Review and replications of a 'core-course' in behaviour therapy for psychiatric nurses

The advent of the nursing process and the success of behaviour therapy in psychiatry have created a need for a revised emphasis on nursing practice and education. This paper outlines an in-service, 'core-course' in behaviour therapy which addresses this need. The results from an initial and very comprehensive evaluation of the course are presented in terms of the attitudes, knowledge and skills of 65 nurses. We then give a summary of seven subsequent replications of the course in different British National Health Service psychiatric hospitals. These involved nurses in the organization and running of the core-course, and, together with the very favourable results, they illustrate one strategy for developing nurses' proficiency in behaviour therapy.