Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington
Browse
thesis_access.pdf (2.88 MB)

Personal and Professional Choices, Tensions, and Boundaries in the Lives of Lesbian Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses

Download (2.88 MB)
thesis
posted on 2021-11-03, 21:08 authored by Walsh, Christine Mary Miriam

This study breaks new ground in articulating how sexual identity impacts on the therapeutic relationship between the client and the lesbian nurse in psychiatric mental health nursing. There is little consideration given in the literature or in research as to how sexuality of the nurse impacts on nursing practice. Most attitudes held by the public and nursing staff are based on the assumption that everyone is heterosexual, including nurses. Fifteen lesbian psychiatric mental health nurses from throughout New Zealand volunteered for two interviews and shared their experiences of becoming and being a lesbian psychiatric mental health nurse. The stories they told give new insights into how these nurses negotiate and position their lesbian identity in the therapeutic relationship. To work therapeutically with people in mental distress the nurse uses personal information about themselves to gain rapport with the client through appropriate selfdisclosure. Being real, honest and authentic are also key concepts in this relationship so the negotiation of reveal/conceal of the nurse’s identity is central to ongoing therapeutic engagement. One of the most significant things arising from the research is that participants areable to maintain their honesty and authenticity in the therapeutic relationship whether they self-disclose their lesbian identity or not. This is because the experiences in their personal lives have influenced how the participants ‘know themselves’ and therefore guide how they ‘use self’ in their therapeutic nursing. The concept of a ‘licensed narrative’ has also been developed during this research reflecting the negotiated understandings between the researcher and the participants. Further, the use of NVivo a qualitative software package helps to track and make transparent the research processes. These two aspects make a unique contribution to the field of narrative inquiry.

History

Copyright Date

2007-01-01

Date of Award

2007-01-01

Publisher

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Rights License

Author Retains Copyright

Degree Discipline

Nursing

Degree Grantor

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Victoria University of Wellington Item Type

Awarded Doctoral Thesis

Language

en_NZ

Victoria University of Wellington School

Graduate School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health

Advisors

Martin, Margi; McEldowney, Rose; Giddings, Lynne