International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 235 Vol.5; Issue: 2; February 2015 International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Original Research Article Skill Is Strength: Empowering the Student Nurses through Skill Training On Selected Psychotherapy Sheela Upendra 1 , Sheetal Barde 2 1 Assoc. Professor, 2 Asst. Professor, Symbiosis College of Nursing, Symbiosis International University, Pune, Maharahtra, India. Corresponding Author: Sheela Upendra Received: 25/12/2014 Revised: 22/01/2015 Accepted: 29/01/2015 ABSTRACT Psychotherapy helps in the exploration of thoughts, feelings and behavior for the purpose of problem solving or achieving higher levels of functioning. The study is focused on to empowering the student nurses through skill training on selected psychotherapy .One group Pre and Post test - pre experimental Design was used. Sample size was 60 student nurses. Structured Skill questionnaire on six psychotherapies was administered along with baseline Performa. Followed by workshop, where skill stations were organized and then Post test was administered. Majority of 53% of the student nurses had average skill score, 45 % of them had poor skill score and only 2% of them had good skill score regarding psychotherapy. There is highly significant difference in pre test and post test skill score (P value is <0.0001). It means workshop on skill training on psychotherapy was effective. Education and experience found to have association with skills of student nurses regarding psychotherapy. There is no association of age and gender with skills of student nurses about psychotherapy Key words: Skill training; psychotherapy; student nurses. INTRODUCTION Psychotherapy includes interactive processes between a person or group and a qualified mental health professional - psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, licensed counselor, or other trained practitioner. Its purpose is the exploration of thoughts, feelings and behavior for the purpose of problem solving or achieving higher levels of functioning. [1] The psychiatrist Jerome Frank defined psychotherapy as the relief of distress or disability in one person by another, using an approach based on a particular theory or paradigm, and a requirement that the agent performing the therapy has had some form of training in delivering this. It is these latter two points which distinguish psychotherapy from other forms of counseling or caregiving. [2] Psychotherapy with children and their parents often involves play, dramatization (i.e. role-play), and drawing, with a co-constructed narrative from these non-verbal and displaced modes of interacting. [3] Psychotherapy often includes techniques to increase awareness and the