No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Systemic family therapy and family development
... This advanced practice knowledge continues to live on through the offering of Family Systems Nursing specialization at the University of Calgary and the University of Montreal; through ongoing research and case studies from the archived clinical database of the FNU; and through the clinical practice, research, and teaching of faculty members of the FNU and more than 100 master's and doctoral graduates in Family Systems Nursing as well as hundreds of international nurses who have participated in the annual Family Nursing Unit externship workshops. The incorporation of therapeutic letters in clinical practice has existed in the FNU for more than 22 years (Wright et al., 1996; Wright & Simpson, 1991; Wright & Watson, 1988). The FNU clinical team of graduate nursing students and faculty members employed the influence of letters to create opportunities for more collaborative and transparent therapeutic relationships with client families. ...
... LMW: I think the first time we ever published [Wright & Watson, 1988] about the use of therapeutic letters was in 1988, so it would have been a couple of years before that. I remember that family very well because of the letters. ...
This article focuses on the history of the use of therapeutic letters in the
clinical scholarship of the Family Nursing Unit at the University of Calgary
and offers examples of a variety of therapeutic letters written to families
experiencing illness suffering. A case study from the research of Moules
(2000, 2002) is offered to further illustrate the usefulness of therapeutic letters
as a family nursing intervention.
... No Modelo de Intervenção na Família (MCIF) proposto por Wright e Leahey, o envio de cartas terapêuticas é indicado durante o desenvolvimento do trabalho clínico do enfermeiro com as famílias e na sua finalização (7). A equipe do Family Nursing Unit (FNU), na Universidade de Calgary, tem incorporado o uso da carta terapêutica na prática clínica com famílias há mais de 20 anos, e observam que cartas criam oportunidades de relações mais colaborativas e transparentes com a família (8)(9)(10). Por meio das cartas, a equipe oferece elogios ou confirmações dos pontos fortes da família. ...
... Na literatura internacional, as cartas terapêuticas têm sido muito utilizadas na prática com famílias, representando uma excelente intervenção de enfermagem. Entretanto, na literatura brasileira ainda são poucos os estudos que investigaram sua utilização, assim como a experiência da família com esse tipo de intervenção (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). ...
Este estudio busca comprender el significado atribuido por las familias de niños con discapacidad mental a las cartas erapéuticas que recibieron durante su participación en el Programa Intervenção com Famílias de Criança com Deficiência Mental (PIFCDM) desarrollado en Brasil. La recolección de datos se realizó a través de entrevistas a seis familias, en 2010. El análisis cualitativo de contenido, según Morse, guió el análisis. La categoría “ser una referencia
para la familia” expresa el significado atribuido por las familias a las cartas terapéuticas. Las cartas resultaron una nueva experiencia para la familia, que se sorprendió de una manera agradable, permitiendo el despertar de sentimientos positivos hacia su historia. La lectura de las cartas amplía la comprensión de la situación que vive la familia, lo que permite modificar el manejo de situaciones, dando lugar a una sensación de poder en sus capacidades y de pertenencia respecto a su historia. Las cartas terapéuticas pueden resultar intervenciones valiosas para el cuidado familiar.
... Therapeutic letters, whether sent during clinical work with families or at the end of treatment, have proven to be a very useful and often potent intervention to invite families to reflect on ideas offered within the session as well as to reflect on changes they have made during the course of sessions (Hougher Limacher, 2003;Levac et al., 1998;Moules, 2002;Watson & Lee, 1992;White & Epston, 1990;Wright, 2004;Wright & Nagy, 1993, Wright & Simpson, 1991Wright & Watson, 1988;Wright et al., 1996). ...
