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Understanding 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:
- Understand that schizophrenia is a manageable illness of the
brain
- Recognize and understand the symptoms of schizophrenia or other
mental illnesses in order to move forward with successfully
managing those symptoms
- Develop a view of the diagnosis that emphasizes acceptance and
hope
- Determine what "recovery" means to them
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Tips for facilitating
this module
Empower
your clients with knowledge
By providing basic facts about schizophrenia, you will enable your
clients to take an active role in their treatment. Engage clients
by emphasizing that knowing more will lead to making better
decisions.
Focus on the practical
issues
This module is intended to provide enough medical information to
support the discussion of schizophrenia as a manageable illness.
However, you can focus on what the symptoms mean in the context of
clients’ everyday lives. Clients can then use the information
to help them set goals and take the small steps toward
wellness.
Ackknowledge clients'
expertise
You are the professional expert in understanding mental illness
and its treatment. However, clients are experts on the firsthand
experience of schizophrenia. Acknowledging them as experts will
help encourage them to share their experiences of the illness with
the group.
Above all, emphasize hope
 For a very long time, the word
recovery had no part in our clinical vocabulary. However, 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. |
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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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