The purpose of this article is to illustrate the key points of Virginia Henderson's “Nursing Concepts” (CON) theory and its application in nursing. practice using specific examples. Henderson's CON theory is a major theory written in 1978. (Waller-Wise, 2013) CON theory provides a definition of nursing, responsibilities, and a focus on specific areas where nursing care is needed. (Waller-Wise, 2013) As Henderson (1978) writes, “Nursing consists primarily of helping people (sick or healthy) to carry out those activities contributing to health, or its recovery (or its peaceful death), which they would carry out without help if they had the strength, the will or the necessary knowledge. (p.26) It is the role of the nurse to help the patient regain their autonomy as quickly as possible. (Henderson, 1978) Henderson's theory can be classified as an "interactive model", placing importance on the interpersonal relationships between nurse and patient. (Tourville, 2003) Henderson (1978) described fourteen different activities of daily living: breathing normally, eating and drinking adequately, eliminating bodily wastes, moving and maintaining desirable postures, sleeping and resting, dressing and undressing , maintain normal body temperature. and changing the environment, healing oneself, avoiding environmental dangers or harm to others, communication, worshiping one's faith, working toward achievement, recreational participation, and a curiosity for learning and discovery that leads normal development and maintenance of health. Although all of these needs are closely related when providing care, for the purposes of this article, these “activities of daily living” (ADLs) will be classified into different groups: physiological, psychological, spiritual, and sociological. (Tourvill...... middle of paper...... doctors, psychiatrists and nurses who work in mental health clinics, CON can be applied to any healthcare environment by ensuring that ADLs are respected and patients strive to become more independent (Henderson, 1978) Works CitedClark, D. (1997) The Unique Function of the Nurse...tribute to Virginia Henderson International Nursing Review, 44(5). ), 144-152.Henderson, V. (1978).The concept of nursing, 3, 21-34.Nicely, B. and DeLario, GT (2011). Virginia Henderson nurses applied to organ donation after brain death, 21. (1), 72-77 Tourville, C. and Ingalls, K. (2003). Nursing, 38(3), 21-36. Waller-Wise, R. (2013).., 28(2), 30-34.