1. I would seek to inform Shakyeela’s parents about what happened and about possible future treatment options. Shakyeela has established that she is uninterested in treatment, so leaning on her parents to get her to consider the issue is the most effective way to get her the help she needs. Attempting to pressure her at this stage will accomplish little aside from pushing her further away from the idea of receiving treatment (McCabe & Grover, 1999). In future sessions with Shakyeela, I would use a solution-focused goal setting to ease her into the evaluation and treatment process (Cepeda & Gotanco, 2016).
2. I would feel personally upset that Shakyeela had so violently rejected the idea of receiving treatment for her addiction. I get upset at the idea that people who come to me for help, even if it is not their idea, would reject that help; I can’t help but take it personally. Additionally, Shakyeela’s aggressive and resistant attitude is another issue for me; she does not want to even consider that she needs treatment. While many addicts are reluctant to seek treatment, the sheer violence of her rejection would floor me (Cepeda & Gotanco, 2016). It’s clear that she will need more counseling and talking to before she can calm down and receive the treatment that she needs to be healthy and happy. At the same time, I would endeavor to make sure that my personal feelings did not interfere with the quality of care I provided.
3. Personal feelings can impact how a psychiatric nurse practitioner assesses or evaluates a patient because they can corrupt the logical, ethical process that medical professionals must go through when doing their jobs. For example, my feelings about Shakyeela’s treatment of the staff might result in me writing a biased evaluation of her addiction and what she needs in order to receive proper treatment. Personal feelings could also impact a nurse practitioner’s ability to manage his or her staff (Bjorklund, 2003). It is incumbent on psychiatric nurse practitioners to be careful and avoid making rash, emotionally-influenced decisions that could color how they interact with patients.
- Bjorklund, P. (2003). The certified psychiatric nurse practitioner: Advanced practice psychiatric nursing reclaimed. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 17(2), 77-87.
- Cepeda, C., & Gotanco, L. (2016). Psychiatric Interview of Children and Adolescents. American Psychiatric Pub.
- McCabe, S., & Grover, S. (1999). Psychiatric nurse practitioner versus clinical nurse specialist: Moving from debate to action on the future of advanced psychiatric nursing. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 13(3), 111-116.
