Coping planning is an approach to supporting people who are distressed.Stallman, H. M. & Wilson, C. J. (2018). Can the mental health of Australians be improved by dual strategy for promotion and prevention? ''Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry'', 52(6), 602. It is part of a

biopsychosocial Biopsychosocial models are a class of trans-disciplinary models which look at the interconnection between biology, psychology, and socio-environmental factors. These models specifically examine how these aspects play a role in topics ranging from ...

approach to

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

and wellbeing that comprises healthy environments, responsive parenting, belonging, healthy activities,

coping Coping refers to conscious strategies used to reduce unpleasant emotions. Coping strategies can be cognitions or behaviours and can be individual or social. Theories of coping Hundreds of coping strategies have been proposed in an attempt to ...

psychological resilience Psychological resilience is the ability to cope mentally or emotionally with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly. The term was coined in the 1970s by a psychologist named Emmy E. Werner as she conducted a forty year long study o ...

and treatment of illness.Stallman, H. M. (2018). Coping planning: a patient-centred and strengths-focused approach to suicide prevention training. ''Australasian Psychiatry'', 26(2), 141–144. Coping planning normalises distress as a universal human experience. It draws on a health-focused approach to coping, to improve emotion regulation and decrease the memory of unpleasant emotions. Coping planning interventions are effective when people are supported in the process of forming coping plans.

Approach

Coping planning aims to meet the needs of people who ask for help with distress, including suicidal ideation. By addressing ''why'' someone asks for help, the focus stays on what the person needs rather than on what the helper wants to do. It provides an alternative to the widely used, but non-evidence-based risk-assessment approach to suicide prevention.

Needs assessment A needs assessment is a systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or "gaps", between current conditions and desired conditions or "wants". Needs assessment is part of planning. It can be used to clarify problems and identify appr ...

and support focuses on the individual needs of each person. They are rated as low (coping independently), moderate (may need additional low-intensity professional support), or high (needs immediate high-intensity professional support).

Applications

In addition to suicide prevention training for health professionals, coping planning has been used to train journalists, and to help a range of people cope better, including carers, university students, and with children to improve

emotional regulation Emotional self-regulation or emotion regulation is the ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with the range of emotions in a manner that is socially tolerable and sufficiently flexible to permit spontaneous reactions as well as ...

In suicide prevention

Coping planning is designed to contribute to suicide prevention in a number of ways. Firstly, it provides a framework to support people whenever they seek help, rather than waiting until they are considered high-risk for death by suicide. Secondly, it aims to focus on helping people to cope, rather than to stay safe from suicide, which, according to ironic process theory, makes it more likely that people will think about suicide. Healthy coping strategies improve overall wellbeing and reduce distress.Stallman, H. M., Ohan, J. L., & Chiera, B. (2018). The role of social support, being present, and self-kindness in university student psychological distress. ''Australian Psychologist'', 53(1), 52–59. The approach is designed for use in both low (e.g.,

psychological first aid Psychological first aid (PFA) is a technique designed to reduce the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder. It was developed by the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (NC-PTSD), a section of the United States Department of Ve ...

ers or telephone helplines) and high intensity services (e.g., emergency departments or

inpatient care Inpatient care is the care of patients whose condition requires admission to a hospital. Progress in modern medicine and the advent of comprehensive out-patient clinics ensure that patients are only admitted to a hospital when they are extreme ...

units).

References

{{Reflist Human behavior Psychological stress Planning Suicide prevention

Approach

Applications

In suicide prevention

See also

References