People do not only choose to share their experiences with counsellors, psychologists and psychotherapists. Nurses are also professionals who witness and deal with numerous difficult realities of the patients that they are caring for and their patients’ loved ones. The nursing profession, where the energy is primarily focused on providing care to others, may leave some with little energy to focus on taking care of oneself. Although most people can generally cope well with their own daily stressors, individuals who feel that they are constantly being affected by other people’s stress might face physical and psychological difficulties. Burnout or compassion fatigue can be caused when individuals find themselves in situations where they often witness or hear about people’s hardships.
At Willingness, we believe it is our duty to collaborate together to push for better mental health nationwide. Thus, Willingness invited nurses for a 3- hour seminar about dealing with sensitive issues that patients and their relatives share while under their care. The scope of this seminar was to discuss, understand and share tips about how to support your patients and their relatives, but still maintain boundaries and take care of oneself. During the seminar it was also discussed on how to build a good rapport with one’s patients and their relatives, and why this is helpful within the nursing profession, what to say and not to say when patients overshare, how to take care of oneself when patients talk about issues that are sensitive for you and how to actively support your patients by encouraging them to seek professional help. This was carried out through the use of case scenarios, role plays and discussions. The two main key speakers during this workshop were Claire Borg who is a Psychotherapist, and Rebecca Cassar who is a Systemic Family Therapist.
