1. Joyce Travelbee: The Story of a New Orleans Nurse Theorist by Deborah Garbee, PhD, APRN, BC and Dianna Hutto Douglas, DNS APRN-CNS

2. Human-to-Human Relationship Model Travelbee extended the interpersonal relationship theories of: Peplau Orlando

3. Unique Focus With emphasis on Caring Travelbee’s theory stresses:
Empathy
Sympathy
Rapport
The Emotional Aspects of Nursing

4. Communication Communication is the Vehicle through which Nurse-Patient Relationships are established.

5. The Relationship
A “mutually significant meaningful relationship” (p. 125) through which the nursing needs of the individual (or family member) are met (Travelbee, 1966)
Phases of the Relationship
Original Encounter
Emerging Identities
Empathy
Sympathy
Rapport

6. Empathy To Travelbee Empathy is a verb, an action word that is:
the nurses most valuable method of communicating with patients
‘operationalzed’ by the nurse within the nurse-patient relationship
To empathize is to gain an intellectual understanding of the mental world and psychological state of another (Travelbee, 1966)
HOW:
Empathetic receivers (of communication form others):
Listen to the message
Use own experiences to feel their way into the sender’s experience
Know their own thoughts about their experience
Use their own thoughts and experiences to become sensitive to the what the sender is telling them
Know which boundaries exist between their experiences and thoughts and those of the sender
Make a conscious choice to stay with the sender and help them to bear their experience (Donna, 1979, p. 50)

7. Sympathy
“…A process wherein an individual is able to comprehend the distress of another, be moved or touched by another’s distress, and desires to alleviate the cause. One ‘shares’ in the feelings of another and experiences compassion”.
(Travelbee, 1966, p. 146)

8. Rapport
“The establishment of a nurse-patient relationship, and the experience that is rapport is the terminus of all nursing endeavor. Rapport is that which is experienced when nurse and patent has progressed through the four interlocking phases preceding rapport and the establishment of a nurse-patient relationship, namely:
The original encounter
Emerging identities
Empathy
Sympathy” (Travelbee, 1966, p. 155)

9. Travelbee’s View of Nursing
An interpersonal process between two individuals
One needs assistance because of an illness
The other able to give needed assistance
The Goal of the assistance is to facilitate the individual to:
Cope with the illness situation
Find meaning in the experience
Grow from the experience
(Travelbee, 1966)

11. Domain Concepts of Travelbee’s Theory Defined
Nursing
“An interpersonal process whereby the professional nurse… assists an individual… to prevent or cope with… illness and suffering and… find meaning in these experiences” (Travelbee, 1966, pp. 5-6).
Person
...“a unique irreplaceable individual-a one-time being in the world-like yet unlike any person who has ever lived or ever will live”(Travelbee, 1966, p. 26).
Health
“…the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard… without distinction” (Travelbee, 1966, p.7).
“…an individually defined state of well-being in accord with self-appraisal of physical-emotional-spiritual status” (Travelbee, 1971, p.9).
Environment
Not defined

12. Other Major Concepts of Travelbee’s Theory
Communication
Nurse-Patient Relationship
Human-to-Human Relationship
Therapeutic Self
Perception
Suffering
Hope
Transcend Self
Self-Actualization

13. A Propositions of Travelbee’s Theory
“The Nurse’s perception of the patient is a major factor in determining the quality and quantity of nursing care… rendered to each Patient” (Travelbee, 1966, p. 34).

14. A Proposition of Travelbee’s Theory
“The quality of nursing care given is determined by the nurse’s beliefs about illness, suffering, and death” (Travelbee, 1966, p. 55).

15. A Proposition of Travelbee’s Theory “The spiritual values… [and] philosophical beliefs [of nurses] about illness and suffering will determine the extent to which they will be able to help patients find meaning (or no meaning)in these situations” (Travelbee, 1966, p. 55).

16. Travelbee Life Influences
Education
Honors
Experience
Personal

17. Travelbee’s Education
Crossman School (Elementary) 1939
Joseph Kohn High School 1943
Charity Hospital School of Nursing 1946
LSU (B.S.N. Ed.) 1956
Yale University (M.S.N.) 1959
Doctoral program enrollment (Florida, 1973)

18. Travelbee’s Honors Kappa Delta Pi Who’s Who in American Education
Leaders in Science Edition
Teacher of the Year
University of Mississippi SON 1968
Outstanding Alumna Award
Louisiana State University 1970

19. Travelbee’s Experience
LSUMC SON Director of Graduate Education 1973
LSUMC SON 1971 – 1973
Hotel Dieu SON Project Director 1969 – 1971
University of Mississippi SON
New York University
LSU SON
Charity Hospital SON
De Paul Hospital Affiliate School

20. Travelbee Personal
Order of Diacalced Carmelites Secular
Poetry

21. Order of Diacalced Carmelites
16th Century Reform of Carmalite Nuns
Reestablish Carmelite Objectives & Disciplines
St. Teresa of Avila
St. John of the Cross
Known as Contemplative Carmelites and later Discalced Carmelites

22. Order of Diacalced Carmelites Secular
Pervasive Ideas
1. The Secular Rule of Life, Plan for Spiritual Growth
2. Vocation & Mission
Evangelical Life & Contemplative Prayer
Apostolic & Contemplative Witness
3. Contemplative Prayer

23. Poetry Mental Health Patients Uplifting Sorrow Hurry Sounds
Inspiration
Sandra
Burnt Sienna
Untitled
Uplifting
Sounds
New Orleans
The Dreamer
Sorrow
Magnolia
The wind is White tonight
So?

24. References
Catholic University of America (1967). Catholic Encyclopedia. NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Donna, M.K., (1979). Intervention in psychiatric
nursing (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
LSU Personnel Records (1971). Biographical Data
Form. New Orleans: LSU.
Speziale, H.J. & Carpenter, D.R. (2007). Qualitative Research in Nursing Advancing the Humanistic Imperative. (4th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Travelbee, J. (n.d.) Poetry. New Orleans.
Travelbee, J. (1966). Interpersonal aspects of
nursing. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
Travelbee, J. (1971). Interpersonal aspects of