Managing Psychosocial Adjustment to Aphasia

Abstract

This article argues for incorporating psychosocial adjustment into treatment plans for people with aphasia. It proposes that rehabilitation is a social rather than a medical construct and that by adopting a broad range of intervention strategies, more effective approaches to reintegration can be adopted. Outcome measures relating to self-esteem are judged to be central to evaluating the efficacy of treatment. The role of social factors in managing psychosocial adjustment are considered alongside individual and family approaches to counseling. It is concluded that clinicians need to broaden their treatment program to include psychosocial adjustment in rehabilitation.

Evaluation of communication, life participation and psychological well‐being in chronic aphasia: The influence of group intervention

“…The importance attached to self-esteem in the experience of people with aphasia needs to be investigated further. Muller (1999) argues that ''it is imperative therefore, that in evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes in aphasia, consideration be given to self-esteem and that appropriate measures be incorporated into the programme'' (p. 90). Cunningham and Ward (2003) reflected this need when they evaluated a programme designed to train a friend or relative to communicate more effectively with an aphasic partner.…”

Aphasia Centers in North America: A Survey

“…Respondents noted that people affected by aphasia found support from others with similar issues, felt empowered by shared experiences, and gained hope. Although many have written about the need to address psychosocial issues as an integral part of the communication disability of aphasia, [19][20][21] it appears that traditional aphasia treatment has not routinely integrated management of psychosocial consequences of aphasia into services. 21,22 Aphasia center programming appears to address this gap in service delivery by integrating positive experiences and social support into program design.…”

Psychosocial Issues in Pediatric Human Immunodeficiency Virus

“…This article emphasized the importance of understanding the psychosocial stresses that affect the well-being, care, and overall rehabilitation of children with HIV/AIDS. By integrating the management of psychosocial adjustment into treatment programs geared to each specific child and his or her family, professionals engaged in this work, including speech-language pathologists, will better serve the overall, diverse milieu that presents itself as HIV/AIDS (Muller, 1999). A more comprehensive view of treatment planning is required in this approach as well as an extension of the role of speech-language pathologists in treating these children.…”

“…A more comprehensive view of treatment planning is required in this approach as well as an extension of the role of speech-language pathologists in treating these children. Support for this view of rehabilitation is avail-able in the literature (Muller, 1999), specifically for children with HIV/AIDS. This approach to treatment challenges speechlanguage pathologists to become better informed about psychosocial issues and how they affect the overall child, not just in a counseling model or a medical model but within the framework of general speech, language, and cognitive rehabilitation.…”