This article reviews the process of concluding or terminating with families by examining the decision to terminate when it is initiated by the family, the nurse, or as a result of the context in which the family members find themselves. Often, the nurse’s decision to terminate with a family does not necessarily mean that the family will cease contact with all professionals. Therefore, discussion also includes the process of referring families to other health professionals. Specific suggestions and family interviewing skills for how to phase out and conclude treatment are given, as well as suggestions for evaluating the effects of the treatment process. Just as other aspects of family interviewing are conducted in a collaborative manner, it is also essential that the termination phase conclude with full participation and input from the family whenever possible.
... This clinical approach has been documented as useful with families experiencing illnesses such as hypertension (Duhamel, Watson, & Wright, 1994), family violence (Robinson, Wright, & Watson, 1994), osteophytes and chronic pain (Watson, Bell, & Wright, 1992), cancer (Wright & Nagy, 1993), epilepsy (Wright & Simpson, 1991), angina (Wright & Watson, 1988), cardiac illness (Wright, Bell, & Rock, 1989), and suicide (Watson & Lee, 1993). ...
The beliefs held by nurses have the potential to influence the beliefs of the individuals andfamiliesfor whom they care. This clinical example presents the experience of a couple who presented with marital conflict at the Family Nursing Unit, University of Calgary, about 8 months following the husband's second myocardial infarction. As the story of this couple's recovery experience unfolded, the constraining influence of the hospital nurses' beliefs on the wife's behavior throughout her husband's recovery became evident. The iatrogenically induced beliefs constrained the wife from voicing her concerns directly to her husband because she believed she could increase her husband's stress and make him ill. A clinical model offamily systems nursing that focuses on beliefs guided the assessment and intervention offered to the couple. Ironically, this clinical case example describes how one group of nurses assisted the family by challenging the beliefs of another group of nurses. The importance and influence of beliefs, particularly the beliefs of nurses, are highlighted.
... Family systems nursing has previously been successful with families experiencing difficulties with health problems (Watson & Nanchoff-Glatt, 1990;Watson, Wright & Bell, 1992;Wright, Bell & Rock, 1989;Wright & Simpson, 1991;Wright & Watson, 1988). Family systems nursing is the integration of nursing, systems, cybernetics and family therapy theories (Wright & Leahey, 1990). ...
This article focuses on a family systems nursing approach for essential hypertension. A case example is presented that describes the approach with a hypertensive woman with agoraphobia symptoms. A clinically significant decrease in the client's blood pressure occurred following the family sessions. Clinical observations of improved family relationships and symptom reduction corroborate research findings on the variables of perceived stress, anxiety levels and family coping resources. Interventions such as split-opinions, reframing, and rituals are described.
This article defines and describes the Calgary Family Intervention Model (CFIM). CFIM is an organizing framework conceptualizing the intersect between a particular domain (i.e., cognitive, affective, or behavioral) of family functioning and a specific intervention offered by a health professional. Examples and discussion of interventions such as storying the illness experience, encouraging respite, and asking interventive questions are presented. CFIM is one way that health professionals can conceptualize about change.
Within the nursing offamilies, assessment skills have become more and more sophisticated. However, our ability to intervene in relation to the family problems that are identified has lagged behind. There is growing awareness that it is time to attend to what we do that helps healfamily suffering. This article reports on the interventions that one group offamilies identified and described as making a difference that matters in living with a chronic condition. Thesefamilies experienced difficulty managing a member's chronic condition and sought assistance in an outpatient nursing clinic. The interventions were illuminated through a grounded theory study designed to explore both the process and outcomes of family nursing interventions. From the family perspective, the intervention process involved two stages: (a) creating the circumstancesfor change and (b) moving beyond and overcoming problems. Examples are given of specific interventions thatfamiliesfound useful within the intervention process.
