Mental Health and Addictions Nursing Specialty Program opens the door to opportunities to explore different specialties

The Mental Health and Addictions Nursing Specialty Program (MHANSP) is a part-time, 30-week course for registered nurses wanting to advance their clinical judgment, critical thinking and clinical leadership to work collaboratively with the interprofessional team in a variety of mental health and addictions settings. The course is offered through Nova Scotia Health’s Learning Institute for Health Care Providers.

Program participant Laura Carpenter has worked as a registered nurse in mental health and addictions since graduating from Cape Breton University in 2019. She didn’t set out to specialize in the field but discovered how rewarding the work is and recognized the significant need for clinicians in this area.

Carpenter currently works at the Nova Scotia Hospital in psychosocial rehabilitation, which provides support for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses who are working towards reintegrating into the community. Carpenter enjoys the fact that her work focuses more on the whole person, rather than the illness itself.

“In other areas of nursing you interact with the patient in a limited scope,” said Carpenter. “You may work with them a few times, for brief periods, and then they're on their way. You never get to see the full picture of an individual's life or what they live with day to day. In mental health and addictions, you work closely with patients over an extended period, during the most difficult times in their lives.”

Carpenter says her patients often feel hopeless and are facing huge obstacles, such as homelessness or unemployment. “As a mental health nurse, my role is to assess all aspects of their lives such as communication habits, daily living activities, finances, social skills and employment skills, and then provide psychoeducation. I get to watch a person progress and build a stronger foundation for a healthy future. The focus is not only on short-term goals, but also on the long-term.”

She credits the MHANSP with helping her to better understand and develop critical thinking skills around different illnesses and personalities. “I’ve learned the importance of recognizing the genetic predispositions people have to certain illnesses but also the environmental factors that may contribute,” Carpenter said.

“It's important to understand why people are the way they are. Why do some individuals perceive things differently? Why do people react to certain situations differently? When you understand these things, you gain empathy and compassion for people living with mental illness.”

That empathy is evident as Carpenter describes the stigma her patients experience.

“Mental illness should be considered the same as any other illness that impacts a person’s daily life. I hear others complaining about homeless people, or the man on the sidewalk who is talking to himself,” recalls Carpenter. “However, I see many clients who have difficulty accessing housing, perhaps because they are on Income Assistance, or have poor rental histories due to acute mental illness. All too often we are so caught up in our own busy lives that we forget to be grateful for what we do have.”

Carpenter says one of the most valuable components of the MHANSP is the clinical supervision for practicing therapeutic communication skills, which Carpenter feels is improving her practice.

“The communication strategies and interview skills I’ve gained allow me to focus on a patient’s strengths, boost their confidence and encourage them to share their concerns and needs.”

For more information and to registration for the MHANSP, visit the Learning Institute website by clicking here.