9.1. The Basic Principles of Psychological Help: Normalisation, Partnership, Individuality

The fundamental principles of psychological help play an important role in providing effective support and assistance to people facing psychological difficulties. Here are several of these principles:

A) The principle of normalisation.

The condition following psychological trauma requires great effort from a person in order to return to their usual level of functioning, since a person tends to confuse the unusualness of their reaction to the trauma with the unusualness of their behaviour, with the unusualness of themselves. A person’s thoughts and feelings in the post-traumatic period of their life can be painful and incomprehensible not only to themselves, but also to relatives and colleagues, and even to specialists, if they are not familiar with such psychological manifestations. For the quickest recovery from a state of stress, it is important for a person to accept their behaviour as “normal” behaviour. If it is explained to them that their reactions are a consequence of the stress they have undergone, then they will be able to actively participate in the recovery process, understanding at the same time the causes of the symptoms and their dynamics. This principle implies that psychological difficulties and emotional reactions to them are part of normal human experience. Psychological help should strive to reduce stigmatisation and to recognise that many people encounter similar difficulties over the course of their lives. This principle helps to reduce the feeling of guilt and isolation in those who seek help.

B) The principle of partnership and the enhancement of personal dignity.

The process of “recovery” in emotional terms includes repeated re-experiencing, avoidance, heightened sensitivity, and self-blame. Given this, the therapeutic relationship must be built on mutual trust, jointly choosing strategies of behaviour. The person should not feel any additional danger arising from their rights being infringed in an aspect as important to any human being as personal growth and development. A person after a catastrophe, with the “experience” of cruel treatment, with diminished dignity and helplessness, is a person with a diminished sense of their own “self”. The diminishing of self-esteem is proportional to the degree of victimisation. But the same helplessness may also be felt by those who survived the catastrophe but were not subjected to cruelty and humiliation. Therefore partnership is the therapeutic alliance that brings the greatest benefit to recovery. Cooperation between the psychologist and the client is important. This means that the psychologist must work with the client as an equal partner, rather than as someone who needs to be "fixed" or "controlled". The psychologist must respect the client’s autonomy and, together with them, develop a plan of action and strategies for help.

C) The principle of individuality.

Undoubtedly, every person has their own path of recovery after experiencing stress. A human reaction to stress is always more complex than general psychological reactions to stress. Therefore the psychologist must understand and value individual experiences, the individual manner of post-traumatic regulation. Partners in the process of emerging from a state of stress should know the general picture of symptoms, have an idea of the order of release, but they must be prepared for the particular manifestations and individual nature of the experiences and of the transition to a normal mode of functioning. The psychologist should remember that the principle of individuality sometimes contradicts the principle of removing the uniqueness of the experience. By showing that the experiences are not unique and fall within the general symptomatology, we inadvertently equate the affected person with the averaged mass. Every person is unique, and therefore the approach to psychological help must be individualised. This means taking into account the personal characteristics, values, cultural and social context of each client. The same approaches do not suit everyone, and the psychologist must adapt their approach to the needs of the specific person.

These principles help to create an empathetic and effective interaction between the psychologist and the client. They also contribute to improving the outcomes of therapy and help clients feel more comfortable and confident in the process of receiving psychological support.