ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to develop nursing intervention skills emerging from the process of single-encounter child-oriented family nursing. This study was a part of a long-term research project by Shiau, conducted from 1990. The participants chosen for this study were patients with schizophrenia or mood disorders from an acute psychiatric ward of a medical center in Taipei. They lived with their spouses (or primary caregiver) and children after being discharged from that medical center. Each nursing intervention program for each family was arranged beforehand. The data of the family nursing intervention process with interview were tape-recorded and transcribed into narrative form and analyzed by content analysis. Results showed that family nursing intervention skills could be categorized into three stages: construction, problem oriented, and hope bridge. The unique point of the family nursing intervention in this study was its child orientation in the context of a single encounter. Providing such an affordable and accessible service for clients is necessary in modern society typified by busy lifestyles, nuclear family structures, and the dominance of cost-effectiveness in medical care delivery.