Biography
Switzerland is where I have been born and raised and where I still live with my husband and our lovely dog Ginger in the beautiful Töss valley in the canton of Zurich. For almost 30 years I have been working in various functions and positions in nursing and have been able to gain valuable experiences in many fields of work. The encounters with people from the most diverse backgrounds and all kinds of lifestyles have always shaped me and motivated me for my work. The last 15 years were primarily spent in the field of psychiatry/mental health nursing. In 2021 I became a lecturer at Bern University of Applied Sciences where I work in the Masters degree education and in research, specifically in the field of psychiatric and mental health nursing.
During my professional career I have had the chance to live in California for a while and I got my Masters degree in Nursing Sciences at Cardiff University in Wales. Before nursing became my professional passion I have been trained as a station manager working for the Swiss National Railways and later as a travel agent... In the early 90's I emigrated to the US and went through an intensive training programme as a chaplain for people living with HIV/AIDS. The plan to study nursing in the US did not work out as planned and so I returned to Switzerland where I got my general nursing degree at the School of Nursing at the Psychiatric University Hospital in Zurich. However, for almost ten years I have been working in acute health care settings and rehabilitation before I returned to mental health nursing in 2007. My main interest in nursing has always been people's experiences in dealing with their health conditions and how nurses can support them in this process. Humanising healthcare, building professional relationships and getting involved with people's stories and lives are my main motivation and drive.
Therefore, in 2012, when asked by my dear friend and mentor Prof. Dr. Francis C. Biley, to participate in a programme focusing on negotiating uncertainties in people living with chronic conditions, I simply could not resist and got accepted as a part time PhD student at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Bournemouth University. Due to the tragic and unexpected loss of Prof. Biley, the project could not been carried out as planned. However, the core element of adaptation to illness remained a main part in my PhD research project under the supervision of Dr. S. Thomas, Prof. E. vanTeijlingen and Prof. S. Hahn. I explored the question of how people with a mental illness shape their lives and deal with the real and possible effects of the illness. The findings of this work, the many experiences of my professional and personal life, combined with a broad spectrum of knowledge from the fields of nursing, psychiatry and psychology, form the basis of my therapeutic work which I continued doing in private practice until September 2023.
I am very happy to be still part of the Bournemouth University community as a visiting associate and to help shaping the future of mental health nursing care in the UK as well as in Switzerland.
moreResearch
My PhD - Research Project: Creating Meaning - Understanding the Experiences of People Living with Mental Illness in Switzerland - A qualitative Study
Mental illnesses have a large impact on individuals, their families and friends and communities. People living with mental illness often face discrimination and not the least within the health care system. However, there is an ongoing shift from a paternalistic to a person-centred approach in the treatment of people living with mental illness. User involvement in the development of care has become common practice and personal recovery rather than cure is at the core of treatment. However, to further improve professional practice, there is a need to understand more about the experiences of people living with mental illness.
The aim of this research is to explore and evaluate the personal experiences of people living with mental illness in Switzerland and to identify aspects that are most relevant to this population in living with and adapting to mental illness. Therefore, the study aims to create an understanding of the adaptation process to mental illness from a patient perspective.
A constructivist and reflexive grounded theory approach was chosen for the main study. Ten participants, people living with mental illness in Switzerland, were interviewed. However, the project also includes a preliminary study, comprising a focus group with mental health professionals, that used qualitative thematic analysis.
The research project has been completed, submitted and successfully defended viva voce in November 2019.
Favourites
- Wolfensberger, P., 2020. Creating meaning - understanding the experiences of people living with mental illness in Switzerland: a qualitative study. PhD Thesis. Bournemouth University, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.
- Wolfensberger, P., Hahn, S., van Teijlingen, E. and Thomas, S., 2019. Uncertainty in illness among people living with mental ill health - a mental health nursing perspective. British Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 8 (4), 181-187.
- Wolfensberger, P., 2011. Homophobia in Nursing A critical interpretive synthesis. Master's Thesis. Cardiff University, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:
Good health and well-being
"Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages"
Quality education
"Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all"
