PSYCHOSOCIAL

What is psychosocial?

ECCA defines psychosocial as follows.

Psychosocial is a combination of two words.

Psycho meaning the mind {feelings, thoughts, beliefs, emotions, behavior, attitudes and perceptions}

Social refers to a person's social world {relationship with others and the environment}

Therefore psychosocial refers to the dynamic relationship between psychological and social experiences whereby the effects of one are continuously influencing the other.

For example:

A man discovered that he had HIV/AIDS. The affirmation of his positive status affected his way of living and that of his family. There were psychological effects which included feelings of frustration, regret, hopelessness, anger, shame, blame, and denial. This further triggered attitudinal change and constant suicidal thoughts experienced by both the individual and the family members.

These psychological problems led to social problems: drug abuse, domestic violence, poverty, and family conflicts. Therefore this can clearly portray that the relationship between the psychological and social experiences is dynamic.

So ECCA handles the two aspects concurrently by providing counseling to the survivors of gender based violence, to alleviate the psychological trauma predominantly caused by an individual's social world.