[3] The philosophy underpinning the model initially was inspired by a five-year research into what people need for care in mental health carried out by Barker and Chris Stevenson at the University of Newcastle, UK.
[5] Due to the work of Phil Barker in this area, he is frequently cited as being a prominent contemporary theorist in mental health nursing.
It states that by appreciating this metaphor, nurses or other helpers will gain a greater understanding of the person's current situation and the inevitability of change.
With this, the helper may, in time, be guided to care with the person beginning their journey from the state of being washed ashore, drowning or being otherwise marooned by their life problems.
[5] In 2000, the Tidal Model was first implemented in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK in the adult mental health programme covering nine acute admission wards.