THE FUTURE ROLES FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY IN THE MEDICAL-SURGICAL ARENA

Two major forces now influence the health care delivery system (1) those associated with concerns for costs of service delivery and (2) those associated with concerns for quality of life. Both issues are now addressed in terms of preventative health measures, wellness projects, and health risk appraisal. Factors influencing costs and health quality are less biological than motivational. Achieving new levels of national health will require effective, short-term, cost-contained psychological and psychotherapeutic means of enlisting the participation of the individual in managing health risk factors. An examination of the specified health goals for the next decade reveals an emphasis on the regulation of psychophysiologic and somatopsychologic patterns among individuals at specified developmental stages. Concurrent psychotherapeutic treatment of high-risk groups must reduce rates of maladaptive behavior while increasing both the rate of recovery and frequency of health promoting behaviors.