Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the content validity of the helping relationship as a nursing psychotherapeutic intervention.
Design and methods: The present research work is a modified e-Delphi study. A total of 205 experts were identified between January and May 2018, and a questionnaire was sent to all of them in different rounds.
Findings: The nurse must have specific knowledge (self-knowledge and knowledge about the person) and attitudes (empathy and respect) to be able to carry out the intervention. The helping relationship can address different nursing diagnoses, such as anxiety or depressed mood, and it can be developed in a set of sessions with specific objectives and contents.
Practice implications: The systematization of the helping relationship creates the conditions for its implementation in clinical practice enabling an evidence-based practice that results in the improvement of care.
Keywords: mental health; nursing; psychiatric nursing; psychotherapy.
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