Without that treatment alliance, it was obvious that patients would not recover in any meaningful way. We recognize the importance of training in interpersonal relations and many of our group therapies were designed to achieve this goal. We knew that therapy of any kind without establishing achievable goals was an endless process and that insight did not lead to behavioral changes with most people. Quite to the contrary, I believe that behavioral changes leads to insight. We saw that there were certain fundamental issues that had to be addressed.
Impulse control is critical.
Dealing with the here and now at least in the beginning of treatment, is vital. To quote Harry Stack Sullivan, recognizing 'that no one is utterly schizophrenic' is of paramount importance. When we see a patient with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, we find it therapeutically necessary to distinguish the healthy parts of that individual from the unhealthy parts. Talking about symptoms all the time, I believe, may reinforce them. Some Treatment Strategies When dealing with auditory hallucinations, using some of the distracting strategies recommended by Sylvano Arieti, is very useful.