Mental health nursing courses
Pre-registration courses
What is mental health nursing?
Mental health nursing is the speciality of nursing that cares for people of all ages who experience difficulty with their mental health.
It is one of the most complex and demanding areas of care and involves helping individuals and families to cope with and recover from the effects of poor mental health.
Mental health nursing is based upon a set of positive, optimistic and empowering attitudes and values.
What does it involve?
Mental health nurses are trained in the expert use of therapeutic relationships in order to support those affected by poor mental health. Mental health nurses spend time with their clients listening to them so they can understand their experiences, ambitions and strengths as well as their difficulties and problems.
They help people manage the distressing impact of their condition, develop coping strategies to avoid relapse, monitor the effects of medication and provide health education to promote recovery and social inclusion.
What personal attributes does a mental health nurse require?
- Excellent listening, communication and relationship skills
- Compassionate, sensitivity and emotional strength
- The ability to gain clients’ confidence and trust
- Good team-working skills and the ability to work on their own initiative
- Assertiveness and good motivational skills
Typical work activities
- Building trusting, supportive therapeutic relationships with individuals and families affected by poor mental health
- Assessing mental health and the impact a person’s mental health has on their lifestyle
- Supporting people to make sense of, and manage their distressing experiences in ways that empower them
- Producing care plans and risk assessments
- Responding to distress in a non-threatening manner and attempting to understand the source of distress
- Administration of medication, including injections and monitoring the results of treatment
- Preparing and participating in group and/or one-to-one therapy sessions, both individually and with other mental health colleagues
- Working with families and carers, valuing their experience while supporting, informing and enabling them to contribute to the promotion of mental health and to prevent or reduce the risk of relapse
Career options
As a registered mental health nurse you will hold a degree with a professional qualification recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC Council).
Mental health nurses are employed in a variety of settings including:
- Community mental health teams
- Mental health hospitals
- Forensic mental health services
- Child and adolescent mental health teams
- Specialist units within prisons
- Specialist dementia teams
- Residential and hospital services for older people
- Drug and alcohol services
- Psychotherapy services
Mental health nurses work not only in the National Health Service but also in organisations such as the prison service, the armed forces, the independent and voluntary sector and centres that provide specialist mental health care.