STRESS INOCULATION THERAPY - SIT
Meichenbaum 1985
involves changing the way that a person thinks - cognitive restructuring
positive thinking leads to changes in attitudes and feelings (emotional response), reduces stress response and leads to a change behaviour
a form of CBT
being to cope better in future situations
phase 1 - conceptualisation
encouraged to relive stressful situations and to analyse the features of that situation
identify how they coped and why that strategy may not have be succesful
main cognitive element and involves the therapist interviewing the client to investigate the client's sources of stress
client is taught to view perceived threats as problems to be solved
they break down stressors into specific components that can be coped with
phase 2 - skills acquisition
the client will initially practice with the therapist and then rehearse in real life situations
skills
taught specific and non specific coping strategies.
skills are both cognitive and behavioural
positive thinking
relaxation
social skills such as body posture
rehearsal - how are the skills learnt
modelling - watching someone else cope with the stressor then imitating the behaviour
role playing - acting out scenes involving stressors
imagery - imagining how to deal with the stressful situation
phase 3 - application
these will become increasingly stressful
taught to anticipate stress
clients are given opportunities to apply the newly learnt coping skills in different situations
empirical support
procedure
findings
holcomb 1986
a) SIT b) SIT and drug treatment c) drug treatment
assigned 26 psychiatric patients with severe stress and anxiety disorders to:
SIT was superior to drugs in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and distress
a 3 year follow up showed SIT group required fewer admissions for psychiatric problems. suggests drug therapy may hinder recovery
deals with cause, not just symptoms
gives patients skills and confidence to cope with future problems
effective over ling periods and across different stressful situations
time consuming
can take much longer when dealing with clinical disorders 8-15 sessions
some people may not like to discuss their feelings or work at changing the way they think
requires high motivation and commitment
individuals may not complete the therapy - high attrition rates