Discuss About The Identification Of The Importance Of Establishing And Components Of a Therapeutic Relationship.
The person-centered relationship between the healthcare professional and a client is a unique relationship. The healthcare professional in this relationship does not have strategy, goals, and techniques which they can use to support the patient they only have themselves to use. The therapeutic relationship does not require the counselor or health care professional to be an expert they need to have skills and knowledge to give guidance to a patient on how to handle specific difficulties which they experience by making the right choice and decisions (Clarke, Ells, Thombs & Clarke, 2017). If the counselor happens to be an expert, then the client is less equal to him/her, and they cannot be involved in making complex decisions regarding their health status. A therapeutic relationship requires the counselor to be available in full time, and they should never behave as I they possess more power as compared to the client. Therefore the relationship should be equal, and both the client and the counselor are involved in decision making. This improves the patient’s confidentiality and sense of power over the client’s own life (Groves, 2016). The person-centered relationship enables the patient to have an opportunity to a deep and meaningful relationship based on genuine acceptance by the counselor. However, through this relationship, a client may start experiencing difficult facets of their experience which are challenging.
Therapeutic relationship between a nurse or healthcare professional and a patient is made up of various parts which makes it successful. Presence of trust between the nurse and the patient is an essential component. Trust is not a component which can easily be gained. It sometimes takes for a therapeutic relationship to establish trust between the nurse and client (Rogers, 2015). For a client to be able to feel free in sharing how they think about their health he/she should be having some trust in the healthcare professional. Importance Of Establishing A Therapeutic Relationship Discussion Paper However, a good therapist should lead the clients towards the right direction in which can build confidence between them. There must be sincerity between the therapist and the client. Clients should be sincere and tell the truth about their health condition which is about the signs and symptoms they are experiencing from a particular health complication. According to Carruth & Field (2016), the therapist, on the other hand, should be sincere as they tell the client about their result from laboratory tests and give them precise information on the kind of treatment and medication which they should take by involving them in decision making. The therapist and the client needs to be on the same page for attaining their set goals and objectives. Therefore, the patient and the therapist should communicate to each other about the decision which needs to be made regarding a client’s health condition and make goals together which can improve the health condition of the patient (Geller & Porges, 2014). When the client and therapist have the same goals and objectives, there are no conflicts between them, and they work together peacefully to ensure that they achieve the goals.
Humor is another component of the therapeutic relationship which helps engage struggling youths and clients build more healthy relationships with their therapists. The therapeutic relationship involves two people which is the therapist and the client committed to working with each other as if they were in a marriage relationship. The therapist and the client needs to incorporate laughter and humor in this relationship as it creates and restores a positive emotional environment which enables a proper working condition. Accessibility is another component for a therapeutic relationship (Kornhaber, Walsh, Duff & Walker, 2016). The therapist should be available anytime the client needs his/her assistance regarding their health condition. This component enhances trust as the clients are sure that the therapist will be available to attend them in times of crisis. The therapist should have knowledge and expertise in their field so that they can make the right decision regarding a patient’s health and lead the clients in the right direction to strengthen their therapeutic relationship. Through expertise, healthcare professionals can administer the right medication and treatment to a patient regarding their health condition.
Maintaining a healthy therapeutic relationship between a therapist and a client has a lot of benefits. Healthcare institution which supports the fruitful relationship between their clients has an active communication mechanism between the patients and healthcare professional which allows for smooth flow of information in the organization (Nagle et al., 2017). Communication is a very crucial factor in every organization as messages are easily conveyed and interpreted in a manner which is understood by all members of the organization. The therapeutic relationship enables a therapist to acquire the right information from a patient which makes them make the right decision on the kind of treatment and medication they should administer to them regarding their health situation (Hains, Turner & Strand, 2017). When the relationship between a client and a therapist is perfect, healthcare professionals feel free to ask the patient questions about their health, and they can share the laboratory results of the patients with them. Therapist involves clients in decision making which enhances the client’s capability to make a decision about their lives which can make it worth living (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016). Therapists involving clients in decision making makes them valuable and powerful which improves their self-confidence.
