Building a Therapeutic Relationship

Building a Therapeutic Relationship with a Patient While Applying Skills

Introduction

Therapeutic relationship between a nurse and a patient is a process that helps the patient. In nursing aspects, nursing means to be able to know the patient so as to accord them with direct assistance and interpersonal support. Therapeutic can be described as the healing and development that takes place in a patient. Nursing is part of the Therapeutic relationship that arises aimed with an aim to promote, restore and maintain the health of patients and the community at large. These relationships and accorded to the patient are necessary to nursing care and nurses are called upon to be skillful.

The purpose of this paper is to help clarify the meaning of therapeutic relationships. It is the role of medical practitioners to empower patients and fellow nurses and staff in taking part in therapeutic relations building exercises (Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), 2012). Communication is necessary in nursing and the building of trust that can result to positive outcome in a patient’s state. This paper looks to assess the meaning of therapeutic relationship using Watson’s caristas process. The paper will go on to look at the knowledge and skills necessary for therapeutic relationship. Lastly the paper will focus on application of the nursing care based on scientific reasoning.

Developing a Healing Relationship

In neurological unit, I was able to make use of a number of Watson’ caristas process to help create a good relationship with the patient. The unit called for my confidence in a case where I had to take part in removing staples from a patient. I had the belief that I was incompetent and could not handle any task allocated. The process called for guidance from the nurse where effective communication was necessary (Van et al, 2013). This would help in doing the process by myself. Additionally, good communication that led to the creation of a good therapeutic relationship was created with the client. Communication with the patient ensured that the patient was relaxed and trusted us. Through the whole of this process I was able to acquire courage in taking out the staple from the patient without injuring the patient.

Professional Nursing Knowledge

Therapeutic relationship comprises nurses having effective communication competence. According to Browne (2012), nurses have to be competent in communicating with patients. This would help them to advance their personal sense of agency and apply their relations with patients to be of help and to offer help. There are two forms of skills that are necessary; there those that call for one to be responsive while others call for assertiveness. A responsive is one of the greatest attributes being a nurse as this calls for one to be able to listen and understand other individuals. On the hand, assertiveness calls for the opinion and feelings of the nurse. This skills according to Watson’s caristas process fosters caring. As a nursing student for this to be met one has to have confidence and develop their style. It is necessary that these skills are balanced for nurses to be effective communicators.

The other attribute of therapeutic relationship is being patient. Nurses are, in most cases, supposed to distance themselves from being task-based and focus on providing care to the patient (Touhy, et al, 2012). In the practicum, being in contact with a patient who is in pain, ill and demanding, I am called upon to be understanding and assist them to the best of my abilities. This show of kindness and care according to Watson’s caristas process highlights the uniqueness of the person and nurse as well as the relationship that exists between the two.

Therapeutic relationship similarly calls for nurses and other health practitioners to have courage while handling the patients. Through this, a person is able to effectively carry out his or her duties as required. Courage helps in forming relationships so as to share ourselves with other people around us.

Patient’s health and Healing

Nursing is a holistic process who aim is to healing the whole person. For this to be acquired, nurses ought to love and care for one another. Though it may seem selfish, nurses taking time to develop their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs is necessary. It is through this that nurses are able to acquire their wholeness and becoming a healing for the patients.

As a student nurse one is keen on what nurses do. Taking keen consideration for nursing techniques is vital so as to help patients heal and recover from what they are going through. Additionally, the inner feeling and what is passed onto others will have an impact on the patient’s health setting (Lilja, & Hellzen, 2008). On other hand, if one is relaxed and contented inside, it helps create a healthy setting for the patient.

We should learn to offer holistic care for the patients. Being able to listen helps to connect greatly to the patient. According to Jean Watson, we have to learn how to handle ourselves with care and respect before we are able to pass it to others. Love and care are vital for the healing process for the nurses and patients.

Effective Nursing Care

For nursing care to be effective, there are various that one can use to know the difference. The first one is a scientific method known as transpersonal caring. Here the nurse aims to connect with the patient on a personal basis. This may be known as transcendent presence where Watson terms it as ‘full use of self’ while caring for the patient (Montgomery, 2011). The difference will be noticed once the nurse has established connection with the patient. Here, the patient accords the nurse trust and is able to share his or her personal experiences.

Another action is the creation of an environment that sets an optimal setting for caring and healing for the patient. With this in place, the nurse is able to separate her issues and focus on the patient. The nurse creates an environment that advances and sustains a caring and healing relation. In the practicum case, I was able to place aside my fear and acquired courage to handle the patient as required.

Conclusion

The paper has focus on the formation of therapeutic relationship between the nurse and patient in a practicum setting. This with the help of effective communication and competencies as valuable knowledge that helps to connect with the patient with the regard to situation. The paper has gone on to focus on the nursing actions that would help health and healing process for the patient. It ends with stating two ways on how to notice the effectiveness of nursing care to a patient.

In the future with the knowledge acquired, I am able to approach the therapeutic relationship with more care that before. I am now able to visualize a number of cases that will call my skills into application and through this skills and experience my professionalism will be of much benefit. The process has extent insight in nursing care and practice.

References

Browne, G. (2012). The therapeutic relationship and Mental Health Nursing: it is time to   articulate what we do. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 19(9), pages    839–843.

Lilja, L. & Hellzen, O. (2008). Former patients experience of care: A qualitative investigation.    International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 17, 279–286.

Montgomery, B. (2011). Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice. Burlington: Jones &     Bartlett Publishers.

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) (2012). “Best Practice Spotlight Organisations.” Retrieved on 22nd October 22, 2013 from: http://rnao.ca/bpg/bpso

Touhy, T. A., Jett, K. F., Boscart, V., & McLeary, L. (2012). Ebersole and Hess’ gerontological nursing healthy aging (1st Canadian ed.). Toronto, Canada: Elsevier.

Van den Heever, A.E., Poggenpoel, M. & Myburgh, C.P.H., (2013). ‘Nurses and care workers’         perceptions of their nurse-patient therapeutic relationship in private general hospitals,   Gauteng, South Africa’, Health SA Gesondheid 18(1).