SUPPORTIVE CARE AND COUNSELING

Por: ©Rev. Dr. José Abraham De Jesús-Rivera

A. Supportive care:

• •Focus on here-and-now problems in living-helping persons to handle or accept these in reality-oriented ways.
  •Insight-oriented methods, uses pastoral psychotherapy. Is in more in-depth counseling.
  •Supportive methods are more action-oriented and involved a larger degree of counselor activity and careful use of authority than pastoral psychotherapy.

B. Methods of Supportive counseling:

•Gratifying dependency needs. Forms of gratification includes; comforting, sustaining, feeding (emotionally and physically), inspiring guiding. The counselor assumes the "parent" figure.
•Emotional catharsis. Pouring out one's feelings in an understanding relationships. •Helps to reduce anxiety.
•Objective review of the stress situation. Help persons to view their problems from a wider perspective. It helps make wiser decisions.
•Aiding the ego's defenses. Help to uncover the defense mechanism inherent in every person. Use of rationalization, repression, and projection.
•Changing the life situation. Help the person to make changes , or if not possible, arrange to have changes made in the circumstances (physical, economic, or interpersonal).
•Encouraging appropriate action. When persons are paralyzed by feelings of anxiety, defeat, failure, damaged self-esteem, or tragic loss. Encourage appropriate relationships.
•Using religious resources. Prayer, devotions, scriptures, communion, etc., constitute a valuable supportive resources.