Therapist and client set goals and objectives together, and they work together towards the achievement of these goals which enhances teamwork, and a client can feel free to engage in community activities and work together with other community members. Therapeutic relationships improve the quality of health care services which are delivered to the patient because they are involved in the decision making, and decision and goals which are set are aimed at improving their health status (Dalton, Campbell, & Bull, 2018). Therapeutic relationship enhances respect in which the patient and the healthcare professional learns to respect the opinion of each other. The therapist has to inform the patient what has to be done regarding their health situation which means they respect patients (Johnstone, 2015). Trust is built in a therapeutic relationship which makes an individual be able to trust other members of the society, friends and family members and feel free to share their problems so that they can get assistance in challenging situations.
Development and application of nursing standards are significant as they play a significant role in protecting the public and offering high-quality services to patients. Nurses and healthcare professionals work under this standards understands their role in taking acre o clients health, and they know how to handle clients and establish successful therapeutic relationships (Brueckner, Spencer, Wise & Banduk, 2016). Code of conduct for nurses does not allow healthcare organization employs naïve healthcare professionals and hence high-quality health care services are administered to clients who improve their health status and leaves them satisfied. The standards state that nurses and healthcare professionals should involve their client in decision making to ensure that they are comfortable with the kind of medication and treatment they administer to them. Code of conduct forbid nurses from carrying out tests and diagnosis to a client without their consent (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016). In the case study, Michael went against the code of standard for nursing by doing a vaginal examination to an aboriginal female without asking the female if she was comfortable with the investigation. He did not involve the aboriginal female in decision making to ensure that she was okay with the examination which can strengthen the therapeutic relationship between him and the female (Delaney, 2017).
Patients feel isolated and not competent to make life worth decisions when nurses fail to involve them in decision making, and they become aggressive which make it hard for them and nurses to have a healthy therapeutic relationship. This is why the aboriginal female felt helpless and just followed the nurse instruction. Following this incident, the female family felt that the nurse and no respect by examining without the women consent and therefore they had to make complaints to the facility manager (Bryce, Foley, & Reeves, 2017). The facility manager was forced to use the code of conduct for nurses and registered nurses standards practices for NMBA to review Michael conduct and provided him with direction to guide him on providing culturally safe and appropriate care to patients. Code of conducts gives guidance to nurses and another health care professional that they should never view their clients as inferior, instead they should consider them as their equals and they should also use them respect and involve them in making complicated decision about their health and not assume them, this improves their person-centered relationship and they can acquire the right information from patient regarding their health because they are in a position to earn their trust (Kinnear, 2017). Michael in the case study thought he was right and providing safe and respectful care to the patient and failed to involve her in his decision which made him fall below his conduct as expected in the code of conduct for registered nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016). Code of conduct ensures that nurses are competent in their area of specialization to ensure that they will be in a position to offer quality health care services to the patient which will make them satisfied and hence enhancing their therapeutic relationship.
Paternalism is the act of certain people in authority limiting freedom and responsibilities to people in lower ranks or dependent on their supposed interest. In healthcare, patients are entitled to the right treatment and be involved in the necessary decisions surrounding their treatment. Importance Of Establishing A Therapeutic Relationship Discussion Paper Registered nurses are recognized by the authority to provide patients with the expected care. However, in providing nursing care, nurses are obliged to ensuring that patients are comfortable. In this situation, Michael did not observe the cultural safety set by the NMBA code of conduct as he did not bother enquiring to know if her client was okay with his presence as her nurse (Ryan et al., 2018). The code of conduct for nurses expects them to have great care and concern for patients and involve them in treatment decisions as well as observe their cultural safety. Patients have diversified backgrounds and thus have different cultural expectations in all sectors.
