1010-Practical Tools to Support Those with Psychosis _ Counselor Training

1. Introduction 2. Understanding Psychotic Symptoms Symptoms Defined: Psychotic symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized behavior, and speech. Associated Disorders: 3. Causes of Psychotic Symptoms Breakthrough Symptoms: These can occur even in individuals who are generally functional. Causes: Unmedicated State: By choice or due to forgetfulness. Medication Non-compliance: Due to side effects or difficulty maintaining a regimen. Stress: A major trigger for acute episodes. Medication Imbalances: Can be caused by dehydration, heat, dietary changes, weight fluctuations, and drug interactions (e.g., antibiotics, caffeine, nicotine). Other Factors: Conditions like hypoglycemia, severe sleep deprivation, and chronic stress can exacerbate symptoms. 4. Strategies for Support Medication Management: Ensuring compliance and adjusting for lifestyle changes. Stress Reduction: Identify stressors (physical, cognitive, emotional) and work to mitigate them. Develop emergency plans to address prodromal symptoms (early signs of relapse). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Psychosis: Typically more effective during remission than in acute episodes. Focuses on reducing symptoms, distress, and interference with quality of life. Techniques include relaxation training, graded exposure, scaffolding, and activity scheduling. Environmental Modifications: Adjusting surroundings to minimize stressors and support daily functioning. 5. Recognizing and Managing Prodromal Symptoms Prodromal Symptoms: Chronic anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbances, memory problems, social withdrawal, decline in hygiene, and inability to perform daily tasks. Early Intervention: Recognizing these signs allows for early intervention to prevent full-blown episodes. 6. Addressing Hallucinations and Delusions Safety and Reality Testing: Initially, join the individual in their reality to establish safety. Avoid arguing or reasoning with delusional beliefs during acute episodes. Use CBT techniques to challenge and reframe delusions during remission. Behavioral Strategies: Encourage comparison of their behavior to others, use of distraction techniques, and reinforcing positive behaviors. 7. Enhancing Functionality Daily Living Support: Use lists, schedules, and guides to help individuals manage daily tasks. Token Economies: Reward systems to encourage participation in therapeutic activities. Environmental Prompts: Reminders and tools to support memory and task completion. 8. Cognitive and Executive Functioning Support Strategies: Break tasks into smaller components (chunking). Minimize distractions and create structured environments. Roleplay problem-solving scenarios. Use alarms and reminders for medication and daily tasks. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Applied during remission or prodromal phases to manage residual symptoms and improve quality of life. 9. Final Considerations Relapse Prevention: Continuous monitoring of stress levels and medication effectiveness. Developing a strong support system and improving stress management skills. Therapeutic Engagement: Ensuring clients feel safe and validated in discussing their symptoms. 10. Conclusion Further Resources: Dr. Snipes mentions an upcoming on-demand class for more in-depth learning about CBT for psychosis. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Supporting Functional Individuals with Psychotic Symptoms 00:06:51 - Factors Affecting Psychosis Management 00:13:38 - Managing Prodromal Symptoms and Breakthrough Episodes 00:20:25 - Understanding and Supporting Disorganized Behavior 00:27:09 - Token Economy and Motivational Enhancement 00:34:00 - Scaffolding for Learning and Cognitive Impairment 00:40:43 - Managing Hallucinations and Delusions 00:47:14 - Understanding the Pre-Delusional Beliefs 00:54:14 - Addressing Hallucinations and Delusions 01:00:58 - Understanding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices