Nurse identity reconfiguration in mental health practice

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the practices of nurses and their implications in the (re) construction of their identity in the context of mental health. Methods: This is a case study with a qualitative approach, based on the theoretical framework of Claude Dubar. Participants included seven nurses who work in Mental Health Services in a northern city of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The data were analyzed in the light of Claude Dubar’s theoretical framework on identity and with Content Analysis. Results: The data were analyzed and discussed using the categories: “Nurses’ practices in the context of mental health” and ”Nurses’ professional competencies in mental health and Real Identity.” Conclusion: The study shows the nurses’ identity reconfiguration in the field of mental health expressed by the practices, professional competencies, and real identity constructed in their perception of themselves as therapeutic agents.