STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Written final exam (100%) which includes:
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- Multiple choice test
- Quick Response Questions
Written assignment (optional)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The purpose of the course is to train students in the identification and treatment of mental disorders and psychosocial needs of patients with physical illnesses who are hospitalized in non-psychiatric departments of the General Hospital and experience mental health issues during their hospitalization. Particular emphasis is placed on the collaboration between psychiatric, medical, and surgical departments in managing mental health problems, supporting and educating the patient, the family members, and the healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care. Students are provided with knowledge of the fundamental principles and processes of counseling, the methods used, the key characteristics and role of the counselor, as well as the essential skills that help establish a constructive counseling relationship. The course aims to familiarize students with approaches and practices that will be useful depending on the problems and needs of the patients they care for.
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Apply the acquired theoretical knowledge in recognizing and assessing mental disorders, psychosocial needs, and psychosomatic symptoms in patients with physical illnesses.
- Implement strategies and interventions for the safe management of challenging reactions and behavioral disturbances in patients and their relatives within hospital and community care settings, incorporating knowledge of psychopathology and counseling principles.
- Understand and relate the concepts and theories of counseling to nursing care.
- Apply skills and techniques to support and educate patients, families, relatives, and healthcare professionals involved in patient care.
- Create a safe and supportive environment that promotes optimal health and upholds the dignity of patients and their families.
- Integrate counseling elements into clinical practice and nursing care.
- Comprehend the counseling process and the therapeutic relationship between the liaison counselor and the patient, taking into account ethical and professional issues that may arise.
- Function both independently and as a member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
GENERAL COMPETENCES
The course aims to develop the following General Competencies:
- Adaptation to new situations
- Independent work
- Teamwork
- Working in an interdisciplinary environment
- Decision-making
- Working in an international environment
- Critical thinking and self-reflection
- Promotion of free, creative, and inductive thinking
- Respect for diversity, multiculturalism, and accessibility
- Demonstration of social, professional, and ethical responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues
- Production of new research ideas
Course Outline
SYLLABUS
THEORY
- Introduction to the fundamental concepts of Liaison and Counseling Mental Health Nursing. Historical evolution. Liaison Mental Health Nursing in general hospital. Liaison Mental Health Nursing team and consultant.
- Common clinical issues and requests in Counseling-Liaison Mental Health Nursing. Case analysis.
- Mental disorders in patients with pathological conditions.
- Mental disorders in patients with surgical conditions.
- Psychosocial problems and mental disorders in chronically ill patients.
- Specific patient populations (children, adolescents, elderly people).
- The female patient. Psychopathological manifestations in obstetric-gynecological conditions.
- Psychological – psychiatric approach to patients with cancer. The dying patient.
- Introduction to Counseling. Major theoretical approaches. Principles, roles, and fields of application of counseling in Liaison Mental Health Nursing. The usefulness of counseling in nursing and health care professions.
- The counseling process: techniques and approaches. The counseling relationship. Skills and characteristics of the nurse as liaison mental health nurse-counselor. Ethical principles, values, and professional ethics in counseling practice.
- Specialized counseling issues in Liaison Mental Health Nursing: cultural diversity among patients, counseling across different age groups, managing “difficult” emotions and reactions of patients and family members, family counseling.
- Psychiatric and psychological issues affecting the recovery of physically ill patients: Special topics.
- Secondary Traumatic Stress and professional burnout among healthcare professionals – Liaison mental health nurse role in supporting staff. Supervision and support.