AWARENESS OF SELF AND EXPANDING CONSCIOUSNESS: USING NURSING THEORIES TO PREPARE NURSE-THERAPISTS

Abstract

Psychotherapy is an accepted role of the advanced practice psychiatric nurse. Nursing theorists, notably Hildegard Peplau and Margaret Newman, offer guidance on the psychological and professional development of the nurse. This paper examines Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness and the concept of awareness of self in Peplau's theory, and suggests that psychiatric advanced practice nursing programs consider the need for nurses to develop self-knowledge to facilitate the nurse-patient relationship and to improve outcomes of patient care in psychotherapy.

Notes

¹For Adlerian training see http://www.alfredadler.org/PDF/DIPLOMATEINFORMATIONSHEET101503.pdf

²For Jungian training see http://www.irsja.org/trainingmanual.html#PROGRAM

³See http://www.wawhite.org/training_programs/intensive_program.htm

⁴See the American Nurses Association credentialing information at http://www.ana.org/ancc/certification/cert/certs/advprac.html