Psychological support for severely brain damaged people
Psychological support for a person affected by severe brain damage is basically aimed at creating a new definition of the self in relation to one’s own past life, planning, future expectations, current limits and potential. This means recreating continuity in the patient’s life that was suspended after a traumatic and unexpected event, from adapting to the disease’s consequences to living with limitations and a new but fulfilling identity.
The patient living with brain injury is not the only one who has to face the new and challenging situation. Their relatives have to deal with the traumatic event too. When the patient’s clinical situation has stabilised, relatives can experience different emotional conditions; among the most common are the feeling of loss, bewilderment, stress, pain, anxiety and psychosomatic reactions (sleep disorders, severe headaches, etc.). In this case, psychotherapy is aimed at allowing “acceptance” of the new condition through complex life adjustments and support when facing post trauma issues.
In relation to individual needs, problems and the set goals, it is possible to put into action the following services:
- individual psychotherapy
- couple’s psychotherapy
- family psychotherapy
- counselling
