Facilitating empowerment groups: dismantling professional boundaries

The purpose of this study was to identify the issues and the process faced by public health nurses facilitating empowerment groups with people with a chronic and persistent mental illness. Five public health nurses facilitated seven groups which met weekly for a period of one year. Nurses kept field notes following each group session and methods of grounded theory were used to develop an understanding of the process of facilitating empowerment groups. A process of dismantling professional boundaries was identified which included three dimensions: experiencing the clash of worlds; joining the lives of people with a mental illness; and an exploration of professional self. The results highlight the need to challenge traditional ways of practicing.