Nurses in general hospitals tend to place a higher priority on physical care than on psychosocial care (Gillette et al 1996; Swan and McVicar 1990; Whitehead and Mayou 1989). It has been claimed ‘basic human skills are seriously lacking in the nursing workforce today, at least in many acute settings’ (Armstrong 2000, p.27). This is largely attributed to insufficient psychiatric and mental health content in undergraduate courses to prepare nurses for mental health care (Wynaden et al 2000; Happell 1998).