The Therapeutic Approach to a Patient's Criminal Offense in a Forensic Mental Health Nurse-Patient Relationship-The Nurses' Perspectives.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe the therapeutic approach to a patient's criminal offense in a forensic mental health nurse-patient relationship from the nurse's perspective. DESIGN AND METHODS: Eight nurses in a Finnish forensic psychiatric hospital were interviewed, and the resultant research material was analyzed by inductive content analysis. FINDINGS: The results revealed the process of the therapeutic approach to a patient's offense, which comprises numerous steps and various phases. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: For the nurse, the process of working through the offense can be divided into stages in which an attempt is made to respond to the patient's behavior and interaction in a manner that leads to working through the criminal act.