BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL–SPIRITUAL RESILIENCE INTERVIEW: Understanding and Promoting Well-Being in Patients Living With Medical Conditions

Abstract

The biopsychosocial–spiritual (BPSS) resilience interview is a multidimensional approach to understanding an individual’s overall health, considering biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions and their interactions. By incorporating concepts from the biopsychosocial (BPS) model and systemic resilience with spirituality, one can gain a deeper understanding of patients’ strengths, challenges, and resources within their ecological systems, which helps promote a more adaptive capacity to respond to the stressors of a medical illness. By viewing a patient’s and family’s illness experiences through this lens and using a BPSS resiliency interview, mental health therapists can gain a fuller understanding and address the multidimensional nature of health and resilience. This chapter explores the integration of the BPS model, spirituality, and systemic resilience in the context of individuals diagnosed with medical conditions and provides practical suggestions for modifying the BPSS assessment to include additional resiliency factors that can be used to enhance overall health and well-being.