BTEC Health and Social Care Lesson 5 – psychological approaches to health and social care

What have we done so far ? So far we have identified the 6 key perspectives which are important in health and social care, We have assessed their relevance in explaining certain behaviours, We have identified various examples of them in the context of health and social care settings.

M2 task – Due date 12.02.2014 4pm In order to achieve M2, you will need using the scenarios which will be provided to identify TWO psychological approaches of your choice, You will using those TWO perspective assess their usefulness in providing the clients identified in your scenarios with the right support, You will need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your chosen perspectives by providing clear explanations with examples in the context of your case study.

Sentence stems example … The (add perspective) is useful when supporting (add client) because it …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………................ For example when (client) is acting/doing/etc …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………............... However, this perspective is not useful because …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………..............

Application of the behaviourist perspective in care Changing behaviour through desensitisation when dealing with phobias, Key idea is to replace the anxiety surrounding an event, object, etc. with the concept of relaxation, Fear inducing methods can be used such as driving close to the hospital or opening an appointment letter without arousing too much anxiety, Shaping behaviours using the ideas of positive and negative reingforcement,

Application of the social learning perspective in care Use of positive role models within health campaigns to promote positive behaviour.

Application of the psychodynamic approach to care This approach is particularly applicable to behaviour deemed challenging such as resistance to treatment or invasive surgery, In order to support someone using the psychodynamic approach, as a service provider you will need to delve deep into the anxious feelings of your service user.

Application of the humanistic approach to care Especially in therapy, the humanistic approach application to social care will require for the service provider to demonstrate unconditional regard towards their service user in order to help them develop a higher sense of self, Being empathetic , understanding, active listening and respect is also crucial when attempting to support a service user in a humanistic way.

Application of the cognitive approach to care When looking at individuals with learning difficulties, the use of the cognitive approach is essential, Issues with regards to comprehension will lead to unexpected outburst and challenging behaviours, When supporting individuals with emotional problems the cognitive approach is essential as a way of identifying the level of distortion and negative thoughts which might be influencing one’s feelings.

Application of the biological approach to care This is really about assessing whether the behaviours demonstrated by an individual matches their chronological age, especially when dealing with children. This approach is also used when looking at genetic inheritance of certain illness or health related behaviours such as schizophrenia and asthma. It is about making the distinction between the impact of nature versus nurture.

Your turn Watch the case study in the video and identify the various approaches which might help you support this patient.