The nurse is planning approaches to use to begin the establishment of the nurse-patient relationship. Which therapeutic communication techniques will be most useful to achieve this goal? Select all that apply

Question

a. Attentively listening as the patient describes their obsessive compulsive rituals
b. Asking the anxious patient if they have a plan for controlling their current anxiety
c. Encouraging the depressed patient to "come and talk with me whenever you want"
d. Sitting quietly in the room while the non-communicating patient unpacks their belongings
e. Responding to the patient's feelings of loss by stating, "I know that must have made you very sad."

Answer 1

ANS: A, C, D, E
Attentive listening, offering self, silence and empathy are all therapeutic communication techniques that are appropriate for use in the orientation stage of the nurse-patient relation-ship. Encouraging plan formulation is reserved for the working phase of the relationship.