Perspectives and Opportunities for Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment Delivered by Nurses

Background Psychotherapy is an essential part of treating people with mental illness. However, the implementation of psychotherapeutic interventions in the field of inpatient psychiatric treatment remains well behind demand. At the same time, the use of psychotherapeutic interventions by other professional groups - such as social workers and nursing - is not a common practice in Germany. Objective What can we learn from the international research with regard to nursing for Germany in view of the insufficient supply of psychotherapeutic care. Method Based on a literature analysis, the German situation of care is related to international developments and a German training curriculum is presented. Result A look at the international literature shows that in other countries especially trained nurses perform psychotherapeutic Interventions. In addition, there are effective training curricula whose transferability to Germany appears to be possible after appropriate adjustments. An 18 months lasting training program for nurses is presented. In addition to disorder-specific competences, this curriculum also provides psychotherapeutic interventions with a general approach. Conclusion Collaborative care in the collaboration of different health professionals has been repeatedly and stably proven to be effective and helpful in treating people with various mental disorders. In order to better meet the growing need for psychotherapeutic interventions in the population in the sense of a stepped care model, trained nurses need to be more involved in the provision of psychotherapeutic services.