Caring, curing, and brief therapy: a model for nurse-psychotherapy

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Nursing
• Philosophy of Science
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Traditional psychotherapy models struggle with accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and accountability in mental health services.
• The received view of science underpins current mental health approaches, often emphasizing a 'cure-orientation'.
• This 'cure-orientation' contrasts with nursing's inherent 'care-orientation', which aligns better with postmodern scientific perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To deconstruct traditional psychotherapy models and their scientific underpinnings.
• To contrast the 'cure-orientation' of psychotherapy with the 'care-orientation' in nursing.
• To propose alternative therapeutic approaches for mental health nursing.

Main Methods:

• Deconstruction of traditional mental health models based on the received view of science.
• Contrastive analysis between psychotherapy's cure-orientation and nursing's care-orientation.
• Exploration of postmodern ideas of science in relation to mental health care.

Main Results:

• Traditional psychotherapy, focused on a cure-orientation, is found to be inadequate for current mental health demands.
• Nursing's care-orientation is more aligned with postmodern scientific principles and consumer needs.
• Brief, intermittent, or possibility-oriented therapies are identified as potential methods.

Conclusions:

• A care-orientation in mental health nursing, supported by postmodern science, offers a more accessible and effective model.
• Shifting from a cure-orientation to a care-orientation is crucial for meeting consumer needs.
• Implementing brief or possibility-oriented therapies can actualize this care-orientation in practice.