International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2025 рrint ISSN: 2617-2682; online ISSN: 2707-3637; DOI:10.26697/ijsa LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTER TO THE EDITOR Psychological Rehabilitation and/or Dehabilitation: What Role Do They Play in a Psychologist’s Work? Borshch K. K. 1 1 Uzhhorod National University, Ukraine Received: 24.10.2025; Accepted: 25.11.2025; Published: 25.12.2025 Abstract Background and In modern psychology, the study of processes that restore and maintain Aim of Study: psychological health occupies an important place. Psychological rehabilitation and dehabilitation are two key concepts closely related to this field. While rehabilitation aims to restore impaired mental functions, social skills, and emotional balance in the client, dehabilitation reflects the opposite process – the gradual or sudden loss of adaptive abilities due to trauma, chronic stress, disorders, or adverse social conditions. The aim of the study: to determine the relationship between psychological rehabilitation and dehabilitation for effective planning of psychological interventions, adjusting psychotherapeutic strategies, and predicting the dynamics of a client’s condition. Conclusions: With the skillful and qualified work of a psychologist, psychological rehabilitation and dehabilitation are complementary processes. Rehabilitation helps restore lost functions and skills, while dehabilitation helps the client adapt to a new condition, reducing the impact of impairments on their lives. Keywords: psychological rehabilitation, dehabilitation, integration, adaptive abilities, dysfunctional behavior patterns Copyright: © 2025 Borshch K. K. Published by Archives of International Journal of Science Annals DOI: https://doi.org/10.26697/ijsa.2025.2.4 Conflict of interests: The author declares that there is no conflict of interests Peer review: Double-blind review Source of support: This research did not receive any outside funding or support Information about Borshch Kostiantyn Kostiantynovych (Corresponding Author) – the author: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3310-9315; k.borsch@uzhnu.edu.ua, Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology, Affiliated Associate Professor, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine. Dear Editor, In modern clinical psychology and psychotherapy, psychological functions, skills, and abilities lost or increasing attention is being paid to a comprehensive impaired due to illness, injury, or adverse life approach to restoring mental health and adaptive circumstances. This process is designed to optimize an capacity. Traditionally, the primary focus has been on the individual’s social functioning, self-care, and social rehabilitation of people with disabilities. However, in integration (Barbato & D’Avanzo, 2016; Kallivayalil & recent years, the social model of disability has become Varughese, 2020). outdated, and specialists are increasingly turning to the The primary objectives of psychological rehabilitation concept of dehabilitation as a necessary component of are to restore or compensate for impaired mental comprehensive psychotherapy (Goering, 2015). functions, develop adaptive coping strategies, enhance Understanding the relationship between these processes social interaction skills, and improve quality of life and opens new perspectives for effective psychological care. subjective well-being. A variety of methods are According to researchers, psychological rehabilitation is employed in the rehabilitation process, including a systematic process of restoring or developing cognitive-behavioral therapy, social skills training, 59 International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2025 рrint ISSN: 2617-2682; online ISSN: 2707-3637; DOI:10.26697/ijsa psychoeducational programs, art therapy, body-oriented disrupt Beck’s cognitive triad, which includes negative practices, and group psychotherapy (Koch & Rumrill, ideas about the self, the world, and the future, as well as 2016; Singha, 2024; Stadnik et al., 2019). to reduce passive, avoidant behavior. The rehabilitation An essential aspect of rehabilitation is its multi-level component includes behavioral activation, developing nature. At the cognitive level, attention, memory, problem-solving skills, and developing the ability to thinking, and other mental processes are restored. The enjoy activities. When working with addictions, emotional level includes work on affect regulation and dehabilitation involves breaking down the psychological overcoming anxiety and depression. The behavioral defense system and denying behavioral patterns component focuses on developing functional behavior associated with psychoactive drug use. At the same time, patterns, while the social level aims to restore rehabilitation focuses on developing healthy coping communication skills and social connections (Koch & strategies, developing emotional regulation, and building Rumrill, 2016). supportive social relationships (Marques & Queiros, Essentially, rehabilitation is, first and foremost, a process 2021). of improving the quality of the body’s restorative and Effective integration of rehabilitation and dehabilitation compensatory processes, consciously correcting their requires, in our opinion, adherence to the following course, taking into account the consequences for life methodological principles: (Singha, 2024). A further humanization