Non-compliance is not only an epistemological error but a biological impossibility This profound statement arises from the influence of Humberto Maturana's revolutionary meta-theory of cognition The definitions and significant implications of two major theoretical concepts of this meta-theory of cognition, namely structural determinism and objectivity-in-parenthesis, are discussed These radical concepts challenge the approved North American Nursing Diagnostic Association's nursing diagnosis of non-compliance Maturana's theory reveals the impossibility of instructive interaction, leading the authors to conclude the non-existence of non-compliant families
The authors describe their observations of three trends in the nursing of families namely, increased diversity in nursing practice, increased research, and increased family content in academic settings These trends have major implications for nursing practice, research and education The authors speculate on the implications and their effect on the families for whom nurses care
The utilization of the research process as an intervention has recently been described in the family therapy literature. However, it is important to draw a distinction between research as intervention and research as a unique family therapy intervention technique. From a family systems perspective, research as an intervention technique may make therapy more palatable for some families. A case study is presented in which this technique created the context for change for a family involved in a chronic illness research project.
A systemic treatment approach, namely systemic belief therapy, has been found to be useful when dealing with families constraining beliefs when experiencing physical health problems. Two interventions which facilitate the altering of constraining beliefs are the externalization of physical symptoms and therapeutic letters. Epileptic seizures are examined in the context of the interaction between families and health care professionals. A case example is presented which highlights the use of this systemic approach to assist a young couple in challenging their beliefs about their ability to control and monitor epileptic seizures.
There is little research on nursing students' application of family health assessment in clinical practice.
To examine the effect of an elective course, Family in Health and Illness (FHI), on year 4 nursing students' family health assessment and practice.
A quasi-experimental design was used. One hundred and twenty students completed pre- and post-course questionnaires, after taking FHI (n=49) or a course in Women's Health (WH; n=71) in a baccalaureate nursing program in Hong Kong. Students rated their interest in family assessment and appraised their own confidence and competence in practicing family nursing before the courses commenced, immediately after, and three months post course completion. In addition, their perceived ease of applying family assessment in practice was measured.
Students who had taken FHI reported significantly higher interest than those who had not immediately after the course and three months later. The perceived ease of functional assessment immediate after the course was the only predictor of confidence and competence in practicing family nursing (B=0.76, 95% CI=1.37-8.23, p=0.011) at the 3-month follow-up after controlling for age and baseline measures. Level of interest (B=0.44, 95% CI=4.55-0.13, p=0.040) was an additional predictor of nurse-patient relationship at the 3-month follow-up.
Educational input to nursing students may foster their interest and confidence in working with families in clinical settings. Further studies are needed to examine the factors impeding actual application of family nursing assessment.
Clients who live within a minority culture while being influenced by a dominant culture usually bring to therapy the impact of their multilayered cultural experience. Migration literature point to separation and marginalization processes during the acculturation process as the main cause of relocators' psychosocial problems. In contrast to other studies that appreciate assimilation and integration within the dominant culture, this study shows that these processes often lead to disharmony and disintegration within the home culture, especially among those who remigrate back home or those who continue to live simultaneously within the sending culture and the receiving culture. Additionally, this study emphasizes that acculturation often happens as a multilinear and multidimensional process within the host culture and the sending culture. Therapists may help clients when they become aware of the complexity of the multidirectional process of acculturation and its various levels, such as the interfamilial, the intrafamilial, and the social. Three case studies will illustrate the theoretical framework.
Nursing on paper: therapeutic letters in nursing practice
This paper offers a selected piece of interpretive research extracted from the context of a larger research study. The hermeneutic research inquiry described in this paper involved the examination of the nursing and family therapy intervention of therapeutic letters. It incorporated the textual interpretation of 11 therapeutic letters, clinical sessions with three families, clinical team discussions, and research interviews with four family members and three nurse clinicians who participated in the writing of the letters. This particular paper extracts segments of the research related to the letters received by two participants, as well as some general findings, with a focus on the possibilities and influences of therapeutic letters in nursing practice. The findings of this research offer suggestions, not as a template, but as an inspiration and evocation to write therapeutic letters that address the obligation of meeting people experiencing illness at the point of their suffering, with words and questions that invite relationship, reflection, and are large enough to sustain a meeting.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.