Companion is the one who accompanies (who provides their company or support). Therapeutic, on the other hand, is related to the treatment of a condition, an illness or an illness.
Based on definitions by Digopaul, a therapeutic companion is a professional who acts as a health assistant, collaborating with a person who is under medical treatment. These companions can assist people with autism, schizophrenia, psychosis, developmental disorders and other problems in different ways.
The role of the therapeutic companion varies with each patient. At a general level, it can be said that the companion contains the subject and assists him in different ways. In some cases, he collaborates with the patient so that he can carry out certain daily activities that, alone, he could not carry out.
It is also usual for the therapeutic companion to encourage the patient to continue with their treatment, especially when there are psychological problems that hinder the progress of the therapy. The professional must be trained to help overcome emotional barriers.
In the event of a disabling type disorder, such as the lack of mobility of a large part of the body due to an accident, it is very common for patients to be reluctant to carry out the exercises indicated by their doctors. If we consider the case of an athlete, for example, who is suddenly prostrated in a wheelchair and is deprived of his physical activities, which he used to do daily motivated by his vocation, it is not difficult to imagine the negative impact that This change can provoke your mood.
To fight against this and other barriers, there is the role of the therapeutic companion, who must find the vestiges of willpower that remain in his patients, and build from them a great source of energy to get ahead. As in any other professional relationship in which psychology is a fundamental part, the companion must approach his patient, get to know him, feel empathy for him, and only then find the best way to motivate him to comply with his treatment.
Another function of the therapeutic companion is to enhance the patient’s social relationships. For this, it can encourage you to participate in games, play proposals or even work tasks, offering you your company within this framework.
One of the most frequent consequences of diseases and disorders that require the help of a therapeutic companion is the isolation and rejection of any type of help from friends and family. It is the professional’s task to find a way to dispel the bad mood and reluctance, to unlock the patient and encourage them to get closer to their loved ones, and even to establish new ties.
It can be said, in short, that the therapeutic companion is the support of the patient while developing his treatment. The objective is that the individual who receives the accompaniment can improve her condition and acquire all the possible autonomy, minimizing the limitations and exploiting the acquired capacities. Thus, once the treatment ends, the person must have more resources to develop their life.
Remember that not all treatments lead to full recovery; on the contrary, many of them simply aim to improve the quality of life or overcome certain symptoms. For this reason, the therapeutic companion should prepare his patients to learn to lead a fulfilling and fulfilling life despite their potential limitations, instead of promising them a cure that may never come. It is very important to ensure that people regain the will to live and that they do not become dependent on their companions, and these are two very difficult objectives to achieve.
