I’m working on a psychology discussion question and need an explanation to help me learn.

Chapter 5 addresses prevention strategies for mental health challenges. Some of the strategies presented are broad based and are considered “primary prevention”, or interventions that take place before a problem occurs. The chapter illustrates four major interventions: stress management programs (p. 133); health and wellness interventions (p. 139); parenting and family-focused programs (p. 143), and life skills training (p. 145).

For this discussion:

• Describe the four interventions and their goals
• Briefly discuss which one you would choose, and why, if you only had funding for the creation of a program focusing on only one of the four strategies (300 words)

Please reply to the following posts, 200 words each reply

Post 1

This chapter revised the practical applications of developmental preventive interventions designed for the population. These interventions improve human development and prevent problems through educational methods. It illustrated the delicate balance between people’s resources and their life circumstances in the development of mental health problems. The interventions are designed to strengthen people’s skills and resource. The educational approaches discussed in the chapter include:

–Stress management: Counselors can help individuals examine the stressors in their lives through the study of patient’s own responses, and make resolutions to manage and reduce the stress they are experiencing.  For counselor there are different options for interrupting the stress-response cycle, such as taking action against the stressor by altering the environment, altering one’s cognitive responses to the stressor, and making lifestyle changes. All of these interventions can modify the individual physiological responses to stress. On the other hand, stress management workshops are another way to deal with the stress and it is use as a preventive education format, designed to provide a safe and mutually supportive environment in which clients can develop new insights and skills to cope with the stressful situation.

–Health and wellness interventions: The concept of wellness is inextricably connected with several major themes related to wholeness in mind, body, spirit, and community. Individuals can improve the state of their health and reduce the costs of medical care during their lifespan. In the community counseling model, the counselor can design and create programs to promote the well-being for different populations according to the needs. These programs require two fundamental considerations. First, consider the physiological, environmental, psychological, and cultural factors that affect a client’s health and well-being. The second, requires to involve and encourage clients to take personal responsibility for their own health. Thus, a key element in this preventive approach is the individual’s willingness and ability to take greater control of the patient’s wellness.

– Parenting and family-focused programs: This program has an impact on child development, and affect the stability of life for all family members. Parenting programs and a variety of other family-focused preventive strategies have an important role in healthy human development. Individual wellness requires relational wellness. Parenting program was designed to help parents communicate effectively with children and youth population at risk for developing problems with substance abuse, delinquency, or school drop-out. Based on social learning, CBT (Cognitive- behavioral), and family systems theories, the programs have the goal to increase parental communication and disciplinary skills.

– Life skill trainings: Those programs refer to competencies that enhance the own ability to realize a personal, satisfying and productive life through facing stressful situation. Life skills training programs currently operate in public schools, community colleges, universities, mental health agencies, hospitals, and businesses across the United States.  A lot of people buy self-help books to learn how to realize their human potential, develop healthy lifestyles, acquire effective interpersonal skills, and become proficient decision makers and life planners. Counselors should understand this popular area of work. Empirical evidence is supporting the effectiveness of life skills training programs, especially those designed to promote clients’ social and problem-solving abilities. Researchers have noted that the emphasis on the prevention and the development of personal competencies has substantially enhanced the successful adjustment and personal satisfaction of people of diverse backgrounds and ages.

I would like to use Stress management programs because I have experienced benefits on applying stress-management techniques on myself. I think that everyone should have access to learn how to manage the stressors in their life. It is not only about managing stress, but it is also about learning how to thrive, fostering psychological well-being by energizing work climates, enhancing relationships, and maximizing personal strengths.

Post 2 

The first of the interventions is stress management. The goal of stress management is to help clients develop insight and build skills to cope with stress. In order to help clients, manage their stress counselors can address four areas which include altering the environment, altering cognitive responses to stress, making lifestyle changes and modifying psychological responses to stress. With altering the environment individuals can use problem-solving, interpersonal skills and time management to minimize stress. To alter cognitive responses to stress counselors, aim to help clients reframe the way they think about stressful situations by using cognitive restructuring. Counselors help clients examine their dysfunctional thinking patterns, changing faulty thinking, understanding how unrealistic cognitions affect maladaptive emotions and promote stress responses. To make lifestyle changes counselors help clients identify unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and provide psychoeducational and life skills trainings to help them manage stress effectively. To alter psychological responses to stress counselors, help client’s learn techniques such as relaxation training, mental imagery, biofeedback training and meditation to avoid long-term impacts of stress. There are stress management workshops to help clients identify stressors, use cognitive restructuring, stress reduction through relaxation and identifying successful strategies that fit their own needs.

    The second intervention is health promotion and wellness programs that aim to help clients adapt to health concerns and avoid long term effects on their mental and physical wellbeing. They also aim to help clients develop attitudes that promote wellness and how to implement behaviors that will increase levels of health and well-being.The third intervention is parenting and family-focused programs that focuses on preventative strategies to promote healthy development and strengthen families by helping children have better chances for healthy growth into their adulthood. There are parenting programs that are to help parents learn how to effectively communicate with their children.The family-focused programs are designed to help increase family resilience and provide skills training to parents and children. 

    The fourth intervention is life skills training to promote personal competence by promoting social and problem-solving abilities. These programs focus on building intrapersonal competencies by helping individual develop a positive sense of self-esteem and self-management skills. The programs also aim to improve interpersonal competencies by helping individuals learn how to communicate effectively with others.

    If I only had funding for one of the interventions, I would choose stress management. I feel stress management prevention and counseling programs would benefit clients overall. Stress us inevitable as the book says and I believe children and adults have a better quality of life when they are able to manage stress. Learning to manage stress also minimizes the probability of other mental health disorders that could develop as a result.

The book: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JyPYva-8tmih9lwE8…