Theraverse . May 21, 2025

As a psychologist in practise I often find my clients making breakthroughs, recognising patterns and even developing insight on maladaptive coping but not sustain that progress due to certain maintaining factors outside of therapy. And watching them show progress is very gratifying until you meet them for the next session and realise that they have relapsed into old habits as all that progress in therapy, however insightful still did not give them the skills to manage bills, cook dinner or get to their dentist appointment.

Sometimes individuals with mental health challenges need to build the practical, emotional, and social skills they need to live more independently and meaningfully. While a lot of the time psychotherapy and psychiatry focus on clinical recovery, the client could still need a crash course on ‘how to human’ for functional recovery.

Psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) is all about supporting individuals in reclaiming their lives and functioning more fully in their communities emotionally, socially, and practically. It’s not just about managing symptoms but building skills, confidence, and meaningful connections that help people move toward the life they want. This approach recognizes that recovery is not one-size-fits-all.

It’s a collaborative, person-centered process that focuses on strengths rather than limitations. Whether it’s developing coping strategies, improving relationships, finding purpose, or navigating daily life with more ease, psychosocial rehabilitation offers tools and support for the journey. It involves working with the belief that everyone has the capacity to grow, adapt, and lead a fulfilling life, even in the face of mental health challenges. In essence, if therapy opens the door to change, PSR helps you walk through it.

India has recognized the significance of PSR in addressing the mental health needs of its population and yet it remains largely underdeveloped in many parts of the country, particularly in rural areas. But some states have established dedicated PSR units, while others have integrated PSR services into existing mental health facilities. The National Mental Health Policy (2014) advocates for the development of PSR services, and various initiatives have been launched to strengthen mental health care infrastructure and increase accessibility to PSR programs.

How psychosocial rehabilitation works?

• Since several areas of the client’s life are catered to, the healthcare team would consist of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and other such professionals. They would conduct an initial assessment that helps to understand the client’s subjective goals, strengths, needs and weaknesses.
• Post the assessment, based the findings, a specifically curated treatment plan would be made. This plan would outline interventions, potential objectives and a course of action.
• While all of this happens, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy would be provided simultaneously to the client to alleviate any symptoms through medication and deal with psychological distress and patterns through therapy.

Key tenets/principles of psychosocial rehabilitation:

1. Hope is contagious – Practitioners convey hope, compassion and optimism by believing in the individual’s capacity for learning, growth, recovery and by treating them with dignity and respect.
2. Recovery in your own language – Cultural sensitivity is prioritised to ensure inclusivity. So, services strive to be culturally sensitive and relevant to the individual’s background and identity, recognizing the central role of culture in recovery.
3. Work with you, not on you – Services are individualized and developed through a partnership between the individual, practitioners, and other identified support systems. So informed decision making and collaborative work is done to improve empowerment.
4. From what’s wrong to what’s strong – The focus on PSR is intentionally shifted towards the strengths, skills and potential of the individual which will help rewrite old scripts about helplessness or incompetence.
5. Your path, your pace – Services are tailored to the unique needs, values, hopes, and aspirations of each individual, recognizing their autonomy in the recovery process.
6. Among, not apart – Recovery is taken beyond personal progress and into the community making the individual part of the larger ecosystem promoting collective healing.
7. In the driver’s seat – Individuals are supported to make their own decisions about their lives and treatment, fostering a sense of control and agency.
8. Getting help will only help – Rehabilitation encourages the development and utilization of personal support networks, including family, friends, peer support initiatives, and community resources.
9. Bird’s eye view – Interventions address all aspects of an individual’s life, including social, occupational, educational, residential, intellectual, spiritual, and financial well-being to emphasise on holistic improvement.

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By,

Jensita Grace,

In-house Psychologist, Theraverse.

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Resources:

https://www.verywellmind.com/psychosocial-rehabilitation-4589796

https://www.lifeadjustmentteam.com/navigating-the-path-of-healing-and-empowerment-core-principles-of-psychosocial-rehabilitation/

https://jgu.edu.in/blog/2024/03/04/what-is-psychosocial-rehabilitation/