Counselling in Mental Health Nursing

Question: Discuss about the Report for Counselling in Mental Health Nursing. Answer: What is meant by the therapeutic use of self? The therapeutic use of self for healthcare professionals is consciously utilising once own personality, judgements, knowledge and opinions to provide therapy or treatment to the patients (Brunner, 2012). The utilisation of verbal and nonverbal communication skills, relationship development, building a reputation, developing trust, providing respect, empathy and sincerity, emotional exchange and other aspects of personality are considered to be therapeutic use of self by the healthcare professional. This works as an attempt to structure nursing intervention practices as a part of occupational therapy (Lillis et al. 2010). This therapeutic use of self provides a special position to nursing practice in healthcare scenario where being a good nurse involves the therapeutic use of self unconditionally. The main aim of this therapeutic self-use in nursing is to provide support and sympathy by experiencing the sufferings of the patient (Williams Stickley, 2010). How will you know when you have acquired it? The establishment of counselling relationship with the patients is considered as the outcome of the therapeutic use of self. The therapeutic interpersonal skills and their alignment with the patients attachment style are considered as an indicator of therapeutic use of self (Brunner, 2012). When a professional nurse is capable of utilising all professional skills, nursing psychologies, and knowledge in the form of practical actions then it can be considered that nurse has achieved therapeutic use of self (Lillis et al. 2010). The stage when patient starts making use of counselling relationship offered by a caregiver in the form of needing emotional support, wanting the nurse for listening to their stories, and feeling a sense of attachment indicates successful therapeutic relationship establishment and confirms the therapeutic use of self (Brunner, 2012). What can be done to improve/ grow self-awareness and the therapeutic use of self? The most common strategies applied to improve therapeutic use of self are: - Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills Provide patient advocacy Protect patient rights and resources Consider patient participation and provide autonomy Put oneself in the patients shoe to analyse their experience Implement nursing psychologies into practice Provide structure in treatment, advice patient, instruct and attain feedback (Williams Stickley, 2010). References Books Lillis, C., LeMone, P., LeBon, M., Lynn, P. (2010).Study guide for fundamentals of nursing: The art and science of nursing care. Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Brunner, L. S. (2012).Brunner Suddarth's textbook of medical-surgical nursing(Vol. 1). S. C. C. Smeltzer, B. G. Bare, J. L. Hinkle, K. H. Cheever (Eds.). Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Journals Williams, J., Stickley, T. (2010). Empathy and nurse education.Nurse education today,30(8), 752-755.