schools and community organizations.

In group therapy approximately 6-10 individuals meet face-to-face with a trained group therapist. During the group meeting time, members decide what they want to talk about. Members are encouraged to give feedback to others. Feedback includes expressing your own feelings about what someone says or does. Group rules are established that all members must observe. These set of rules vary according to the type of group.

The Group Psychotherapist

Group psychotherapists are mental health professionals trained in one of several areas: psychiatry, psychology, social work, psychiatric nursing, marriage and family therapy, pastoral counseling, creative arts therapy or substance abuse counseling. In considering a therapist for group, make sure he or she is also qualified to lead group psychotherapy.


Purpose of a Group Therapy

1. It helps an individual gain new information or learning
2. It helps an individual gain inspiration or hope.
3. The group also allows a person to develop new ways of relating to people.
4. During group therapy, people begin to see that they are not alone and that there is hope and help. It is comforting to hear that other people have a similar difficulty, or have already worked through a problem that deeply disturbs another group member.
5. In a group, a person feels accepted.
6. Group therapy sessions allow an individual to interact freely with other members that shares the same past or present difficulties and problems. The individual then, becomes aware that he is not alone and that others share the same problem.
7. A person gains insight into one’s problem and behaviors and how they affect to others.
8. Altruistic behavior is practiced. Altruism is the giving of oneself for the benefit of others.

As the group members begin to feel more comfortable, they will be able to speak freely. The psychological safety of the group will allow the expression of those feelings which are often difficult to express outside of group. The client will begin to ask for the support he or she needs.

Who Can Benefit

Like individual therapy, group therapy can benefit almost anyone. Some of the issues typically addressed include: 

• Difficulties with interpersonal relationships
• Problems facing children and adolescents (such as impact from a divorce, peer issues, learning or behavioral problems)
• Aging
• Medical illness
• Depression and anxiety
• Loss
• Trauma
• Lifestyle issues within a traditional culture
• Personality disorders
• Addictive disorders

The Group Therapy Session

The group therapy session is a collaborative effort in which the therapist assumes clinical responsibility for the group and its members. In a typical session, which lasts about 75-90 minutes, members work to express their own problems, feelings, ideas and reactions as freely and honestly as possible. Such exploration gives the group the important information needed to understand and help one another. Members learn not only to understand themselves and their own issues but also become "therapeutic helpers" for other members.


Types of Group Therapy

1. Psychotherapy Groups
2. Family therapy
3. Education groups
4. Support groups
5. Self-help groups