Highlights
- Psychosocial therapy is an umbrella term for interventions that help people with mental health conditions improve daily functioning and quality of life.
- It can include psychotherapy, psychoeducation, peer-led services, and psychosocial rehabilitation.
- Psychosocial therapy can be especially helpful for people with severe mental health symptoms, housing instability, financial or employment instability, limited social support, or difficulty functioning in the community.
A mental health condition can affect your relationships, work, education, housing, and your ability to feel connected to the people around you. This is especially true for people living with more severe mental health conditions, but anyone with a milder one may also need help in these areas. This is nothing to be ashamed of.
Psychosocial therapy is designed to address those broader, societal needs. Instead of focusing only on mental health treatment, it looks at the bigger picture of how your mental health affects your day-to-day life and what kind of help you need to function well in the community and build a meaningful life.
What Is Psychosocial Therapy?
“Psychosocial therapy” isn’t a specific therapy technique. It’s more of an umbrella term that includes any intervention that’s meant to provide support and education to people living with mental health conditions (as well as their families).
This typically includes psychotherapy (talk therapy), but goes far beyond that. When you live with a mental illness — especially “severe and persistent mental illness” (SPMI), like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder — every area of your life is affected. Mental illness doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
Psychosocial therapy helps you deal with these effects and gain skills so you can live a fulfilling and successful life, whatever that may look like for you. It looks at your mental health condition in context and addresses your social and cultural environment.
It’s not just about treating mental health symptoms, but helping you thrive in every area of your life.
Types of Psychosocial Therapy
Any intervention that’s designed to provide education or support to people living with mental health conditions could be considered a type of psychosocial therapy.
Generally, psychosocial therapy interventions can be divided into four broad categories:
- Psychotherapy
- Psychoeducation
- Self-help and peer support
- Psychosocial rehabilitation
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is what most of us think of when we hear the word “therapy.” It’s delivered by licensed mental health therapists, and there are many different specific techniques. Most therapists use evidence-based therapy methods, which means they’ve been shown to effectively reduce the symptoms of specific mental health conditions.
Common examples of psychotherapy include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Psychodynamic therapy
Psychotherapy is often delivered individually, meaning that you will meet with a therapist 1:1. But group therapy and family therapy can also be very effective, and even critical, depending on your situation.
Many people receive psychotherapy on an outpatient basis. You might go to the therapist’s office, a community health clinic, or have sessions online. In more severe cases, inpatient care may be necessary.
Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation is about helping you – and often, your family members — understand more about the condition you live with and how it affects you. Often, psychoeducation is woven in as one component of different psychotherapy techniques.
You and your family will learn things like:
- The symptoms of your condition and how they might show up
- How the condition affects your brain
- Signs of relapse to watch for
- Different treatment options available to you
- Coping skills to help you manage your symptoms
- How your loved ones can provide support when you need it
Just learning more about what you’re going through can make a big difference. When your family understands what’s going on, it can help them be more supportive and less judgmental, which may allow you the space to focus on recovery.
Self-Help and Peer Support
This category includes any intervention that’s guided by peers (or yourself) rather than a licensed professional. Common examples include:
- 12-step recovery groups
- Peer-led support groups
- Workbooks and guided journals
- Mental health apps
- Daily habits like mindfulness and exercise
This form of psychosocial therapy can’t replace professional treatment (psychotherapy or medication) delivered by a licensed professional. But
Psychosocial Rehabilitation
This is an important area of intervention because mental health and life functioning go hand in hand. When you live with a mental illness, it may be harder for you to function well on a day-to-day basis. But when you’re not functional — for example, if you don’t have housing or employment — then your mental health symptoms are likely to get worse.
Psychosocial rehabilitation often prioritizes vocational rehabilitation, like:
- Job skills training
- Practicing interviews
- Resume review
But psychosocial rehabilitation can also include any other intervention that’s designed to improve your psychosocial functioning (helps you function better out in the community).
Examples include:
- Housing support
- Case management for connecting you to different resources
- Legal support and advocacy
- Financial counseling
- Recreation (community-based activities like sports or art groups)
- In-home support services
Why Is It Used? Who Benefits?
Most research has studied the benefits of psychosocial support for people whose mental health symptoms are so severe that they prevent them from functioning well in the community. But psychosocial therapy can help many people who need more than traditional once-a-week talk therapy.
It may be especially helpful for people who are:
- Living with severe and persistent mental illness, such as schizophrenia or
bipolar disorder[3] - Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
- Returning to work or school after a mental health crisis
- Transitioning out of incarceration into the community
- Managing repeated hospitalizations or relapses
- Living with limited family support
- Experiencing substance use, like opioid use disorder
- Having difficulty accessing community resources
Psychosocial therapy should always be inclusive and person-centered. People have different definitions of recovery, and a “successful” life won’t look the same for everyone. For one person, the goal might be keeping a steady job. For someone else, it may be living independently or simply feeling more stable day to day.
The right treatment plan should reflect your actual values and goals. If you’re receiving psychosocial therapy, your providers should work with you collaboratively rather than assuming they know what recovery should look like for you.
Getting Help
If mental health symptoms are affecting your ability to care for yourself, you may benefit from more comprehensive treatment. Psychosocial therapy can help you address both the symptoms you’re experiencing and the real-life challenges that often come with a mental health condition.
Sometimes, psychotherapy alone may not be effective enough. At MEDvidi, you can connect with licensed medical providers who can evaluate your symptoms and help you understand your treatment options. If appropriate, your provider will work with you on a personalized treatment plan that may include medication management, psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, or referrals for additional support. Book your appointment today to get mental health help online.
