| Summary: | M.Cur. === In the out-patient section of the Adolescent Unit at Tara, The H Moross Centre, certain problem areas were identified. In this section, adolescents with mostly behaviour problems are evaluated and where necessary, family therapy service is rendered or the patient may be admitted depending on the type and severity of the problem. The problems experienced in this section became very pressing due to the uneven ratio between the demand for the service and the availability of staff. At the centre of these problems lies the issue of resistance in the family towards change, resulting in broken appointments and premature termination of therapy. A lot of time is also wasted by faulty referrals and data gathering 1s in itself, very time-consuming. A new nursing need emerged out of these problems. Firstly, the emotional preparation of the family and, secondly, as part of her role as member of the therapeutic team, to gather relevant data which will aid the development of an adequate diagnosis of the family. A post was created on an experimental basis for the nurse to conduct an initial interview with families at home. At the same time it was decided to evaluate the effectiveness of this home visit through an empirical study to justify this service.
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