Ebook: Face to Face with Emotions in Health and Social Care

This book draws from the everyday experiences as well as the harsh realities confronting behavioral care providers on the frontline. The book recounts the stories and sometimes disturbing emotions of people whose lives have undergone sudden change or even drastic trauma; people whose feelings of comfort and safety have been shattered by exposure to illness, abuse, death and bereavement. The perspectives and experiences of nurses, social care staff, patients, children and families are at the core of understanding the importance, challenges and therapeutic vitality of emotions. The 55 individuals on the frontline who took part in the interviews on which this study is based discuss the emotions associated with care in mental health, pediatric oncology, AIDS/HIV, as well as child protection and abuse, racism, refugee exile, poverty, and social exclusion. Their bravery, openness, and ability to communicate and share their emotions make this book possible. ​

Among the earliest lessons learned by care providers are those concerning the emotions: understanding those of clients, and not letting one’s own interfere with providing quality care. And since so many clients have been scarred by serious illness or traumatic events, this instruction is not only crucial but must be updated regularly for professionals to stay engaged with clients and avoid burnout

The collective experience of the more than fifty providers, clients, and family members interviewed in Face to Face with Emotions in Health and Social Care reinforces these vital lessons, illustrating the centrality of emotions to the caring professions, the challenges they present in clinical contexts, and their therapeutic potential. Interviewees’ candid discussion of mental illness, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, and other traumas demonstrate the emotional nuances involved in providing intervention, encouragement, and support. And chapters build on recent social theory and research on emotional regulation and social capital to explore key affective issues in the healing professions, such as:

• Emotional labor in health and social care.
• Building a language and a picture of emotions.
• Gender divisions in emotional labor.
• Tensions between emotional support and social control in mental health care.
• Emotions and cultural and religious sensitivity.
• Managing emotional labor in education and supervision.

The profound lessons found in Face to Face with Emotions in Health and Social Care benefit a wide range of frontline health and mental health providers, including therapists, nurses, and counselors, at all stages of their careers.

From the Reviews…

Face to Face with Emotions in Health and Social Care offers profound insights into the labour of emotions in nursing and social work. The positive therapeutic potential of engaging with people's emotions is observed and assessed. Lessons are drawn from studies in primary care, AIDS/ HIV, children's oncology, mental health, refugee exile, disadvantaged groups and child protection. The book describes the ways that nurses and social care staff learn to care and engage people's emotions in education and training.

The book is a must read for nurses, social workers, counsellors, therapists, psychologists and frontline staff who have to 'read', manage and help people cope with feelings of trauma, fear, abuse, illness and death. The book suggests that engaging with the so-called "little things" of people's emotions is the building block of supportive, therapeutic and frontline care. -- Dr. Monica Noronha, University of Kent