Supportive psychotherapy is a method of psychotherapy that is most suitable for people with diseases such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as people whose mental health has deteriorated due to stress or other circumstances. The main goal of supportive psychotherapy is to restore the highest possible level of functioning of the patient, considering his illness, or to return a healthy person to normal life after suffering shocks.
In modern literature there is not much information about this type of psychotherapy as supportive therapy. Of all the existing psychotherapeutic techniques, this is the most “spontaneous” therapy, and the doctor who conducts supportive psychotherapy must have solid practice and experience. At the same time, the course of maintenance therapy lasts quite a long time, so the psychotherapist must not only understand the patient’s personality characteristics, his role in the development of the disease and his ability to gain insight, but also be prepared for often rapid changes in the therapy process or for a long “plateau.”
Unlike other types of psychotherapy, supportive psychotherapy does not aim to achieve any changes. Its main goal is to achieve the best level of functioning of the patient, considering his illness or experienced traumatic events.
Supportive psychotherapy is suitable for patients with chronic diseases such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, as well as healthy people who have experienced a severe shock, a traumatic event (war, terrorist attack, death of loved ones), but have not lost mental functioning.
Why is supportive psychotherapy recommended for patients with chronic endogenous diseases? Because such patients cannot make progress in change-oriented psychotherapy. They cannot adequately perceive reality, experience difficulties in building interpersonal relationships, and cannot control their emotions. Such patients cannot perceive the information received, since they are not able to analyze it and draw the necessary conclusions. Very often, people with chronic illnesses perceive the world around them as hostile, and the task of the psychotherapist in this case is to build effective communication based on his interest in his personal safety.
It is very important for a psychotherapist practicing supportive therapy to be open and reliable in the eyes of the patient. Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders are usually very sensitive to the doctor's emotions, so it is very important to correctly respond to the patient's questions regarding his feelings and emotions and show your sincerity. This model of behavior allows the patient to feel protected and encourages him to do some work on himself.
The second principle is the professionalism and education of the patient. The psychotherapist’s task is to explain to the patient his feelings and emotions (often patients with endogenous diseases have difficulties in interpreting their thoughts and feelings that arise during sessions or in ordinary life situations). This position helps to remove the patient's fear of his emotions and show him a more complex psychological picture.
The third principle is the interpretation of feelings and emotions, and not the psychological defense mechanisms that lie behind these emotions. The patient may scream, complain, be overly excited, and become angry, while his statements may have a delusional plot. It is important for a psychotherapist in this situation to be an active listener, not to express disagreement with sometimes illogical statements, but to try to direct emotions in a more constructive direction during the dialogue process.
During supportive psychotherapy, doctors achieve very good results:
• Patients learn to independently resolve conflict and problem situations
• The patient feels psychological support
• The patient trusts the world around him, doctors, and other people more
• The patient learns to compare his sensations with the real world
• The patient becomes more stress-resistant
• The patient learns to understand the feelings and emotions of other people and interact with them
• The patient learns to seek compromises with others
• The patient learns to formulate requests based on a real assessment of the situation
• The patient develops his creativity
• The patient more adequately assesses his capabilities, learns to value, and accept himself
Often, drug therapy may be used in addition to supportive psychotherapy.