Group therapy with parolees in a community mental health center

Seeing parolees, who were reluctantly seeking mental health services, in individual therapy was unsatisfactory. Although there were identifiable mental health reasons for their referral, they did not recognize a need for individual therapy. In addition, as the therapist, I felt frustrated, and I lacked empathy. Recognizing a problem, I utilized the nursing process: assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation, to solve the problem and provide better nursing therapy. A modified self-help group provided support to the parolees to resolve their disequilibrium, to enhance their self-esteem, to teach them to structure their own time and to satisfy the requirements of their paroles. This therapist, as well as the group members and cotherapist, gained personally from the group experience. I developed an awareness of the parolees disequilibrium and I broadened my capacity for empathy.