Dr. Linda J. McNeal

Clinical Professor of Nursing

The inviting relationship: An expanded perspective for professional counseling
by Purkey, William and Schmidt, John

I first read The Inviting Relationship in my doctoral studies at UNCG in a course on Helping Relationships taught by Dr. William Purkey. This book and that course provided me with an introduction to the model for Invitational Learning, which became my philosophy for teaching students of nursing. The book states "the essence of the inviting relationship is that....helpers should be intentionally optimistic, respectful, and trusting toward themselves and others, personally and professionally (Purkey & Schmidt, p. 3). I am grateful for the opportunity to use this positive and rewarding approach to nursing education and to nursing as I "help" new nurses into the profession or work with nurses and patients/families in the service arena.