Nurses Counselling: The View from the Practitioners

How is counselling actually done? There are may excellent texts on the theory and practice of counselling, but this is the first nursing book to explore in detail what happens during the process. The text starts with a discussion about the range and breadth of counselling in nursing. This is an important chapter and presents a critical evaluation of the problems of counselling practice and doing research. Experienced practitioners have then contributed chapters on counselling in different situations. They have written about their own approaches, covering both the theory and practice and how actual case examples evolved. Pitfalls and problems are highlighted. Between them they encompass a range of situations, including counselling in crises, bereavement, counselling with children, genetic counselling and racism. The overriding message in the book is that there is no single appropriate way in which to counsel people. Rather, each individual brings something unique to each encounter, drawing inspiration and knowledge from many sources. The skill lies in finding some way to communicate effectively for each occasion. Practitioners and students, educators and researchers will all find that this is a book which will stimulate, challenge and enhance their professional skills.