A group of psychiatric nurses and nursing students successfully completed a training programme on ‘In-patient Therapeutic Work in Acute Psychiatry Wards’. During the programme they took part in group therapeutic sessions at the Short Stay Ward, which are very useful in improving the psychological well-being of users of the service. The training sessions were held at the Gozo General Hospital/Steward Family Hospital.

Participants included psychiatric nurses from the Short Stay Ward and nursing students from the University of Malta and Mcast/Northumbria University. They were awarded certificates by clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Dr Laner Cassar, who also facilitated the training sessions. 

The course included theoretical presentations and discussions on group therapeutic work, the set-up of group sessions, the roles of the leader in assessing service-users and managing the sessions accordingly as well as how best to tackle the challenges faced by language barriers. Other topics included how to deal with different emotions such as anxiety and depression, planning daily, weekly and monthly individual meetings and exercises for patients experiencing psychotic episodes and voice hearing.

In-patient group therapeutic sessions can reduce the level of aggression in the ward and help in the general therapeutic milieu of the ward. The sessions complement the important work and interventions carried out by psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and occupational therapists.

The training programme was organised by Mary Agius, Short Stay Ward charge nurse, in collaboration with the Gozo General Hospital Psychology Department.