Inpatient group work for patients with psychosis

Nurses working on acute inpatient wards usually think in terms of individualised patient care. Indeed, this ethos is at the heart of modern nursing. This article suggests that a different perspective is needed if we are to recognise the place of the individual in the context of the ward and wider society. Therapy groups allow nurses and other members of the mental health team to explore the relationships between patient and patient, patient and staff, and patient and institution. Although such work is demanding, and requires training and quality supervision for the facilitators, it is also creative and fruitful. It offers patients the opportunity to make sense of what is happening around them by interacting and sharing with others, and by exploring the conflicts and anxieties that arise in interpersonal relationships. This article illustrates a way to help nurses create that most elusive goal in contemporary mental health care--a safe and containing environment on an acute inpatient ward.