Psychoeducation in psychological therapy

Effective psychological treatments for psychological disorders known today are very varied and contemplate different blocks or steps, in fact, each psychological therapy has its own idiosyncrasy.

However, within the framework of cognitive-behavioral therapy, there is a fundamental element in the face of adequate psychological intervention in certain mental disorders: the tool of psychoeducation. In this article we will explain in a simple way what this resource is and in which psychological disorders it is used most frequently, as well as some practical examples of its application.

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What is psychoeducation?

Psychoeducation, always carried out by the professional in charge of the treatment, constitutes the prelude to many of the psychological treatments applied in consultations and hospitals. This does not mean that psychoeducation has to be used only at the beginning of the therapeutic process, but that can be dosed to ensure problem is understood by the patient or client (or group of patients).

Thus, psychoeducation consists of the explanation by the psychologist in charge of the treatment different psychological constructs and variables that explain the problem of the patient or group of patients. In general, it explains what the disorder consists of (Although in many cases it is not necessary to label the problem as a "disorder" for the patient, but to explain its characteristics so that he or she understands and can cope with it in a more adaptive way), how the disorder affects the patient's life, frequent symptoms, what treatments exist, what can be done to improve, etc.

Sometimes, we will call psychoeducation to all that technical information that we explain in therapy that we consider necessary for the improvement of the patient. For example, how do we become depressed, what is functional and dysfunctional anxiety, how does marijuana influence at the brain level, what repercussions does induced vomiting have on our organism...

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Tools used in this type of psychological intervention

Even if each professional usually develops their psychoeducational script Regarding the sessions with the patients, it is important to emphasize that the content of the explanation has to be adapted to the level of understanding and understanding of the person, and in most cases the resources that we will see are always useful continuation.

The use of analogies and metaphors

As psychological phenomena are often complex, it is good to make comparisons with elements of everyday life.

Using a whiteboard or visual stand

It is very useful to interact with the patient while giving the explanation. For example, asking questions and having the patient respond based on her own experience).

Provide a summary of what was explained in the psychoeducation session (or sessions)

This serves so that the person can take it home, read it calmly and ask any questions about it.

Finally, to facilitate the psychoeducation process and complement it, psychologists recommend reading didactic manuals on some problems (Not with the aim that they read self-help manuals, but in order to better understand what is happening to them and work it together in the sessions). The viewing of films, documentaries, etc. are also useful.

Why is psychoeducation so important?

Psychoeducation is therapeutic in itself. Some patients often report that after having been able to take advantage of the psychoeducation and understand what is happening to them they deflate like a “balloon”, they feel calmer, with better expectations. In fact, many of the people who suffer from anxiety reduce symptoms by understanding the mechanisms and causes of it.

The level of uncertainty of many people is directly reduced, and the typical questions are answered type, what is the matter with me? Am I going crazy? Do you have a "solution"? Does it only happen to me or to others? people?.

In addition, in some cases and depending on the capabilities of the person, just by giving some psychoeducational guidelines in a few sessions the person manages to understand the mechanisms underlying their problem and put new strategies into practice, which is very interesting and often positive for the person.

It is usually especially effective in group sessions with people who suffer from similar problems (p. g., a group with panic disorder), since sharing similar experiences and feeling emotional support is a very comforting experience. It is a very important help in the development of individual therapy for these people.

In what types of psychological problems is it used?

In general terms, psychoeducation can be very useful as an initial phase of treatment in most of the documented psychological disorders or problems. As an example, it is widely used among professionals in well-known disorders such as:

• Anxiety disorders: panic disorder, selective phobia, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety disorder before the disease (hypochondria) ...
• Bipolar disorder and related disorders.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Pathological grief.
• Eating Disorders: bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, orthorexia ...
• Sexual dysfunctions.
• Addictions.
• Self esteem issues: how low self-esteem is generated and maintained.

Practical examples

Next, we are going to briefly explain the contents that could be explained in a psychoeducation session in anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psychoeducation in anxiety disorders

It is convenient to explain what anxiety is (emotional response to danger / threat), the objective pursued (to protect the organism -at this moment the use of analogies or metaphors would be positive-), the relationship between anxiety and the autonomic nervous system, the activation process that our body follows at a physical level in the face of a situation of danger and explanation of all bodily sensations (muscle tension, increased heart rate, rapid breathing, dry mouth, trembling in the legs…).

How our body reacts to “no danger” situations in which the brain mistakenly interprets that there is a danger, how the first panic attack can occur, the role our interpretations play on bodily sensations, and so on. Obviously, depending on the anxiety disorder we will have to emphasize some concepts or others.

Psychoeducation in post-traumatic stress disorder

This explanation will vary based on the type and frequency of trauma suffered by the victim.

An explanation is given about typical intrusive responses (why memories or distressing nightmares), the role of persistent avoidance of memories or associated stimuli to the event, cognitive and mood disturbances related to the episode (how exaggerated beliefs about oneself are formed), the significant alteration of activation and reactivity associated with the traumatic event (Why does he feel hyper-vigilant all the time, what are the outbursts of anger or irritable behavior, dream…).

Furthermore, it is useful to explain the maintenance of PTSD, for example by a simple adaptation of the Horowitz (1986) or Lang (1988) model.