The clinical nurse specialist as brief psychotherapist

As managed care continues to flourish, the psychiatric clinical nurse specialist may function as a case manager for a managed care company or as a utilization review nurse for a hospital, community provider, or administrator. Stressing the strengths of the psychiatric clinical nurse specialist as brief therapist, the author reviews elements of the brief treatment model, including assessment, focus of treatment, knowledge of community resources, patient education, group skills, crisis intervention, and treatment planning.