Emotionally supportive counselling for health care personnel led by social welfare officers : effects on well-being

• The aim of this study was to evalute an emotionally supportive counselling program for health care personnel that can be led by social welfare officers. The program consisted of 1-hour sessions conducted every second week for 7 months. The meetings were devoted to talks about personal stress experiences related to patients and their relatives. Nurses and nursing aides (n= 51) in counselling groups showed significant changes in a favourable direction on the following variables: fewer perceived daily hassles; fewer self-reported physical and psychological symptoms; and improved subjective well-being. No effects were noted on sense of coherence and subjective physical health status. Interviews with program participants, the group leaders (social welfare officers), and their supervisor (a psychotherapist) indicated how the counselling program may be affected by the personality and competence of the group leader, the working conditions of the wards in general and the attitudes of the head nurse in particular. The results were discussed as promising.

Nyckelord

counselling

wel-being

health care

emotional support

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)