what is Therapy Monitoring?
At Resolutions, we utilize an integrative and holistic approach to mental health. Our bespoke treatment programs combine elements of experiential and talk therapy with medication management, skills training, group support, and much more. Our experienced staff members share diverse medical and mental health-related backgrounds and bring different forms of expertise to the table.
When each treatment plan is unique, individually adjusted, and entirely flexible, it becomes important to measure and monitor progress to ensure that milestones are being met, and a positive outcome is being reached. This is why we utilize a rigorous form of therapy monitoring for each of our clients, through our own professional assessments and client-based self-monitoring.
Importance of Monitoring Therapy
What is the goal of therapy? On an individual level, goals differ from person to person. Some clients want to focus on addressing their long-standing depressive symptoms. Others struggle with anxiety. Others have difficulties in relationships and social settings and wish to prioritize their social skills. Over time, the goals of therapy can change. Yet overall, therapy seeks to improve, maintain, or help find the definition of a person’s mental wellbeing.
Defining progress when the goal is to “get better” can be difficult, but there are tangible metrics. For example, many psychiatrists utilize diagnostic worksheets to track feelings of suicidality, loneliness, or anxiety in stressful situations. Consistent monitoring can help determine if these markers are going down over time – if therapy is successful in helping a client feel less suicidal, less lonely, less anxious, in relation to their last check-in.
Regularly monitoring your own progress can also give you a sense of how far you have come. Self-monitoring through recording your own thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviors can create a timeline of improvement, and treatment effectiveness. In addition to being a form of therapy, journaling is also a known form of self-monitoring. Self-monitoring can also have a positive therapeutic effect by being a recurring reminder of how things can get better.
Methods of Monitoring Therapy
There are different forms of monitoring therapy at Resolutions. These include:
- Regular Assessments: Consistent assessments through surveys, conversations, and mental health check-ins during treatment can give us a better idea of how you’re progressing with your treatment plan, and whether any changes are necessary.
- Clinical Interviews: In-depth clinical interviews give psychiatrists and therapists a chance to dig deeper than a survey might, by reviewing answers or reactions to certain questions.
- Self-Reporting Tools: Self-monitoring can be a useful tool, but has its limitations, such as consistency and reliability.
Behavioral Observations: Aside from asking direct questions, therapists can also determine through other behavioral observations if certain things have changed for the better or worse.
Challenges in Monitoring Therapy
There are challenges to monitoring therapy. Sometimes, things get worse. Results can be discouraging if progress seems slow. Treatment effectiveness might be overshadowed by the fear of not getting better. It’s important for the monitoring process itself not to become a source of anxiety.
Consistency is another difficulty with self-monitoring. In cases where self-monitoring can be a form of positive reinforcement, consistent self-monitoring can be a good example of expressing gratitude within a treatment framework. However, in cases where self-monitoring is less consistent, and progress resembles a sine wave, checking-in can become a form of discouragement.
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Call our admissions line below or fill out the following contact form to reach a Resolutions Therapeutic Services representative.
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