Therapeutic group for the development of emotional skills in a mental health service: an experience report

Abstract

Objective: To present the implementation of an Emotional Skills Therapeutic Group coordinated by nurses in a public psychiatric hospital and to discuss the implications of group activities in mental health. Results: The implementation took place in a female ward of a public psychiatric hospital with the aim of promoting and facilitating access to emotions, self-knowledge, and the identification of triggering thoughts, encouraging protagonism in the interpretation of life experiences and the development of self-knowledge and reflection skills. For this report, the experience of nine sessions was considered, with an average duration of 60 minutes, with variation in the number of participants, setting, and group dynamics strategies. The Therapeutic Group demonstrated broad benefits for the women, constituting a space for sharing life experiences, communication, and the development of emotional awareness skills. For the coordinating nurses, it expanded the possibility of assessing emotional status, providing qualified listening, and collecting relevant information, contributing to the adequacy of therapy and the Nursing Process, through the identification of predominant needs. Final considerations: The coordination of therapeutic groups by nurses specialized in mental health constitutes a promising approach, contributing to effective, humanized, and decentralized clinical practice. It is suggested that mental health services encourage the implementation of Therapeutic Groups.