
Reflective mental health practice today (CPD40)
Supporting mental health nurses to develop the capacity to understand, process and respond to complex situations at work
This bespoke training for mental health nursing teams and services equips mental health nurses with the capacity to understand, process and thoughtfully respond to intense and complex situations in day-to-day work. Attendees will develop a greater capacity to think about relationships and interactions with colleagues and patients, thereby decreasing more reactive responses and increasing emotional resilience, which generates greater work satisfaction and a reduction in symptoms of ‘burn out’.
If you are interested in exploring this training and its suitability for your service or team, please ‘Register your interest’ using the button at the top of this page.
Aims and learning objectives
This theoretical framework provides an essential platform for nurses to think about and understand:
- a model of the development of the mind and relationships
- patients’ distress and disturbed states of mind such as psychosis, depression, suicidality and eating disorders
- communication at all levels (conscious and unconscious) with patients, their families and other professionals
And generates the capacity to:
- notice and understand the impact of work experiences on individuals and teams
- develop greater capacity to reflect on one’s own experiences and use this insight within therapeutic relationships
- develop emotional resilience to better tolerate and process intense emotional experiences in clinical work, enabling better containment for patients’ own intense emotional experiences.
In summary, the applied theoretical model supports nurses in remaining engaged in therapeutic relationships with patients, providing quality care and maintaining professional boundaries whilst resisting the pressure to react or withdraw.
Who is this course for?
The course has been developed as a response to the need for training frontline mental health nursing staff in a way that is most cost effective, less time-consuming for staff and which can be delivered locally to teams and services.
The course is aimed at all bands of nurses – from team leaders to nursing assistants. It is also relevant and available to colleagues from other disciplines such as occupational therapists, social workers, medics and those working within inpatient and community settings.
This training is offered only at a service or team level, as we have found that providing the course to colleagues from the same service who attend together, enables continuity of ideas and discussion after the course has ended.
Course details
Delivery mode
Our standard delivery models for the course are as below, but this can be tailored to fit the needs of your service, as flexibility and customisation are key features of our course delivery. The course can be delivered onsite, locally to you or online via Zoom, and at times mutually convenient for you and the course facilitators.
- in-person delivery: five weeks, comprising seven and a half hours of training per week
- online delivery: ten weeks, comprising four hours of training per week.
In addition to the participatory sessions and supervision groups, additional self-study time will also be required for reading.
Course facilitators
Our facilitators are mental health nurses with extensive clinical, training and supervisory experience.
Structure
The course will be formed of separate but linked sessions each week:
- Theory and application: a taught seminar focusing on topics such as the development of the mind, stages of life and development, mental ill health including depression, psychosis and self-harm
- Work discussion group: students read an identified paper (often relating to applied work with patients) in preparation for the session each week; one member of the group will present a summary of the paper and a reflection on its relevance to their work and experience
- Work discussion group: each member of the group will have the opportunity to present a case, interaction or incident from their work for a group discussion – these work discussion groups support nurses in completing the NMC revalidation requirements for reflective practice.
Nurses face significant stress, distress, and aggression in their daily roles, stemming from interactions with patients, family members, and colleagues, as well as from organisational pressures. Having a structured framework to navigate these experiences can be invaluable. Allocating protected time for reflection and sharing can enhance job satisfaction and mitigate burnout. Without such support, nursing staff may struggle to process their experiences, leading to disengagement, disillusionment, and exhaustion, ultimately increasing absenteeism.
The course provides protected time for learning and encourages nurses to develop their interest in their work and to develop a greater reflective capacity. It provides a psychodynamic framework to help nurses understand the complexities of working with mental health patients within an organizational context.
Key topics include:
- the mind in mental health including paranoid schizoid and depressive positions
- adolescence, adulthood and older Adults (development and loss)
- projective identification (personality disorder)
- transference and countertransference (violence and trauma)
- depression and suicide
- psychosis
- risk assessment
- the dynamics of difference
- groups and organisations
Written assignments
There are no written assignments for this course.
Certificate of attendance
There will be a certificate of attendance for those students who attend 70% or more of the course. The course will contribute towards Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours.