Psychosocial Therapy: Its Types, Examples and Why Is It Used?

Some people find it very difficult to perform everyday social activities and behaviors. These people feel anxious and nervous when in a public setting and cannot be their true selves. You must have noticed some people are always running away from a social situation.

Most people who do that struggle with anxiety or anxiety-related disorder. Other than these people, other people are suffering from severe mental health conditions like schizophrenia, depression, or disorders that fall in the autism spectrum and also are hesitant in a social setting.

To deal with such issues your therapist might encourage you to engage in psychosocial therapy as it heals in coping with mental health conditions in a social context. Today, in this blog, we are going to learn all about psychosocial therapy and its types.

Shall we begin?

Psychosocial Therapy: Meaning

Psychosocial therapy is a mix of all the therapeutic interventions that help an individual deal with the social and behavioral constraints caused by their mental health condition. Psychosocial therapy is a very flexible approach that uses techniques from various other therapies that focus on improving social behavior.

Being social is an essential part of our lives because it is human to have social relationships. Do you know any one person who has no relationship at all? Even the most selfish, rude, socially distant person also has a social circle (a tiny one).

When you deal with severe mental health conditions, your social behavior is heavily disturbed. Psychosocial therapy addresses exactly that social disturbance and social uneasiness. It aims at allowing patients to develop their social skills.

The psychosocial therapeutic approach has been adopted by various therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, family-focused therapy, exposure therapy, Assertive community treatment (ACT), etc. All these therapies are used as tools to learn to be more socially active and cope with the stress of being in public places.

Types Of Psychosocial Therapy (Psychosocial Treatments)

Although psychosocial therapy has a broad spectrum and makes people accustomed to the social setting. This approach has been used by various other therapeutic interventions, however, there are 3 main types of psychosocial therapy.

Let’s have a look at all the types of psychosocial therapy;

1. Psychotherapy:

it is a type of psychosocial treatment that involves friends and family members to help the patient improve their social skills. Psychotherapy is performed in a setting where the therapist and the patient along with their friends and family, discuss their issues and possible solutions to their problems.

The main things that are addressed in psychotherapy are;

• Moods
• Feelings and emotions
• Difficulties and challenges of mental health conditions

2. Psychoeducation:

this is also a psychosocial treatment approach used in various psychosocial interventions. Psychoeducation aims at educating the patient as well as their friends and family about the diagnosis received. It helps us understand what is happening to us and how we can combat the challenges we are about to face because of our mental health condition.

3. Psychosocial Rehabilitation:

this is a type of psychosocial treatment where the main focus is on establishing the patient back into their society. They intend to help develop skills that strengthen them emotionally, intellectually, and socially. All these social skills are developed so that you can live as independently as possible.

Also read: Insight-Oriented Therapy For Better Mental Health: Techniques, Benefits & More!

Benefits and Drawbacks Of Psychosocial Treatments

Benefits of Psychosocial Therapy:

• It is an inexpensive process
• It is very safe
• It is a very effective approach
• Does not involve long-term treatment sessions
• It is a very convenient and patient-focused approach

Drawbacks of Psychosocial Therapy:

• It is not universal, and might not work for everyone
• Requires undying commitment and patience
• The success rate depends on the patient’s will and intentions
• Can have side effects
• The process can be uncomfortable

What Does A Psychosocial Therapist Do?

The main agenda of a psychosocial therapist is to help uplift their patient’s confidence when it comes to their social behavior. Dealing with a mental health condition for a long time can really make it difficult to have a balanced social act.

A psychosocial therapist helps their patients learn how to re-establish themselves in a social setting. A psychosocial therapist will help you with the anxiety, stress, worry, panic, etc that you feel when you find yourself in a socially active environment.

Psychosocial therapists must get to know their patient’s personal and professional life so that they can help them perform better in a social setting. Once the therapist knows their patients well, they come up with potentially successful treatment plans.

All the therapeutic interventions chosen by your psychosocial therapist are intended to overcome obstacles faced by them during social interactions. They help in providing their patients with social skills and social activities to engage with people around them.

Other than these, here are a few other things a psychosocial therapist does;

• Identify emotional and behavioral problems
• Involves friends and family in the treatment process
• Educate the patient about their triggers and issues
• Provide insights about their social conduct
• Play a catalyst in improving their social behavior

That’s All Folks!

I hope you found this blog about psychosocial therapy and psychosocial treatment helpful, informative, and thought-provoking.

Do share this blog with your friends and family so they all know what psychosocial therapy aims at and how social skills re-establishment is important for people with mental health conditions.

Thanks for reading.

Take care and stay safe.