By: Reema, Reeda and Gurpreet

Psychological methods of handling stress There are two techniques that you can use to manage stress psychologically: 1. Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) 2. Hardiness Training

Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) People can use SIT to protect themselves from the harmful effects of stress There are 3 stages which consist of: a) CONCEPTUALISATION b) SKILLS TRAINING c) APPLICATION TO REAL LIFE SITUATIONS

CONCEPTUALISATION The therapist establishes a relationship with the client and the client is educated about the nature and impact of stress. The client is then told to identify their fears with the therapist

SKILLS TRAINING Coping skills are taught and practiced primarily in the clinic and then gradually rehearsed in real life. The positive coping skills that are taught to the client include positive thinking, relaxation social skills, methods of attention diversion, using social support systems and time management.

APPLICATION PHASE Clients are given opportunities to apply the newly learnt coping skills in different situations which become increasing stressful Clients may be even asked to help train others moreover, booster sessions are offered later on

STRENGTHS OF SIT Meichanbaum found that SIT works for short term and long term stressors Effective

WEAKNESSES OF SIT Time consuming Requires high levels of motivation Need to be able to apply these techniques to real life situations effectively Need to be able to remember the techniques for the method to be successful

HARDINESS TRAINING The aim of hardiness training is to increase people’s level of hardiness, self-confidence and sense of control There are also 3 stages of hardiness training a) FOCUSING b) RELIVING STRESSFUL ENCOUNTERS c) SELF-IMPROVEMENT

FOCUSING The client is taught how to recognise the physiological signs of stress, such as muscle tension, increased heart rate and also to identify the sources of this stress

RELIVING STRESSFUL ENCOUNTERS The client relives stress encounters and is helped to analyse these situations their response to them i.e. How it could’ve turned out for the better/worse

SELF-IMPROVEMENT Insights gained can now be used to move forward and learn new techniques of dealing with stress

STRENGTHS OF HARDINESS TRAINING Maddi et al got 54 managers to undertake hardiness training and found they had an increase in hardiness and job satisfaction Able to control stressful aspects of daily life

WEAKNESSES OF HARDINESS TRAINING Have to change components and basic aspects of your personality Expensive and time consuming Need to be committed