A Continent Aflame: Ethical Lessons From the Australian Bushfire Disaster

Mental health nursing in bushfire-affected communities: An autoethnographic insight

There is no literature to guide mental health nursing in bushfire-affected communities. Using autoethnographic methods, the author reflects on his experience of mental health nursing during the Australian bushfires of 2019-20 and the challenges of identifying existing practice guidance. Applying an existing nursing model and insights from gestalt, he analyses his field notes to identify and describe practices which he found important and useful for working with bushfire-affected persons and communities. Eight suggestions are provided to assist mental health nurses to practise in an informed way and promote recovery. This paper makes a contribution to a small body of existing mental health nursing research using autoethnographic methods, and it is the first contribution to the mental health nursing literature about working with bushfire-affected persons and communities.