COUNSELING

Counseling is an integral and very important part of leprosy care and health services delivered in hospital, where leprosy affected individual and family is counseled in “holistic care”- because of high grade of social stigma, negative perception of disease, poor awareness and knowledge, poor self & social acceptance, poor psychological coping, poor socioeconomically condition counseling care is more necessary and important. There are two major area of counseling for leprosy affected person or family.

1.

Leprosy educational/ motivational counseling

2.

Psychological counseling / psychological coping skill with diagnosis and its community consequences. Due to illiteracy and lack of awareness their fears are more difficult to deal. Counselor act as a psychological care provider, and as a bridge between clinician and patients. All leprosy registered patients as well as all follow-ups leprosy patients receive counseling so they can cope up themselves with their problems

3.

Fear of stigma & discrimination, fear of reactions of significant others, fear of future, fear of disfigurement.

4.

The need for educational counseling to the leprosy affected is due to the followings

5.

Misconceptions regarding the infectivity, inadequate knowledge about the disease, beliefs about the disease