Mental Nursing: Developing a Therapeutic Relationship for Mental Health Care

Running head: MENTAL NURSING
MENTAL NURSING
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1ReferencesMENTAL NURSING
1.
With respect to nursing care especially in psychiatric or mental health nursing,
development of a therapeutic relationship through interpersonal interaction forms the core
or the fundamental element of providing mental health care. However establishment of a
proper therapeutic relationship requires a great deal of skill set (Townsend & Morgan,
2017). According to a study, provision of therapeutic care to these individuals, demands
intensified presence and not closes or disappearances. This is not however not possible in
all cases as provision of care to the mental health patients is often in conjunction with
treatment of an involuntary manner. According to Boszormenyi-Nagy & Framo, (2013),
the amount of therapeutic relationship developed between the care giver and the patient
can be measured through the elements like warmth or judgementalness. Through this a
therapeutic relationship can be distinguished a being good or bad (Videbeck & Videbeck,
2013).
The major elements that are believed to be part of the development of a
therapeutic relationship that is respectful of the patient’s choices, experiences and
circumstances comprises of firstly the element of understanding. Conveyance of
understanding is important as the patient instills the feeling of being important. This
feeling is significant for these individuals for survival in the society, as they are often
stigmatized because of their mental illness (Lloyd-Evans et al., 2014). The nurses
empower them and in turn influence their treatment, thus in turn promoting
individualized care. In addition to understanding, another element is active listening.
Through active listening, the care givers are able to better hear out the patients and can
provide proper attention to the needs of the patients (Dixon, Holoshitz & Nossel, 2016).

2ReferencesMENTAL NURSING
The patients also understand in this way that their care givers are interested in their care
giving process. Another element is proper communication, and appreciation of the
problems and the circumstances of the patient. In order to develop a unique therapeutic
relationship with the patient, an in depth personal knowledge is required of the patient.
This helps the care givers to understand the uniqueness of the situation of the patient. In a
study, it was stated that rather than displaying just a acting out behavior, the professionals
must make an effort to look beyond the superficial situation and understand the true
meaning of the behavior of the patient (Chinman et al., 2014). However developing an in
depth knowledge requires a level of understanding requires time and skill to understand.
Another important aspect is the respect towards the unique personal experience of
the patient. According to (Rüsch et al., 2014), the mental health nurse or care giver is
required to treat the patient’s personal experiences as a gift brought to the relationship. It
is the duty of the professional to encourage the expression of thoughts and feelings,
without any blaming or judgment. In order to encourage this type of understanding, the
psychiatric or the mental health care giver must interact with the patient foremost as a
human being. Apart from the sharing of experiences that are common in nature, which
might be similar backgrounds or mutual adversities, the professionals also been found to
help the patient in establishing a connection with them and to feel understood (Robson et
al., 2013).
2.

3ReferencesMENTAL NURSING
According to reports, individuals suffering from psychological disorders not only
suffer or lack proper care, but also undergo experiences of stigma, in addition to shame,
exclusion along with high frequency of death (Corrigan, Druss & Perlick, 2014). This is
often related to the primary nursing care and the health services that are available. According
to the outlines of the Family Health Strategies (FHS), modality of care along with attention
that exists within the psychological health environment, that includes not only help to the
individuals who are in psychological distress or the people who have already established
mental disorders but it also helps the development of actions in addition to early detection
which are preventive in nature along with involving the person and his family (Mårtensson,
Jacobsson & Engström, 2014).
In the given case, the patient Kate lacks care as well as social and emotional support
often, therefore she often feels isolated and shamed about her mental illness, this is ten reasons
she avoids talking to other people and also with her family members. Although Kate receives
help from the community mental health service, but apparently is not useful because it has not
made differences in her behavior and continues to have episodes where she forgets things and
has other problems (Dolman, Jones & Howard, 2013). In this case, for provision of proper care
to Kate, education of the nurses is required in order to develop proper care. The nurses need to
undergo special training so that they are able to deal with such situations adequately. A major
concern is the provision of appropriate medical control. Often there is lot of confusion in drug
therapy since the patients do not adhere to the treatment (Rosenbaum, Tiedemann & Ward,
2014).
Although Kate received support from her partner and her mother in law, however on
some occasions they too give up on her as they find her a little too much. In such cases, it is the