What is known on the subject?• There are many international studies on CRHTTs; however, there has been little research on nurses' experiences of working with CRHTTs.• Earlier studies focused on the nurses' gatekeeping role but did not explore nurses' perception of care as a construct. What does the paper add to existing knowledge?• This study provides information based on mental health nurses' experiences. It explains the home environment, the therapeutic relationship and the process of mental health nursing care during a crisis. Also, the study explains nurses' satisfaction with care provided at patients' home.• Unlike other studies, this study focused on nurses' experiences while providing care, rather than on nurses' general responsibilities and the services they provide.This study is the first of its kind in Spain with such a focus. What are the implications for practice?• Acknowledging nurses' experiences and their perspectives about the care they provide could help shift mental health nursing paradigms from those based on biomedical models to newer perspectives found in recovery models. Furthermore, this knowledge could improve the quality of care in mental health settings due to its potential to guide nursing practices.• Raising mental health care providers' awareness of mental health nurses' personal and professional care constructs would help implement support systems to meet the professional's needs. Meeting the needs of nurses related to the care they provide is likely to impact patient care positively.