Personal qualities of the nurse and the therapeutic relationship in mental health: systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Aim: Identify the personal qualities of the nurse that improve the therapeutic relationship in mental health nursing. Method: systematic literature review, via EBSCO, in 11 databases. We used the PICo method and analysed 10 out of 106 articles identified. Outcomes: identified a set of 40 personal qualities that benefit the therapeutic relationship, such as altruism, compassion, solidarity, kindness and friendliness, authenticity, genuine interest, reflective attitude, understanding, and availability. Conclusion: personal qualities that benefit therapeutic relationship are very close to those that are utilised in social relationships. However, therapeutic
limits will establish the boundaries between the therapeutic and social dimensions. The implications for nursing practice are that the use of these qualities with therapeutic intent represents a major challenge for nurses since they require skill, experience, technical and professional knowledge and a high degree of self-knowledge.