Question

what part does psychoeducation play in crisis intervention and why is that more true now than ever before?

Answer 1

In order to answer the above question, it is important to first understand what Crisis mean. Crisis refer to any situation in which the individual perceives a sudden loss of his or her ability to use effective problem-solving and coping skills. A number of events or circumstances can be considered a crisis: life-threatening situations, such as natural disasters (such as an earthquake or tsunami), sexual assault or other criminal victimization; medical illness; mental illness; thoughts of suicide or homicide; and loss or drastic changes in relationships (death of a loved one or divorce, for example).

A crisis intervention refers to the methods used to offer immediate, short-term help to individuals who experience an event that produces emotional, mental, physical, and behavioral distress or problems. There are many methods in helping people to overcome their crisis. But most often, people are not aware of what is happening to them, what is their disorder all about, what is their diagnosis etc., thus psychoeducation plays an important role here to help people overcome their difficulties by having a clear understanding of themselves and their surroundings.

Psychoeducation refers to the process of providing education and information to those seeking or receiving mental health services, such as people diagnosed with mental health conditions (or life-threatening/terminal illnesses) and their family members. It is broadly steered by four main goals:

• transfer of information
• medication and treatment support
• training and support in self-help and self-care
• the provision of a safe place to vent emotional frustrations

Importance of Psychoeducation:

Informative:

Any mental disorders are subjected to some sort of stigmatization. This is because of the lack of information about this regard. Psychoeducation imparts the necessary information about the disorder and also help people overcome stigmatization.

Acceptance:

The moment an individual is diagnosed with a particular psychological disorder it is obvious that most of them deny such a thing. The family members too deny such a diagnosis. The main goal of psychoeducation is to help people accept the situation as the way it is and help them understand about the treatments that are available which would facilitate healing.

Preparation:

An individual who is faced with a crisis wherein he/ she has lost the beloved one, it is very difficult to handle such a client. People would have lost their ability to cope up with the realities of life which requires a great amount of preparation to help them back on the track. A mental preparation has to be the main focus. This is facilitated by psychoeducation.

Move one:

People facing any sort of crisis, it is very obvious that people will be stuck in the same mental attitude. They will not be able to overcome such a thing very easily. Psychoeducating such people not only help them to accept and prepare but also will help them to move on such a crisis.

Understanding:

Understanding of oneself and the surrounding is very important. Many people lack understanding of the situation this will further worsen the situation. “Why is it important to have a healthy mental attitude?” “What was my mistake in this situation?” “How can I overcome this?” “What is happening within me?” “Why am I not able to move forward?” “What is hindering my success?” these are some of the questions that are addressed in psychoeducation.

Better Perspective:

Psychoeducation helps people gain a different yet better perspective about certain crisis. People might able to understand the meaning and the reason for certain things. It will help them overcome with ease.

One study showed psychoeducation, when administered to those with schizophrenia, helped to both reduce rehospitalization rates and decrease the number of days a person spends in the hospital. This education is also a component of most trauma therapies.

Thus, psychoeducation help people better understand and become accustomed to living with and moving on. It imparts knowledge about a particular problem, the in and out of the treatment plan, the benefit of certain psychotherapies, the mode of counseling sessions, the treatment plans, and help people solve their own crisis effectively.