The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the primary health care practitioners' views of their professional skills in primary mental health care. The study is part of a larger project on the changes in mental health care work of the primary health care system in Finland at the tern of the century (2000). The data were derived from interviews with nurses and doctors working in six primary health care centres of one region in Central Finland. The data were analysed by methods of qualitative content analysis. The basis of professional skills consists of six factors: interest in human work, professional collaboration, life experiences, work experience, education and hobbies. The strengths of primary mental health care practitioner are: attitudes, skills for professional self-knowledge, interactive skills, civic skills and relationship skills. Primary health care practitioners have several strengths and a wide range of professional skills, and they can hence be regarded as experts of mental health care in the primary health care service.

Nationwide Brief intervention Project Department of Social Services and Health Care Tampere

University of Kuopio Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Nursing Science Kuopio

V. Mezinárodní sympozium ošetřovatelství, Ostrava, 19. dubna 2006

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