Coping: implications for health practitioners.

Because coping plays an important role in sustaining individuals' overall functioning in illness, professionals need to become more skilled in maximizing its potential. The practitioner who takes the responsibility for assessing and strengthening clients; coping skills can lessen the negative impact of the illness. Although present theory on coping provides only initial guidance for this endeavor, a number of useful models and tool are available to study the coping process. Their introduction into clinical practice is strongly recommended.