'Here and now' focused counselling: a model for nurses.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Clinical Communication
• Patient Support

Background:

• Nurses face barriers to spontaneous counseling in clinical settings.
• Clinical environments often prioritize physical care over subjective patient experiences.
• Existing nursing roles may not fully support relational communication skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a counseling model tailored for nurses in general clinical environments.
• To facilitate nurses' subjective exploration with patients.
• To aid nurses in managing patients' immediate distressing experiences.

Main Methods:

• A three-stage counseling model is described.
• The model details the goal, focus, process, skills, and examples for each stage.
• The model is designed for practical application in general clinical settings.

Main Results:

• The paper outlines a structured approach to opportunistic counseling for nurses.
• The model provides specific skills and examples for immediate patient support.
• It addresses the need for congruent beliefs and values in a physically-focused culture.

Conclusions:

• The proposed counseling model can help nurses overcome cultural barriers.
• It enables nurses to better enact relational aspects of their role.
• This model supports nurses in facilitating subjective exploration and managing distress.