Interpersonal Skills for Nurses and Health Care Professionals

This text provides examples of the type of clinical experience students are likely to have on their student placements. It offers a theoretical framework for them to understand and learn from these interchanges. It is important for health workers to be effective and confident in their daily communications with clients/patients in order to develop therapeutic relationships. For new students, this can be a particularly daunting task, as often this confidence is built on personal experience. The book illustrates three main theoretical approaches taught to students: psychodynamic, person-centred and behavioural. It takes a life-span approach, covering the care of the child, adolescent, adult and elderly person, including mental health issues. Each chapter recounts a student's experience of working with a particular client group, enabling the reader to identify with the personal account, and relate their own experiences to the theoretical approaches under consideration. The reader is encouraged to reflect on the value of each of the theoretical approaches, thereby increasing effectiveness in communicating with patients.