Understanding the Differences: Formulation and Positive Behavioural Support

A strong therapeutic alliance between the healthcare professional and a resident (or a patient) is essential for the success of any intervention. This includes the whole team: from taking medication with the nurse, personal care with healthcare assistants, or therapeutic activities with the Multi Disciplinary Team, including physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Psychologists. At Cognity, we understand the importance of this alliance and we want to share with you some strategies to improve the relationship with your residents.

Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) and Psychological Formulation are two distinct approaches that aim to improve individuals’ well-being, but they focus on different aspects of support. At Cognity, our main objective is to help companies achieve their goals supporting their residents. Therefore, in this post, we will provide you with a series of proven strategies and practical advice to improve the relationship with your residents.

Positive Behavioural Support or PBS

The PBS primarily concentrates on behaviour management and intervention strategies. It is often applied to individuals with developmental challenges or behavioural issues. PBS emphasizes understanding the person’s strengths, interests, and struggles, and it promotes positive actions while setting clear expectations. The focus is on teaching new skills and creating a supportive environment to foster positive behaviour. It involves collaboration among family, friends, and professionals to provide consistent support and encouragement. The goal is to enhance the person’s quality of life and overall functioning.

Key Elements of PBS

• Understanding the Individual: PBS starts by knowing the person deeply – their interests, strengths, and struggles. By understanding them, we can offer the best support.
• Focus on Positivity: Instead of only punishing unwanted behaviours, PBS emphasizes promoting positive actions. Celebrating successes and offering rewards for good behaviour boosts motivation!
• Clear Expectations: Setting clear and achievable expectations helps the person know what’s expected of them, reducing confusion and anxiety.
• Teaching New Skills: Instead of just telling someone to stop a behaviour, PBS helps them learn new ways to cope and communicate effectively.
• Environment Matters: Creating a supportive environment can make a huge difference! Simple changes, like a quiet corner for breaks, can improve behaviour.
• Team Effort: PBS involves everyone – family, friends, teachers, professionals… and the individual! Working all together provide the best and most consistent support

Psychological Formulation

Psychological Formulation, on the other hand, is more comprehensive and rooted in psychology. It involves assessing an individual’s thoughts, emotions, experiences, and past traumas to understand the underlying psychological factors contributing to their difficulties. The formulation provides a detailed analysis of the person’s mental and emotional state, helping professionals tailor personalized interventions and treatment plans. It considers the person’s history, beliefs, and life events, aiming to offer deep insights into their challenges and behaviours. Psychological Formulation is widely used in clinical settings to guide therapeutic approaches and address various mental health concerns.

Key Elements for a good formulation

• Predisposing elements which contributed as breeding ground for the condition – distal external and internal factors that increased vulnerability and acted as foundations.
• Precipitating elements – proximal triggers which has led to the full presentation of the problem.
• Presenting issues – understanding the presenting problems in terms of emotions, behaviours, thoughts, and physiology using the ‘hot cross bun’.
• Perpetuating – internal and external factors that maintain the problem.
• Protective – resilience and strengths that help maintain the mental health.

In summary, Psychological Formulation is widely used for any kind of psychological intervention and delves deep into a person’s psychology to guide individualized treatments, while the Positive Behavioural Support is part of the output, it focuses on managing behaviours and enhancing daily functioning. However, both approaches play crucial roles in promoting well-being and supporting individuals to lead fulfilling lives.

At Cognity we believe in you so that you believe in us

Improving the relationship with your residents requires a strategic and constant approach. By getting to know your residents, personalizing your approach, communicating effectively, offering added value, getting feedback, and staying up to date with the latest interventions, you can build strong, long-lasting relationships with your residents, their families, and the local authorities.

At Cognity we are happy to help you and advise you on everything you need to improve the support offered to your service users. We are committed to providing a personalized approach and quality services to achieve success in every intervention done by your team. What are you waiting for? Contact us today!