Aznar-Huerta, AndreaMoreno-Poyato, Antonio RafaelCardó-Vila, GemmaVives Abril, TeresaLeyva-Moral, Juan Manuel2025-11-252025-11-252024Aznar-Huerta A, Moreno-Poyato AR, Cardó-Vila G, Vives-Abril T, Leyva-Moral JM. Understanding the process of acceptance within the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship in mental health care: a grounded theory. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Nov 8;12(22):2233. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare122222332227-9032http://hdl.handle.net/10230/72005Background/Objective: Deepening knowledge about the meaning of acceptance in the context of the nurse-patient relationship will help us to understand the importance and value that people with mental health challenges attach to this attribute in the process of the therapeutic relationship. The objective of this study was to understand the process of acceptance as part of the therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients in the field of mental health. Methods: This study employed a qualitative research design using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory approach. Using theoretical sampling, data were collected through unstructured interviews with mental health nurses and with people with mental health challenges. Results: Acceptance is a complex and dynamic process that takes place when both patients and nurses feel and make the other feel like an individual human being. Acceptance is not an automatic process; rather, it requires awareness on behalf of both parties involved in the therapeutic relationship. The creation of a non-hierarchical caring environment is fundamental for fostering mutual acceptance and engagement in the therapeutic process. Conclusions: Nurses must develop self-awareness and reflect on their attitudes and biases to provide person-centered care. Nurse training and personal development are essential requirements for achieving an effective therapeutic relationship and empowering patients in their recovery process.application/pdfeng© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).info:eu-repo/semantics/article2025-11-25http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12222233Acceptance processGrounded theoryMental health careNurse-patient therapeutic relationshipPerson-centered nursinginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess