manjar

There is a lot to think about after reading all the replies. I will try to comment and answer most of your posts. First, I have to say that generally my help with caring for families in distress was very well accepted by nurses and doctors on the ward. As I mentioned before, group settings didn't seem to invite nurses. What happened was, we gradually developed a trusting relationship with some nurses and when I think about it a lot of interventions was made through casual conversations - individual or in small groups. Sometimes they even want an advice about personal issues. But most of the times I am actually there to listen. It is obviously not surprising that some of you also proposed this kind of approach. I truly don't think there is anything wrong with taking to head nurse about this. We don't talk about concrete peoples' troubles. She is worried about overloaded nurses, nurses leaving and poor peer relations in some cases. In this light we think together about what can we do to make these issues better. Maybe there was a misunderstanding somewhere between all the posts. Talking to a psychologist after making a mistake is not a priority. But it is an option. The purpose is to relieve burden after a bad experience and to help bringing focus to future work. As for looking into personal files. In our hospital we all know that everything you look up is recorded. One of you asked if I go to a colleague psychologist talking about troubles I have at work. By all means, yes! Of course that is the first thing I do. That is before I go to my supervision session with another psychologist. Talking about issues which are hard for us is something that is highly recommended for keeping sanity in stressful work environments especially. Talking about difficulties is a good thing, helping to process what we experienced. Troubles which stay inside won't go away by themselves usually. They will build up and make us more an more vulnerable to stress. The first and most important step is admitting it is hard. I often encourage nurses and doctors to vent in whatever way they want. I do this having in mind that their venting will make it less possible they will behave inappropriate or even unprofessional with patients and their families. This is also the way to try prevent staff from burning out. I am really thankful for all your thoughts. But everything I read also worries me. I wonder how it is to work everyday in a place where there is so much mistrust and caution in interpersonal relationships. I am aware of mental health related stigma. But reading all this confirmed what I again almost forgot. A load of stigma is in the health system itself. I see that there is also a lot of misconceptions about what exactly a psychologist does and how he does it. Fear of losing a job is of course devastating. I live and work in a European country where maybe things aren't so harsh about this issue. I guess work culture is somewhat different here. It is not very likely to lose a job after making an honest mistake or having mental health troubles. So, to summarize .. I believe that some of the reasons you brought up are true in my case. Nurses don't want to seem weak. They don't want to spend extra time at work. They often have other ways of managing stress and vent. On the other hand those who have interest do contact me and share their troubles with me but in casual conversations. Maybe the core of my problem is the fact I want to make the best out of my resources and make my work more structured which is quite impossible in ED. I guess this is something I should stop worrying about. That said I will keep offering help, I will be present at the ward and try not to get frustrated if nurses don't use it as often as I think they could. To be honest I am less worried about nurses who work at the ward for longer time. But new, mostly very young nurses often leave the unit very quickly. They might have a bad experience and I believe they could be better taken care for in terms of coping with working in highly stressful ward. I can't tell you how precious this discussion is for me. My talk is next week and I definitely got additional inside by talking to you all. I do hope for all health workers to receive as much support they need and deserve. Only healthy people can really take care for the sick or injured. I am sure I will be seeking information advice and opinions on this site in the future. By the way, I love the joke about the Earth being bipolar:) Regards to all, Manja

Thanks everyone for answering and sharing your thoughts. First, I do have to correct myself and say that what I meant was nurses rarely seek psychological help at work and not in general. All the reasons you gave, the most common being fear of negative consequences after trusting to someone in the workplace are also the reasons I have in mind. And I can truly understand the mistrust although I still wish this wouldn't have to be the case. Stigma is real. That is for sure. Total confidence is something I take really seriously (as every psychological worker should). As I said before I can understand nurses don't come for help regarding their personal issues. And I will definitely consider your opinion I should help with finding support in the community. What I am more surprised (and sometimes even get frustrated) about is the fact that they rarely come for consultation about professional issues. Let me explain the case. I work on this unit for 3 years now. There wasn't a psychologist before that. General atmosphere is that they hardly waited for a psychologist, everyone needs one, they are all happy to have one etc. Having this in mind I soon started offering consultations about dealing with parents, working with children in distress, talking about troubles at work, dealing with mistakes at work, enhancing communication skills, stress management etc. What happened was almost no one responded. We also tried group settings for mentioned topics, we ensured it was in their work time and nurses could pick which other members they want in their group. The result was the same. The biggest irony I think is the fact that not even head nurse applied for the group. When I was talking to her about that she told me that nurses are afraid of me. Not me personally but of a psychologist. And as I said before I can understand this in the light of not wanting to share personal issues. But it is harder for me to realize what gets in the way of accepting work related support. After all they expressed the need in the first place. Regarding work related problems I do believe that the fact I know the environment they work in I can better understand and consult some issues. Any thoughts about that? Is this something you think I rather stop trying to do? It is hard for me to accept that since I see nurses in distress, lot of young nurses leaving the ward, having troubles dealing with parents. I see so much I could do to help. Is there something that would stop you from consulting with mental health professional about work related issues? Manja

Hello, Since I often seek and get good information at this forum I had an idea I can ask you for help with my current issue. I am a psychologist working in a pediatric ICU. I am there mostly for parents and older children. But I am also supposed to be available for supporting staff with their professional or personal issues. Head nurse asked me to prepare a talk about the importance of talking to someone and receiving help after a mistake while giving medications to a patient. This I can handle. I can talk about the importance of talk support or therapy. But I am having troubles with the other part which is the fact that nurses rarely seek psychological help or advice. Head nurse encouraged me to talk about reasons for that. I do have my explanations but I would be really happy to hear what you think about that. So, to summarize: if you had an option to speak to a psychologist, working at your ward about your work or personal issues - would you do it? Why yes and why no? Regards, Manja