This work is a research project with a phenomenological qualitative approach which is
based on Maurice Merleau-Ponty's theoretical-philosophical reference framework and on Paul
Ricoeur’s hermeneutics. It aims to understand how nursing professionals in mental health perceive
the care of oneself. Interviews with nursing staff from a Psychiatric Admission Unit of a Teaching
Hospital in the center region of Rio Grande do Sul will be conducted. The understanding and
interpretation of the findings are grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology of Paul Ricoeur.