Listening as a method of addressing psychological distress.
OBJECTIVE
This paper discusses the values of therapeutic listening and ways that emotional difficulties can impact palliative nurses' abilities to provide psychological care.


BACKGROUND
Recent literature indicates that providing psychological care can burden some healthcare professionals including nurses; who may lack the necessary competencies or organizational resources to carry out their roles.


RESULTS
References drawn from the databases: all EBM reviews, British Nursing INDEX, CINAHL, PSYCH INFO and MEDLINE and EMBASE are discussed.


RESULTS
Psychological care is considered critical to providing holistic care. Yet the literature suggests engaging in such work makes emotional demands on the professionals attempting to carry it out and is associated with psychological difficulties including burnout.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical supervision can help reduce the distress caused by emotionally charged situations. Thoughtful clinical supervision can also contribute to safe and effective health care.


CONCLUSIONS
Nursing would benefit from understanding more about the effects on healthcare professionals of repeated exposure to emotionally charged situations and benefits that clinical supervision can offer to health care.
North Wales NHS trust, The Department of Psychological Therapies, North East Wales, UK. alun.jones@new-tr.wales.nhs.uk
Alun Charles
AC
Jones
John R
JR
Cutcliffe
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004644:Emotions; D018939:Holistic Nursing; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D005791:Patient Care / Q000523:psychology*; D013060:Speech; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*