A solution-focused approach to engagement in acute psychiatry

Mental health nurses working in acute wards need to be able to engage with patients, yet this is becoming increasingly difficult to do. With discharge plans often made as soon as patients arrive, and discharges precipitated by demand for beds, how do nurses engage patients and what do they engage them in? Solution-focused communication skills can help in this respect. The techniques are simple and not time-consuming and give nurses a clear sense of a therapeutic role. This article discusses how solution-focused approaches benefit patients and nurses.