Purpose: To investigate the experiences of Japanese community mental health nurses (CMHNs) that help form the basis of their nursing philosophies.
Design and methods: This study uses the narrative research method. I conducted participant observation and narrative interviews with nine CMHNs in Japan.
Findings: Four themes emerged: (1) experiences as consumers' peers; (2) nurses' own recovery; (3) high levels of spirituality; and (4) a free spirit.
Practice implications: Recognizing these nurses' intrinsic experiences could help to shift mental health nursing paradigms from those based on biomedical models to newer perspectives found in recovery models.
Keywords: community mental health nurses; experiences; nursing philosophies; recovery.
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