Meeting-The-Challenge-Making-a-Difference-Practitioner-Guide

and the longer it lasts. It is
assumed that everyone can
relate to at least some of the
schemas described in the
model, although these may be
more rigid and extreme in
service users who seek
treatment. Cognitive and
behavioural techniques are
core aspects of the
intervention, but the model
gives equal weight to emotionfocused
work, experiential
techniques and the therapeutic
relationship. ST is a normally a
long-term intervention (2-3
years); even with people with
less severe personality disorders,
fewer than 20 sessions is
rarely enough. Therapy involves
a gradual weakening of the
dysfunctional parts of the
personality structure through
the strengthening of the healthy,
adult part of the person.
H) INTENSIVE THERAPEUTIC
PROGRAMMES
Most psychological therapies
are provided on an out-patient
basis, with appointments once
or twice weekly as in DBT and
in MBT Many people can
benefit from these
approaches, but a few people
find they struggle in the gap
between appointments, and
need more intensive help.
Some localities have day
hospital or day programmes,
where people attend up to 5
days per week, usually for a
programme of different
therapeutic groups and
activities such as art and
music therapy.
I) THERAPEUTIC
COMMUNITIES
TCs were started during
World War II, as a way of
treating veterans who were
psychologically traumatised by
war. Therapeutic communities
can be residential, or
sometimes run as a day
programme over a number of
days a week. They operate a
programme of different
therapeutic groups and
activities. TCs challenge the
rigid split which sometimes
exists between ‘professionals’
and ‘patients’ and aim to work
as a community in which every
member is seen to have a
valuable contribution to make
to other people’s development.
Service users usually have a say
in day-to-day decision making
about how the community is
run, and staff and service users
will together make decisions
about handling crises, or when
someone is ready to leave.
The aim is that individuals
will be helped with their
own problems, but will
also be empowered by
discovering their capacity
to take responsibility and
to help others.
J) ARTS THERAPIES
There are different forms of
arts therapy, most common are
art therapy, music therapy,
drama therapy and dance
movement therapy. They
usually take place in a group
and service users do not need
any prior experience, skills, or
abilities in the particular art.
They are all based on the
principle of creating a safe and
trusting environment where an
individual can access and
express strong emotions. They
enable people to express
emotions non-verbally that
they might not otherwise feel
able to express.
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