Aims: This study aimed to construct and validate a systematic Socratic guided dialogue toolbox for postpartum nurses to address intrusive thoughts in new mothers, integrating Adlerian encouragement principles with Socratic questioning techniques.
Methods: A four-stage Socratic guided dialogue toolbox was developed through theoretical integration of Socratic questioning and Adlerian psychology. The toolbox comprised: (1) Focusing and Orientation, (2) Phenomenological Understanding, (3) Collaborative Curious Exploration, and (4) Synthesis and Integration. Each stage incorporated specific dialogue techniques including open-ended inquiry, emotion tracking, evidence examination, perspective shifting, and courage affirmation. The toolbox was validated through clinical application with postpartum mothers experiencing intrusive thoughts in a postpartum care setting. A representative case study documented a 28-year-old first-time mother who identified herself as a 'failed mother' due to intrusive thoughts. The intervention process systematically applied the four-stage toolbox.
Results: The case study demonstrated significant cognitive reconstruction. The participant progressed from the core distressing belief "having thoughts about harming my baby means I am a failed mother" to a balanced self-concept: "I am a loving new mother who is still learning, sometimes feels frustrated, but is willing to continue trying." The four-stage intervention successfully facilitated the participant's movement from fear to empowerment, from isolation to connection, and enabled reconstruction of maternal identity and self-efficacy.
Conclusions: This study successfully constructed the first systematic Socratic guided dialogue toolbox for postpartum intrusive thoughts nursing care, achieving a paradigm shift from problem-focused to strength-based cares.

Authors:
Mei-Hui Cheng, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Wen Chih Tseng, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Wen-Chih Tseng is currently professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan.

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