Cultural safety is a new concept in the New Zealand boundaries that was passed to achieve social justice. It is an ethnic practice that highlights the importance of critical thinking in areas where inequality persist. Aboriginals in the Australian society are the vulnerable group to discrimination and thus may not be given equal chances to express themselves the same way as natives in Australia. Cultural safety exists beyond cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity (Brueckner et al., 2016). It provides power to customers to comment on specific practices and take part in the achievement of the positive outcome of health experiences. The NMBA council defines cultural safety regarding active nursing practice and is determined by a specific person or family. The council insists that culture does not exclude age, sex, occupational status, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socio-economic background, religion, and disability.
Cultural safety observes four principles the first being improvement of health status and relationship among residents in New Zealand and Australia. It emphasizes the health benefits and the outcomes as well insist that professionals should have a better understanding of people from different groups. Michael should have understood that the patient she was assigned was an aboriginal and that their culture does not allow male nurses to perform a vaginal examination on females. Despite not being aware of the aboriginals’ culture, Michael did not give her an opportunity to express her opinions on the entire medical process. He went ahead to do the examination causing the feeling of uneasiness to the patient which is against social safety (Ryan et al., 2018). The second principle requires social safety to enhance the quality of health and disability services across all Australians. The principle focuses on the four aspects together with patient safety, the power of the nurse, the capability of the nurse to understand cultural diversity and to apply social science in nursing practice. The third principle emphasizes the nature of cultural safety (McPhail-Bell et al., 2017). It addresses inequalities that may arise in the process of healthcare interactions, identifying the cause and impact of a relationship and accepting diversified behaviors and attitudes towards quality improvement in healthcare services. The fourth principles describe its close focus. The council has included cultural safety education as an undergraduate program to ensure that nurses gain adequate knowledge from the basic level so that they may offer quality service to patients (Yeung, 2016). It hints at impacting the nurse’s culture and challenges them to establish good relationships and to observe balance of power. Michael did not observe this aspect in the examination as he did not give the patient an opportunity to express her feelings on the entire examination process.
Conclusion
Cultural safety is an essential aspect of the healthcare sector within Australian boundaries and internationally. There are many instances where the nurse does not give patients opportunities to express their views on treatment processes because they have the know-how of what needs to be done to the patients. Michael’s case in an instance of the inequalities that exist in the healthcare sector. Cultural safety emphasizes the appropriate treatment of patients by maintaining effective communication with the nurse. Power and personal values should use effective ways of ensuring fast recovery and bring positive results to the patients observing their cultural backgrounds. By observing the guidelines provided by the cultural safety, nurses will be able to do useful and culturally safe nursing practices that are in line with the expectations of the NMBA.
References
Brueckner, M., Spencer, R., Wise, G., & Banduk, M. (2016). A third space social enterprise: closing the gap through cross-cultural learning. Australian Aboriginal Studies, (2), 18-32.
Bryce, J., Foley, E., & Reeves, J. (2017). Conduct most becoming. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 25(6), 25.
Carruth, E., & Field, T. (2016). Person-Centered Approaches: Providing Social and Emotional Support for Adult Learners. In Supporting the Success of Adult and Online Students. CreateSpace.
Clarke, S., Ells, C., Thombs, B. D., & Clarke, D. (2017). Defining elements of patient-centered care for therapeutic relationships: a literature review of common themes. European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare, 5(3), 362-372.
Dalton, L., Campbell, S., & Bull, R. (2018). Preparing the nursing workforce for the next era: Re-classifying and reframing enrolled nursing knowledge. Collegian, 25(2), 237-240.
Delaney, L. J. (2017). Patient-centred care as an approach to improving health care in Australia. Collegian.
Geller, S. M., & Porges, S. W. (2014). Therapeutic presence: Neurophysiological mechanisms mediating feeling safe in therapeutic relationships. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 24(3), 178. Importance Of Establishing A Therapeutic Relationship Discussion Paper