Engagement and Therapeutic Communication in Mental Health Nursing

Sandra Walker is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Mental Health at Southampton University, where she is also a doctorate student researching the patient experience of the mental health assessment in the Emergency Department. She is a Qualified Mental Health Nurse with a wide range of clinical experience spanning more than 20 years. In addition to her university work Sandra is a professional musician and does voluntary work for various mental health organisations, including being the coordinator for the Hampshire Human Library - an international initiative aimed at reducing stigmatisation through interaction and education of the public. She is the creative director of The Sanity Company, which publishes books aimed at helping children and young people to develop good mental health and problem-solving skills.

Introduction Therapeutic Communication in mental health - Andy Williams What is engagement? - Wendy Turton Building rapport - Peter Bullard and Simon Grist Questioning techniques - Janine Ward When communication becomes challenging - Yvonne Middlewick Cross-cultural communication - Julia Pelle Communication with carers as partners in care - Julia Pelle Getting it right - the service user perspective - Sandra Walker and Dorothy Neal