Abstract
M.Cur.
The objective of this study is to describe the implementation and evaluation of Van Wyk's (1995:99-116) supportive approach to the psychiatric community nurse in interaction with the psychiatric patient. Recommendations for the refinement of this approach contribute to the development of the psychiatric community nurse into a reflective practitioner in her interaction with the psychiatric patient and others. The psychiatric community nurse takes on the role of an expert in her interaction with the psychiatric patient and others because she feels unprepared to manage therapeutic interaction. She measures her own abilities against the patient's progress and this makes it important that therapeutic interaction succeeds. This is accomplished when she exercises control over the interaction, manipulating the interaction by describing or reformulating the negative experiences or meanings verbalised by patients. She also distances herself from the psychiatric patient by stigmatising the psychiatric patient or if she feels that she cannot solve the problem, she refers the psychiatric patient to an external resource. The above narration indicates that this action by the psychiatric community nurse does not facilitate patient interaction. In order to facilitate patient interaction, a supportive approach was generated and described by Van Wyk (1995:99-116), within which a context is created where the psychiatric community nurse can sacrifice her objective observing position for an observed position where she forms part of the story of interaction between herself and the psychiatric patient. The research question is: "How can the guidelines set out in Van Wyk's (1995:110-115) supportive approach to the psychiatric community nurse in interaction with the psychiatric patient be implemented and evaluated by the psychiatric nursing specialist in the psychiatric community service, to facilitate the psychiatric community nurse to develop into a reflective practitioner in her quest for mental health as an integral part of health?"