A case manager working with clients who have Asperger's, schizophrenia, or mood disorders with psychotic features focuses on preventing further decompensation. This treatment is known as what?

• A. Supportive therapy
• B. Psychoanalysis
• C. Cognitive therapy
• D. Pharmacotherapy

Answer: (A)

Preventing further decompensation is the hallmark of supportive therapy. This approach centers on maintaining daily functioning and providing a stable, reassuring relationship, helping clients cope with stress, teaching practical coping skills, and ensuring adherence to treatment and access to resources. It aims to reduce relapse risk by bolstering supports, offering emotional containment, and planning for crises, which is particularly helpful for individuals with Asperger’s, schizophrenia, or mood disorders with psychotic features who are vulnerable to deterioration.

Psychoanalysis focuses on long-term exploration of unconscious conflicts, which isn’t oriented toward immediate stabilization. Cognitive therapy aims to identify and modify distorted thoughts and beliefs, a structured process that targets thinking patterns rather than primarily preventing decompensation. Pharmacotherapy involves medications and medical management rather than a psychotherapy approach.