Arrive, understand, stabilise.
In the first phase of inpatient treatment, the patient's symptoms, external life circumstances and problems, as well as their medical history, are documented. The psychiatric diagnostic assessment is complemented by a comprehensive medical admission examination.
The goals of treatment and expectations of therapy are discussed with the respective primary therapist, so that an indication-specific, individual therapy plan can be developed collaboratively and implemented in the concrete weekly and daily schedule.
In the first therapy phase, with distance from the home and work environment, the focus is on stabilising the patient — who is often under significant inner distress — on establishing a therapeutic working alliance, on understanding the individual therapy plan, and on becoming familiar with the various therapy offerings. Transparency, psychoeducation and a solid therapeutic relationship play a decisive role in acceptance of the condition, treatment motivation and willingness to engage with the therapy offerings indicated from a medical and therapeutic perspective. A model of the respective illness aetiology can be developed in order to recognise and understand triggering, maintaining or predisposing factors of one's own clinical presentation.
In line with the severity of the presenting symptoms and the previous course of illness, each patient is also informed about pharmacological treatment options or any existing need for psychopharmacological therapy.
