Problem-solving therapy (PST) is generally a type of psychotherapy that can help people develop skills that enable them to cope or manage upset life experiences.
Psychologists achieve this therapy by employing tools that help identify and solve the problems arising from life stressors. It helps enhance the quality of life and decrease the effects of psychological and physical illnesses.
Problem-solving therapy aims to provide solutions to concrete mental health issues- Click below to schedule your appointment with a mental health professional.
The other common phrases regularly used to refer to PST are structured problem solving, problem-solving treatment, and short-term therapy. Depression is one of the conditions treated using PST methodologies, particularly when the physician realizes the root cause of the depression to be daily life problems.
Problem Solving Therapy Steps
Mental health specialists help the patients recover by training them to be adaptive to their lives. This enables them to perceive problems as challenges that need to be solved instead of obstacles.
Typically, when you visit a mental health expert, they may employ several techniques, including:
- Creating collaboration
- Assessment
- Psychoeducation
- Coaching
- Shaping
- Modeling
- Rehearsal
- Practice
What Does PST Involve?
The planful problem-solving technique engages several steps to help solve the issues constructively.
The steps are:
- Defining and Formulating the Problem
This involves coming up with real-life issues which should be solved. The specialist then develops the problem in a way that will help the patient to develop solutions to the issue.
- Generation of Optional Solutions
The specialist will work with you to develop remedies to causes of stress using creative options that are not obvious to imagine.
- Strategies for Decision-Making
The specialist will discuss the viable decision-making strategies with you. At this stage, the specialist also helps you to identify the various hindrances that may deter you from solving the present issues.
- Implementing and Verifying the Solution
At this step, the specialist will help you implement the solutions you have reached. They will also help you to confirm its viability in solving the issue.
Techniques Used in Problem Solving Therapy
Apart from the planful problem-solving technique, mental specialists also use the following techniques:
- Problem-solving multitasking
- Stop, slow down, think, and act (SSTA)
- Health thinking and imagery
What Problem-Solving Therapy Can Help With?
PST can help treat various mental health conditions, including patients with depression, ADHD, and anxiety, as a preventative approach in veterans, and psychiatric patients, among others.
What Are the Different Types of PST?
There are various types of PST, namely:
- Social PST
The specialist will help you to identify the various remedies to issues relating to social settings.
- Self-Examination PST
In this type of PST, the therapist helps the patient to determine life goals, the hindrances to life goals, and strategies that help to achieve the goals. They also help you to learn how to accept circumstances that are not controllable.
- PST for Primary Care Settings
Involves a primary care specialist who helps the patient with their PST.
Effectiveness of Problem Solving Therapy
Although initially developed to help handle stress by practical problem-solving, this therapy is used in addressing clinical depression in the present day. The therapy has shown efficiency in helping treat depression amongst adults, caregivers, and people with life-threatening conditions such as cancer.
Typically PST is effective in the management of the following problems:
- Major depressive disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Emotional distress
- Suicide thoughts
- Difficulty in relationships
- Various personality disorders
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It is also effective as a problem-solving therapy for depression, during which its benefits are prominent within the first six sessions with a specialist. Therefore, it is an excellent choice for people who cannot have sufficient time to commit to lengthy treatment sessions.
What Are the Benefits of Problem-Solving Therapy?
You can learn numerous benefits in PST, which help govern various spheres of life.
They include:
- Ability to identify the sources of stress
- Confidence to solve the issues you encounter
- Having an organized pattern of approaching life’s issues
- Enhancing your faith to come up with creative solutions
- Ability to manage emotions
- Ability to come up with practical decisions
- Ability to identify progress barriers
How Does PST Help You?
Limitations of Problem Solving Therapy
PST has some limitations which include but are not limited to:
- Few medical professionals are trained in the field.
- It is ineffective as a sole intervention for patients with chronic psychiatric conditions.
- Thorough medical investigations are essential in determining the efficacy in populations that are not adequately represented.
Problem Solving Therapy Vs CBT
CBT is a partial psychological remedy developed with the notion that a person’s thoughts affect their feelings and behavior. This technique addresses issues that arise from maladaptive thought patterns. It seeks to challenge the idea of these patterns and modify them to enhance the behavioral responses and an individual’s wellbeing.
The field is the most researched due to its significance in treating sleep disorders, drug abuse, and anxiety. PST contradicts CBT in enhancing a better balance between behavioral and cognitive elements.
Furthermore, PST concerns faulty thoughts when dealing with the problem and the maladaptive behaviors that hinder solving problems effectively.
How to Get Started With Problem Solving Therapy?
After assessing you, your local physician may advise that you visit a medical therapist who uses PST. They can also take you through the treatment.
You can also search for PST therapists online. If a therapist is not your preferable alternative, a workbook is designed to help you learn PST skills.
Typically, the medical therapist will spend the first session explaining the process and approach they employ to treat you.
Additionally, the therapist may ask you to identify the issue you are facing in the present. They will then discuss with you the specific objectives for the therapy.
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Medical Thought
A perspective on what problem-solving therapy can help with concludes that it helps treat depression patients, general life issues, and people with life-threatening conditions, anxiety, and stressful cases. If you’re experiencing any related matter, it is essential to visit a mental specialist at EZCare Clinic to help you recover from the condition.
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