The Letter by Rose Aimee Belanger Therapeutic letters were first introduced to the world of clinical practice with families by the creative clinical work of David Epston of New Zealand and the late Michael White of Australia (Epston, 1994; White, 1995; White & Epston, 1990). My colleagues, students, and I have used this intervention in…
Credit: National Academy of Medicine As a family nursing scholar, my greatest desire is to shift the emphasis of health care from the individual to the FAMILY and from tasks and technology to RELATIONSHIPS. I am delighted there are many organizations and individuals around the world who share my mission, including the International Family Nursing…
“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted” ~Albert Einstein Measuring how families function in health and illness has been explored in several scholarly books and journal articles. I would like to highlight the important work that several of my family nursing colleagues are doing to develop…
I read an interesting blog post recently by Harold Jarche, a Canadian teacher and consultant to individuals and organizations who focuses on "workplace transformation for the network era." He challenges individuals and leaders in social networks to be MORE THAN passive users of knowledge but learn how to become a "knowledge catalyst"--someone who goes beyond…
Dear Fabie: I am thinking about you today with love and admiration as your colleagues gather in Montreal to celebrate and honor your distinguished academic career at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Montreal, Canada. I am so proud of your efforts to make family nursing a priority in your work and the amazing good…
I'm calling on all my family nursing colleagues around the world to harness the power of social media in order to spread the word about the incredible work YOU are doing to ADVANCE family nursing and advocate for family-focused health care. It is now possible to share your ideas and your products with like-minded health…
Over the past four decades, nurses have been changing their usual patterns of clinical practice as they shift from caring for only the “individual patient” to thinking about the “family as the patient” and increasingly welcoming, including, and involving families in nursing practice. Family nursing theories, practice models, and intervention research are contributing to the…
"Arthritis, The Silent Family Member", my personal illness narrative, was first published in 1996 in a co-authored book: Beliefs: The Heart of Healing in Families and Illness by Lorraine M. Wright, Wendy L. Watson, and Janice M. Bell. New York, NY: Basic Books. "Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while but their hearts forever.” ~ Unknown…
Landspitali University Hospital Some of the members of the Family Nursing Implementation Project Iceland is a small country with a population of just over 300,000 and my Icelandic friends are among the most patriotic people I have ever met. They share a strong belief about the collective responsibility of Icelandic citizens to help their country…
Text chosen by Janice M. Bell - Design by Bryce Mee What's in a name? I've been doing a lot thinking lately about what to call practice with families that addresses experiences of health and illness. Some call it family focused practice, family friendly practice, family centered practice, family health and healing, relational practice, family nursing,…