Steve Smith
Recovery in Mental Health Nursing
The blurb on the back cover says this book is for nurses and other professionals in mental health practice, but the contents are clearly directed towards nursing students
Starting out - Clients’ social isolation prompted me to research ways to alleviate it
While working in the community with people who have schizophrenia, it became clear that the symptoms of their condition were not as distressing as their lack of social support.
Facial affect recognition and mental health
Not being able to accurately detect and respond to the emotions conveyed in the facial expressions of others is a significant issue for many people with mental health problems. Facial affect recognition is crucial to successful social interaction and has an evolutionary and neural basis. Being unable to read the faces of others accurately contributes to social isolation and a vicious cycle of social impairment, and can be compounded by the effects of medication. This article draws on empirically validated work and suggests initiatives, including the use of photography, which mental health practitioners could use in helping people with facial affect recognition difficulties.
Use of solution-focused brief therapy to enhance therapeutic communication in patients...
Most people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) go undiagnosed and many of those who are diagnosed receive only symptomatic treatment. The difficulty of engaging patients with COPD in effective treatment plans is recognised, and healthcare professionals stress the importance of good communication. There is little in the literature to suggest how practitioners can provide this advanced, patient-centred care. The authors of this article argue that solution-focused brief therapy provides a framework for nurses to deliver safe, effective care that builds on ‘what is well’ with the patient and places their needs and agenda at the centre of care. They offer examples of techniques that can enhance practice, supported by case illustrations.