Exploring Journaling and Integrative Health Approaches in Nursing

In this discussion board post, a nursing student introduces themselves and reflects on the use of therapeutic journaling and integrative health approaches in their practice. The student, a nurse with three years of experience, shares their positive experiences with colleagues and their aspiration to pursue a Ph.D. in nursing. They discuss recommending journaling to patients, highlighting its therapeutic benefits for managing trauma, stress, and chronic conditions. The post also addresses the community's openness to integrative, alternative, and complementary health approaches, emphasizing the importance of educating the community on a holistic approach that combines indigenous and modern medical knowledge. The student cites research supporting the effectiveness of interactive journaling and explores attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine in nursing.

Running Head: ASSIGNMENT
Assignment
Students name
University affiliation
Date

ASSIGNMENT
2
Hello! My name is (insert name), I am currently working as a nurse at the local health
care center in my county. I have been a nurse for three years. I do love the staff at the local
health center as they are friendly, supportive, caring, and uphold nursing ethics and principles.
My professional goal is to continue with my studies up to the Doctor of Philosophy level in
nursing and venture into nursing management or teaching.
As a community care nurse, I have in the past recommended and advised my patients to
journal their experiences every time they visit the healthcare center. I did not know and realize
that journaling has a therapeutic significance in healthcare practice. Through the therapeutic
journaling practice, patients were able to use the journal to reveal and express their emotions
which might have been too traumatic or difficult life events (Miller, 2014). Therapeutic
journaling is not only effective in treating experiences of posttraumatic trauma or stress in
patients but also vital in patients having chronic health-related conditions like cancer, rheumatoid
arthritis, chronic poor sleeping disorders, and asthma.
In the community healthcare center, many people have embraced and are open to the idea
of integrative, alternative or complementary approaches to health. They argue that the above
treatments do not have harmful chemicals, incorporate the indigenous knowledge of the
community and are natural. The patients believe that using integrative, alternative or
complementary approach to health is very vital since they have fewer side effects (Tomić,
Malenković, Lalić, Tomić & Lalić, 2018). However, I do believe that with the right and factual
information the community can be enlightened about the significance of using a holistic
approach to health which integrates the indigenous knowledge and the modern knowledge in
health.

ASSIGNMENT
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References
Miller, W. R. (2014). Interactive Journaling as a Clinical Tool. Journal of Mental Health
Counseling, 36(1), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.36.1.0k5v52l12540w218
Tomić, S., Malenković, G., Lalić, I., Tomić, S., & Lalić, N. (2018). Attitudes and Beliefs of
Nurses and Technicians Towards Complementary- Alternative Medicine. Medicinski
Pregled / Medical Review, 71, 53–58. https://doi.org/10.2298/MPNS18S1053T