Emotional Labour in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing

This chapter will examine the therapeutic relationships Specialist Community Public Health Nurses such as Health Visitors and School Nurses develop with families. It will illustrate the emotional conflict that can occur when the parent-professional relationship is tested. These aspects will be explored through a case study which will allow the reader to analyse several practice-based issues. This includes the complexity of lone working in challenging circumstances and how Health Visitors and School Nurses attempt to regulate their own emotions while working with families in complex situations. The sociological concept of emotional labour will be explored to contextualise how practitioners respond emotionally to these challenges and which effective strategies can be adopted to minimise compassion fatigue and burnout.