Coping planning explained

Coping planning is an approach to supporting people who are distressed.^{[1] [2]} It is part of a biopsychosocial^[3] approach to mental health and well-being that comprises healthy environments, responsive parenting, belonging, healthy activities, coping, psychological resilience and treatment of illness.^[4] Coping planning normalises distress as a universal human experience.^[5] It draws on a health-focused approach to coping, to improve emotion regulation and decrease the memory of unpleasant emotions.^[6] Coping planning interventions are effective when people are supported in the process of forming coping plans.^[7]

Approach

Coping planning aims to meet the needs of people who ask for help with distress, including suicidal ideation.^[4] 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.^[8] Needs assessment 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.

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.^[9] Secondly, it aims to focus on helping people to cope, rather than to stay safe from suicide, which, according to ironic process theory,^[10] makes it more likely that people will think about suicide. Healthy coping strategies improve overall wellbeing^[11] and reduce distress.^[12] The approach is designed for use in both low (e.g., psychological first aiders or telephone helplines) and high intensity services (e.g., emergency departments or inpatient care units).

See also

• Counseling psychology

Notes and References

1. 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.
2. Stallman, H. M., Ohan, J. L. (2018). The alignment of law, practice and need in suicide prevention. BJPsych Bulletin, 42(2), 51–53.
3. Engel G. L. (1980). "The clinical application of the biopsychosocial model". American Journal of Psychiatry, 137(5), 535–544.
4. Stallman, H. M. (2018). Coping planning: a patient-centred and strengths-focused approach to suicide prevention training. Australasian Psychiatry, 26(2), 141–144.
5. Coping is for Everyone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqAbIlD7jaQ
6. Katsumi, Y. & Dolcos, S. (2018). Suppress to feel and remember less: Neural correlates of explicit and implicit emotional suppression on perception and memory. Neuropsychologia,
7. Kwasnicka, D., Presseau, J., White, M., & Sniehotta, F. F. (2013). Does planning how to cope with anticipated barriers facilitate health-related behaviour change? A systematic review, Health Psychology Review, 7:2, 129–145,
8. Franklin, J. C., Ribeiro, J. D., Fox, K. R., Bentley, K. H., Kleiman, E. M., Huang, X., et al. (2017). Risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors: A meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Psychological Bulletin, 143(2), 187–232
9. Stallman, H. M. (2017). Meeting the needs of patients who have suicidal thoughts presenting to Emergency Departments. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 29(6), 749.
10. Wegner, Daniel M. (1989). White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts: Suppression, Obsession, and the Psychology of Mental Control. Viking. .
11. Stallman, H. M., Ohan, J. L., & Chiera, B. (2018). The role of social support, being present, and self-kindness in university student wellbeing. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 46(4), 365–374.
12. 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.