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Managing Schizophrenia
Welcome to the Connections &
Care counseling program. In this module, you will find new ideas, learning activities, and handouts to use when talking with your clients about
schizophrenia and its impact on daily life. Because there is no
"one-size-fits-all" approach to meeting the education and support
needs of people with schizophrenia, flexibility is the
hallmark of this program. Adapt this program to meet your
needs.
Overview
By participating in this session, clients will:
- Learn about psychosocial and medical treatments for
schizophrenia
- Identify the benefits of communicating their experience with
medication to the treatment team
- Learn the importance of adhering to treatment to achieve
personal goals and move toward recovery
- Assess progress already made and continue to set goals and work
toward recovery
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Tips for facilitating
this module
Advocate
treatment adherence
This module emphasizes the benefits of adherence to the treatment
plan. As clients identify barriers to adherence, you can help
identify potential solutions. In this way, you can advocate
adherence and its benefits as they relate to clients’
individual goals.
Go for the goals
Research suggests that when clinicians identify the clients’
goals and aspirations and relate them to treatment outcomes,
adherence improves. Introduce discussions of goal setting and
accomplishments by using the learning activities and handouts.
Let the client lead
The interactive components of this module have been designed to
keep the client at the center of his or her care. Using the
learning activities and handouts, your clients can focus
discussions on the issues most important to them.
Above all, emphasize
hope
 For a very long time, the word
recovery had no part in our clinical vocabulary.
There has never been a time of greater hope for
people with schizophrenia. Try to base your
discussion on this very real sense of hope. This
module can help you communicate the benefits of
medicine and psychosocial treatment to your
clients, with an emphasis on staying positive.
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Using the
materials
The materials are designed to be flexible. Here are suggestions
for using them:
- Review the learning activities and handouts as you plan your
session
- Choose the activities, discussion questions, and/or handouts
that are appropriate for your clients’ needs, interests, and
abilities
- Use the handouts in ways that match your clients’
abilities. For example, use them for discussion ideas, read aloud
as a group before completing, hand to clients to complete, or
assign as homework
- Revisit the learning activities and handouts as often as needed
to cover the topic
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Icons
Look for these icons to help you choose activities to use with
your clients during individual or group sessions.
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Discussion
starters - Ask questions to introduce and spark your
clients’ interests in a topic. |
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Brainstorming -
Ask your clients to suggest possible solutions to a problem or a
situation. |
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Debate —
Ask your clients to engage in a debate, which helps them see all
sides of an issue. |
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Journal writing - Encourage your clients to write down their thoughts in a
journal. |
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Creative
expression - Invite your clients to explore and express
thoughts and feelings through art. |
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Icebreaker -
Ask clients for verbal responses to a topic question to help them
feel comfortable with sharing. |
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