This content is prepared for b.sc N & GNM students according to INC syllabus.

1. FUNCTIONS OF MENTAL
HEALTH NURSE IN VARIOUS
SETTINGS
X. ARON CHRISTY M.Sc (N).,
PROFESSOR,
SRM TRICHY COLLEGE OF NURSING

2. FUNCTIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSE
IN VARIOUS SETTINGS
Practice Setting for Psychiatric Nurses
For many years, the majority of mental health care was provided in the hospital setting. Since the 1970s,
the trend has changed to treat patients in less restrictive or community based settings.
While traditional practice settings for psychiatric nurses are psychiatric hospitals, community mental
health centers, psychiatric units in the general hospitals, residential treatment facilities and private clinics,
more recently alternative treatment settings have emerged. These are partial hospitalization settings, day care
centers, home care, out patient departments or ambulatory care centers. Community based treatment
settings have expanded to group homes, hospice, care centers, crisis intervention centers, schools and
universities, hospitals for the criminally insane, jails and prisons

3. Functions of Psychiatric Nurse in Various
Settings
Inpatient Psychiatric Ward
 Provide for environmental safety including protecting the patient and others from
injury
 Perform psychosocial, high risk and physical assessment
 Promotion of self care activities
 Medication management
 Assisting for somatic therapies
 Accurately observing and documenting the patient's behavior
 Providing opportunities for the patient to make his own decisions and to assume
responsibility for his life

4.  Providing feedback to the patient based on observations of his behavior
 Participation in various therapies, (psychotherapy, behavior therapy, group therapy, play therapy,
family therapy, etc.) individual interactions, formal and informal group situations, role play,
advocating on behalf of the patient and so forth
 Delivering psycho-education
 Counseling the patient and family members
 Co-operating with other professionals in various aspects of the patients care; thereby, facilitating an
interdisciplinary approach to care
 Teaching social skills and stress management strategies
 Discharge planning and community referral and follow up care
 Supervise the work of subordinates
 Maintain ward cleanliness

5. Psychiatric Outpatient Department
 Performing clinical assessment
 Assisting for psychometric assessment
 Assisting or providing psychotherapy or behavior therapy
 Counseling the patient and family members
 Conducting group therapy
 Delivering psychoeducation

6. ECT Treatment Setting:
 Teaching the patient prior to ECT treatment
 Preparing the patient for ECT
 Providing care during the procedure
 Assisting with post treatment
 Providing reassurance to reduce anxiety
 Delivering psycho education regarding ECT

7. Psychotherapy unit:
Nurses who possess a masters degree in psychiatric nursing and are certified clinical nurse specialists
may conduct individual or group psychotherapy.
 Establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patient
 Providing an opportunity for the patient to release tension as problems are discussed
 Assisting the patient in gaining insight about the problem
 Providing opportunity to practice new skills
 Reinforcing appropriate behavior as it occurs
 Providing consistent emotional support

8. Day Care Centers or Day Hospitals
In day treatment programs patients return home at night.
 Performing clinical assessment
 Accurately observing and documenting the patient's behavior
 Medication management
 Teaching social skills
 Counseling patient and family members
 Delivering psychoeducation
 Proving occupational or recreational therapy and vocational assistance28

9. Family therapy units
Psychiatric nurses’ work with families at all levels of functioning.
 Assessing individual and family needs and resources
 Facilitation of a family's use of positive coping strategies
 Promote adaptive family functioning by teaching communication skills and problem solving skills
 Delivering psycho education

10. Child Psychiatric Ward
 Assessing for biological and psychological need of the child
 Determine the child's strengths and abilities and develop a care plan to maintain and enhance
capabilities
 Monitor the child's developmental levels and initiate supportive interventions, such as speech,
language or occupational skills as needed
 Provide a safe therapeutic environment, including protecting the child and others from injury
 Co-operate with other professionals in an interdisciplinary approach to care

11.  Provide adequate environmental stimulation
 Teach the child adaptive skills, such as eating, dressing, grooming and toileting
 Demonstrate and help the child to practice self care skills
 Provide genetic counseling if necessary
 Deliver psychoeducation
 Medication management
 Provide emotional support to the parents
 Participate in various therapies (behavior therapy, play therapy, expressive therapies,
bibliotherapy, etc.)

12. Home Setting
 Assessment of symptoms
 Teaching the patient and family regarding nutrition, exercise, hygiene and the
relationship between physical and emotional health
 Stress management
 Daily living skills (basic money management, for example, bank accounts, rent, utility
bills, use of the telephone, grocery shopping, etc.)
 Medication management—monitoring blood levels, signs and symptoms of overdose
or toxicity, teaching on dosage, side effects and purposes

13.  Administration of parenteral injections
 Venipuncture for laboratory analysis
 Act as a case manager and coordinate an array of services that include physical
therapy, occupational therapy, social work and community services
 Appropriate referrals to community agencies
 Provide supportive counseling and brief psychotherapy
 Promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illnesses

14. Community Mental Health Centers
 Identification of patients in the community
 Refer the patients to appropriate hospitals
 Home visiting and providing direct care to the patients in the community
 Follow up care with special emphasis on medication regimen, improvement made and side effects,
patient's occupational function
 Conducting public awareness programs to remove misconceptions regarding mental disorders
 Training of paraprofessional, community leaders, school teachers and other care giving
professionals in the community
 Management of resources planning and co-ordination
 Direct services, like care of families at risk for violence, abuse and dysfunction, care of homeless
mentally ill patients, etc.