Which psychosocial therapy suits you?

Nadia Booysen looks at the various psychosocial therapies and explains which one is best for certain personalities.

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You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/buddiesforlife

Therapeutic interventions in oncology 

When looking at therapeutic interventions, the available treatment modalities are considered. These include psychiatrist and the role of medication; art-, play-, and animal therapy; and psychotherapy. 

Some modalities can be done individually or in group settings. For some, being open and honest might be easier in a group where the focus isn’t solely on them. Others are unable to share in a group and need privacy. 

Narrowing these interventions down to specific approaches, it’s important to note that there are various approaches that can be used within psychotherapy. Psychotherapy on the other hand can also be combined with other intervention modalities. For example, patients who receive psychotherapy might also need something for panic attacks or sleep disturbances.  

In this case, psychotherapy is important to understand what is causing the panic attacks, but this may take time, so it’s wise to include a psychiatrist to evaluate and prescribe medication to ease the symptoms while the patient is busy with psychotherapy. It’s vital to work as a team and request the help of other professionals when needed. 

From the umbrella term of therapeutic modalities, it’s important to take a closer look at psychotherapy and the various approaches used.

Psychotherapy

Also known as talk therapy, it’s where psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, or social workers talk to patients to understand their problems and make meaning out of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. It’s a safe space where you can talk about issues and find resolution through talking and exploration. 

The list of approaches varies greatly amongst professionals and different fields of intervention. Within oncology, we ideally need to combine a few approaches within psychotherapy, as it’s such a multi-faceted problem that affects the patient, family, and community. 

Systems Theory

Systems Theory is a fundamental approach to incorporate. We all function within systems, at home, at work, and within our communities. We’re responsible for certain roles within the various systems that we function in. When something happens and changes our ability to perform those roles, the whole system has to re-adjust and find stability again. Roles change amongst all systems involved until they are stabilised again. It’s important to assist patients in understanding the changes and assisting them to facilitate the changes. 

Psychoeducation 

This refers to education being shared with patients and loved ones to enable them to understand their illness better. This is empowering and lessens anxiety related to illness. It’s also valuable for kids as parents often think that sharing less is better, but kids are good at sensing when there is tension or things change. The problem is that kids have such creative imaginations and often imagine the worst, which makes them feel very unsafe. Sharing age-appropriate information with your child will be much less harmful than hiding the truth. 

Person-centred approach 

The foundation of this approach is the belief that people inherently have the desire and potential for growth. This is valuable in oncology as the whole oncology journey often tests inner strength and desire to live. Creating a safe space where patients can explore strengths and grow in challenging circumstances is vital in a cancer journey.  

The focus is on the patient at centre of the treatment. It has moved away from the medical model to patient-centred care where patients are included in decision-making. It empowers them to have more autonomy and control over what happens to them.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

The focus here is on the process of how thoughts and feelings affect behaviour. So, if thoughts and feelings can change about something, behaviour can change too. For example, patients often refer to chemotherapy as poison. If they reframe those thoughts and view it as life-saving medication, it’s easier to go through the process. 

Patients often say, “I had no choice”, but there is always a choice; some are better than others, but there is still a choice. Many are accustomed to giving power to the chosen option that often it feels like there is no choice. If we can think differently, we will start behaving differently. So, changing thoughts will change how you feel about things which will change your behaviour.

Bioenergetics

This approach is based on the idea that physical and emotional health is connected. In the world of cancer, the focus is mostly placed on physical health. But by including counselling, we also assist with emotional healing, teaching coping skills, and dealing with trauma. This is vital in dealing with life after treatment to live healthier from a holistic perspective. 

All is equal

Whichever approach is used is the healthcare professional’s choice, chosen specifically to fit the patient and their circumstances. At the end of the day, we hope to facilitate change and make each journey easier to reduce the trauma.

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