Blog Detail

Psychosocial Therapy in Hospice and Palliative Care

The word psychosocial is derived from two roots: psycho which deals with self, and social which deals with others.  People approach the world in various ways relating to themselves and to others in their own fashion. 

When someone encounters a sudden change in that world—their health, their surroundings, their work environment, their relationships, their ability to move or think—they experience psychosocial stressors which can lead to anxiety or depression or even withdrawal from others and from regular activities.

These responses to change are natural and provide opportunities to grow and develop as individuals.  Too often, however, those stressors linger and increase in intensity blocking the person from functioning normally in their private life and in their social interactions.

This is where psychosocial therapy can have a positive effect on the individual to help them adjust to their situation and discover a “new normal” for their everyday life.

Psychosocial therapy is essential for improving the quality of life for the terminally ill as well as those with chronic pain and symptomatic disorders. 

Hospice and palliative care patients and their families face extreme sudden changes that are often too difficult to cope with.  Since psychosocial therapy focuses on four main aspects of the human experience—mental [thinking], social [relating], emotional [feeling], and spiritual [being]—it is effective in assisting these patients and family members.  Addressing those main aspects with care and compassion can ease the transition from reactive stress to proactive acceptance.

Including psychosocial therapy in hospice and palliative care provides a wholesome way to encourage healthy adjustment to relating to self and to others in the midst of drastic life challenges.

Gifted Hearts Hospice and Palliative Care in Seguin, TX, is a fully staffed facility available to patients who call South Central Texas their home.  It is nestled in the beautiful New Braunfels area as the best hospice near San Antonio, Texas.  It offers palliative care for patients of any age in any stage of illness.  It also offers all four levels of hospice care and maintains its motto: “Live until you Leave.”