An Episode of Learning and Teaching as a Mental Health Nurse Essay

An Episode of Learning and Teaching as a Mental Health Nurse - Essay Example In addition it focuses on external influences capable of promoting behavior change rather than thoughts and feelings. Learning occurs by means of operant conditioning in which motivation to change behavior or learn incorporates the use of reinforcement or rewards. The probability of a behavior reoccurring would become likely when followed by reinforcement. For instance, behavioral skills for helping children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders may include hygiene tasks, completion of homework tasks and taking turns when talking. For each successfully completed task, a child would be given a sticker. Hence, a child receives a reward upon attaining a stated number of stickers (Videbeck 2010, pp. 53-54; Norman 2004, pp. 8-10). In mental health education, behaviorism enables nurses to teach service users new coping skills in relation to symptoms of mental health problems. Through behaviorism theory, nurses recognize that intervention measures facilitate changes in observed beh avior, feelings and thoughts. Changing deep-rooted habits encompass assisting service users to identify their motivating factors as well as how a new habit or lifestyle could be made permanent. Similarly, distressed persons could systematically become desensitized to help them overcome irrational anxiety and fears relating to phobia. For instance, the user would be asked to list from the slightest to the most provoking of all situations involving the phobia causing object. The service user then learns and puts into practices relaxation skills to help him reduce and manage anxiety. The user would then be exposed to more anxiety causing objects or situations until he becomes able to manage the most provoking situation (Jones et al. 2012,... This essay approves that a variety of effective psychological strategies ought to be availed for service users who may want to attempt them in their recovery process. Furthermore, exercise needs to be prescribed in mental health learning experiences. Also worth noting would be that mental health problems exist alongside other health problems. Taking this into account, treatment and care should be provided on an individual service user basis while incorporating the individual’s cultural, social and socio-economic preferences, lifestyle and background. Innovative projects would enhance complementary treatment and care related skills through social services appropriate for mental health patients. This report makes a conclusion that mental health problems affect both children and adults. Considerable progresses have become achieved in the use of humanistic approaches to the recovery process in the recent past. This paper provided a report on the teaching and learning episode relating to mental health education involving nurses, service users, observers and an assessor. The teaching experiences focused on providing mental health education to mental health patients in enabling them develop physical well-being and a holistic recovery process. In this regard, an analysis of the practical application of learning theories as well as learning styles related to their applicability to the teaching and learning practice. These theories help both nurses and service users to identify their own learning needs and those of others along with meeting differing learning needs with regards to different learning styles as advocated by Honey and Mumford.