Perceptual shifts of priority: a qualitative study bringing emotional intelligence to the foreground for nurses in talk-based therapy roles

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study conceptually framed by social constructionism that explored the experiences of mental health nurses engaging in talk-based therapy roles. Constructions from the participants' narratives are shown to have a powerful resonance with the construct of emotional intelligence, a resonance also echoed from the literature, and policies from the UK identified within the paper. Forwarded is that rather than prioritizing the development of technical approaches of specific therapies, nurses should equally be prepared for talk-based therapy roles through developing their emotionally intelligence capabilities.