Psychological Issue Summary: Psychiatric Rehabilitation Specialists

Psychological Issue Summary

According to the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (2015), the main tenants of psychiatric rehabilitation are recovery, community integration, and the improved quality of life for individuals with mental health conditions which seriously impair their quality of life. Services provided are individualized and collaborative element of the health and human services spectrum that are rely on evidence-based treatments (Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, 2015). People employed as Psychiatric Rehabilitation Specialists (PRS) assist individuals in developing skills and accessing resources that increase their capacity to live meaningful lives. To demonstrate, there are many children who suffer from emotional disturbances

rewards). Sometimes a PRS will use a combination of the Behavioral Approach, a view that sees psychological disorders as learned maladaptive behaviors resulting from environmental exposure, along with other approaches and therapies to address such behaviors. There is research to support that “taking people off drugs and replacing it with behavioral therapy is more effective for treating ADHD, OC, Depression, and other psychological problems” (Haarenfrans, 2009). The goal of this approach is to teach the child new behaviors in a positive, action-oriented and collaborative way that reduces or eliminates the problems and replaces them with more adaptive responses, to improve family relationships, peer interactions, aggression, social skills, and academic difficulties. Some techniques involved in this approach are behavioral homework assignments, contingency contracting, modeling, rehearsal behavior, and conditioning, to name a few (Fundukian, 2009, p.

This will require stimulus control by the PSR worker themselves, desensitization to upsetting situations, and helping the child to overcome any social anxieties, can help with social skills. The techniques of the behavioral approach that are used with social interactions can be based off of operant conditioning. Reinforcement, punishment, and extinction can result in the child changing negative social behaviors for a more acceptable, positive and desired social behaviors (Kosslyn, S. M., & Rossenberg, 2006). Teaching the child the appropriate response to a social situation would be the main point of the behavioral approach. Once the child has continual positive social interactions, they will then gain natural positive reinforcements (friends, play dates, birthday invites, etc.). Social stories, also known as observational learning, can be very helpful in teaching a child appropriate ways to cope with social situations (Kosslyn, S. M., & Rossenberg, 2006). This is when a child can observe other social interactions without being in that situation and they can see the way others respond in an appropriate manner, this would then teach them to repeat that behavior and give the desired positive social