Group Therapy Aids Patients’ Recovery

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31750, 6 August 1968, Page 3

Group Therapy Aids Patients’ Recovery

As scientific knowledge grows, so does the scope of psychiatric treatment and nursing. Procedures vary with patients’ changng needs but the guiding principles at the 15 hospitals of the New Zealand Mental Health Division are the same.

Sunnyside Hospital at Christchurch, one of eight that offers education In psychiatric nursing, is the first to be recognised by the Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists for prescribed post-graduate experience. “Our work Is In line with overseas ideas and at the same time experimental,” says Mrs M. C. Bazley, the matron since 1965. “In the last two years emphasis on group therapy has led to improvements almost beyond expectations. Longstay patients have been encouraged to go out Among them was a woman who had not left the hospital grounds for 28 years. “One of the most rewarding things for me has been to see patients like these emerging from Isolation to join the life of the community.” Team Effort The psychiatric nurse is concerned with every aspect of treatment, and team effort is the keynote in organisation. The patients are divided in groups: those who stay for long term, the acutely disturbed, and those following separate programmes. Besides implementing programmes, the psychiatric nurse helps to plan and develop them. After breadfast, bed-making and some divided chores, patients and staff form groups for varied activities, from intensive programmes for the acute cases to planned occupations for long-stay patients. Some have set jobs, sewing, or working in the laundry or kitchen. At the end of the

morning, when the patients return to the wards, the staff hold their daily meetings to discuss any important observations, to pool ideas and establish new programmes. After lunch and a rest period there are mixed outdoor recreations for the men and women receiving intensive treatment Later, everybody has free periods and, after the evening meal, there is a variety of recreation, including television, housie and dancing. “With psychiatric patients, who often tend to do nothing and settle into fantasies, you must constantly change activities,” says Mrs Bazley. “This is part of the treatment for which nurses are mostly responsible.” As soon as possible, patients are encouraged to get about go into town for shopping, and use their own money. This applies particularly to longstay patients, who are helped to maintain contact with social organisations in the neighbourhood. “It takes only three months to lose confidence,” says Mrs Bazley, “but it’s a long job to restore it “Several voluntary organisations, such as women’s institutes, are helping. Some regularly admit one or two long-stay patients to their meetings, or take them for outings. This gives them social contacts and checks the deterioration of personality.” Patients are treated as members of families. Their husbands or wives are encouraged to bring their children; the relations of elderly patients are welcome to take part in their care, to help feeding or dressing them and so on. To make this convenient for all, visiting time has been extended to six hours, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., daily. Wherever posible infants are admitted to hospital with mothers who are patients. Family Groups In some cases, particularly those of broken homes, three

or four families are assembled for group therapy. To help them maintain family contacts, patients are given frequent leave, both at weekends and for fortnightly periods, which also gives them an opportunity to test their ability away from hospital. After discharge, visiting nurses call to help patients adjust to living away from hospital and if necessary to have further treatment. Student nurses do much of the day-to-day nursing while following one of three programmes: a three-year course in psychiatric nursing, an 18month course for community nurses and a six-month post certificate course for registered nurses.

The psychiatric nurse Is particularly concerned with relationships. The subjects taught include psychology, sociology, group dynamics and mental hygiene. Psychiatric nurses, male and female, must be involved in all aspects of the patients’ social behaviour, starting with personal grooming and manners. In modern psychiatric hospitals many different kinds of treatment are given and research into new methods goes on concurrently. Nursing and study are to some extent parts of the same process. The photograph shows a patient busy at her easel. Attempts at self-expression can be a form of occupational therapy.