If I say "psychoeducator", what, or who do you think about? Some of you will say that a psychoeducator is someone who works with children in a school. Others will say they have no idea. Psychoeducation, a discipline that is currently growing, is used to help people of all ages and backgrounds having trouble adjusting to different situations. A psychoeducator’s client base and work environment are really varied as they kind of are experts on coping. The world of psychoeducation is vast, believe me!

We all went through hardships that have forced us to adjust to them. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are tests in themselves that cause people to adjust to their disease and accept themselves. This is not something easy to do for a person suffering from an IBD. Our society thrives on the fear of being judged by others, which influences whether or not we choose to share the hardship we go through with others. A lot of people suffering from an IBD choose not to because of this. Let’s be honest, talking about poop is taboo, and IBDs are not well known by the general public.

Being friends with Andréanne for a long time, I got to see her when she was weakened. I saw all those evenings where her illness took over and prevented her from enjoying those moments. It took some time before Andréanne shared her diagnosis with us. I’d say it took time before she felt comfortable enough to talk about it and accept it. It obviously takes time as the person needs to understand and go through this hardship at their own pace. I really believe that having family and friends who are open-minded and not judgmental helps people with an IBD feel comfortable enough to share their diagnosis, and thus accept their condition and live fully.

When on the way to acceptance, people with an IBD should try to physically adjust to the constraints of their disease, like the pain and weight loss, and having to go to the bathroom often. They should also try to psychologically adjust to what the disease causes them to feel, like fatigue, stress and fear. Here’s a concrete example of having to adjust to your disease: the location of washrooms. A person suffering from an IBD will look for the nearest washroom when in a new place, just in case they’d suddenly need to go.

People can therefore experience adjustment problems because of those diseases. This is why multiple specialists are at your disposal. I mentioned before that family and friends need to be open minded and welcoming, but they must also know when to seek help for the person they love. Do not hesitate to see a psychoeducator, a psychologist, an enterostomal therapist nurse, a doctor, etc. They will be able to help and guide you on the path of adaptation and acceptance, because, after all, the most important thing is to feel good and healthy.

Kloé

Psychoeducation graduate student

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