of psychosocial The principle of consistency suggests that the degree of support for clients characterizes modern trends in dehabilitation should correspond to the individual's psychological rehabilitation. An essential task for the readiness for change and the availability of alternative psychologist when working with a client is to establish resources. Too rapid a destruction of pathological an optimal and acceptable balance between the degree of defense mechanisms without the development of rehabilitation of the lost function and the possible substitute strategies can lead to crisis and regression. impairment of other systems. That is, in each specific The principle of individualization requires consideration case, it is necessary to determine the price the body will of the unique characteristics of the individual, their pay for the restoration of a given function during resources, developmental history, and current state. What rehabilitation (Haegele & Hodge, 2016; Lecardeur et al., is dysfunctional for one person may be adaptive for 2025). another. Here, in our opinion, the clinical psychologist must The principle of active client participation assumes that consider the client's dehabilitation process (Riddle, all processes should be carried out with the client's 2020). Dehabilitation, essentially, is a decrease in a conscious participation and desire. Forced dehabilitation person’s functional capacity leading to the inability to or rehabilitation is ineffective and can lead to increased perform habitual actions. It can also be caused by resistance. ineffective psychotherapy, a fixation on losses, or other The principle of systems requires consideration of all errors in the psychologist's work. Here, this process must levels of individual functioning and their social proceed in a targeted and managed manner, gradually environment, since changes at one level inevitably affect replacing dysfunctional behavior patterns with healthier others. and more productive strategies for the client’s functioning in society (Melnyk & Stadnik, 2018). Of Conclusions particular importance is the weakening or elimination of In conclusion, I would like to discuss the specific acquired helplessness and a passive life position, which problems and limitations of this context. One of the develop as a result of prolonged exposure to a state of primary challenges is determining the optimal pace and impairment (Levitt, 2017; Owens, 2015). Also balance of these processes for a particular client. Too significant is the rejection of the disability identity, when intensive dehabilitation without sufficient rehabilitation the client overidentifies with the role of the patient or support can lead to decompensation, while focusing victim, which hinders their recovery (Malka, 2025). exclusively on rehabilitation without addressing Essential aspects of the managed dehabilitation process dysfunctional patterns leads to superficial changes. are: Another challenge is the need to address resistance at - reducing dependence on external assistance; multiple levels. Resistance can manifest not only at the - reducing the impact of disability on the client’s life; individual level but also at the systemic level, when the - developing social and psychological activity despite client's immediate circle derives secondary benefit from limitations (Odame et al., 2025). maintaining their disability. In such cases, it is necessary Let us consider specific examples of the interaction of to extend therapeutic work to the client’s family. rehabilitation and dehabilitation in the process of a There are also limitations related to the severity and psychologist’s work. When working with post-traumatic nature of the disorder. In cases of severe organic brain stress disorder, dehabilitation involves gradually damage or severe psychotic states, dehabilitation options weakening the avoidance behavior and hypercontrol that may be significantly limited, and the focus must shift to initially protected the psyche from re-traumatization. rehabilitating intact functions and adapting to limitations. Concurrently, rehabilitation work is conducted to In such cases, setting realistic therapeutic goals is develop affect regulation skills, integrate the traumatic essential (Singha, 2024). experience into life history, and restore a sense of safety. Thus, psychological rehabilitation and dehabilitation, In the case of depressive disorders, dehabilitation aims to when performed by a skilled and qualified psychologist, 60 International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2025 рrint ISSN: 2617-2682; online ISSN: 2707-3637; DOI:10.26697/ijsa are complementary processes. Rehabilitation helps Mike Oliver. Disability & Society, 32(4), 589– restore lost functions and skills, while dehabilitation 594. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1300390 helps the client adapt to a new condition, reducing the Malka, M. (2025). Disability as a transitional state in the impact of impairments on their lives. lived experiences of undergraduate students navigating disabilities in academic arenas. Ethical Approval Disability & Society, 40(11), 2966–2996. The study protocol was consistent with the ethical https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2025.2458687 guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki as Marques, A., & Queiros, R. (Eds.). (2021). 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