Tips for a Young Psychiatric Nurse to Perform Better

For many years, psychotherapy has been used as one of the basic approaches in the treatment and care of neurological and mental illnesses. The last decades have seen a change of focus in the treatment of psychiatric patients – increasing attention has been paid to biological treatments. Regrettably, the nursing profession – in the context the undergraduate and graduate levels – has not been an exception for this drift, having left aside those essential frameworks in terms of an interpersonal relationship and therapeutic approach that are pivotal in the nursing care. It can be said that the beginning of the entry of nurses into the field of psychotherapy was the presentation of the theory of therapeutic communication by Dr. Hilgard Peplau. He taught effective communication with patients and also the roles of nurses in the best way. In fact, psychotherapy is a type of "planned therapeutic conversation" that is carried out to create mental health and move towards recovery. In psychotherapy, the psychotherapist must constantly think and reflect on themselves, their role in the evolutionary process created, and also the person under care. This effective therapeutic relationship develops the nurse's competencies and skills and transfers them to others. This book provides good knowledge in the process of establishing a therapeutic relationship, psychotherapy, and moving towards improving mental health for both clients and nurse therapists, so studying it will be helpful in understanding and applying more of the concepts of psychotherapy and helping to improve nurses' knowledge in this field.