Therapeutic Comm Q 26
A nurse is assessing a client diagnosed with schizophrenia for the presence of hallucinations. Which therapeutic communication technique used by the nurse is an example of making observations?
A. "You appear to be talking to someone I do not see."
B. "Please describe what you are seeing."
C. "Why do you continually look in the corner of this room?"
D. "If you hum a tune, the voices may not be so distracting."
Correct Answer: A. “You appear to be talking to someone I do not see.”
The nurse is making an observation when stating, “You appear to be talking to someone I do not see.” Making observations involves verbalizing what is observed or perceived. This encourages the client to recognize specific behaviors and make comparisons with the nurse’s perceptions.
Option B: Encouraging description of perceptions is asking the client to verbalize what he or she perceives. To understand the client, the nurse must see things from the client’s perspective. Encouraging the client to describe fully may relieve the tension the client is feeling, and he might be less likely to take action on ideas that are harmful or frightening.
Option C: Requesting an explanation is asking the client to provide reasons for thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and events. There is a difference between asking the client to describe what is occurring and or has taken place and asking him to explain why. Usually, a “why” question is intimidating.
Option D: Telling the client what to do and giving an opinion or making decisions for the client is nontherapeutic. It implies that the client cannot handle life decisions and only the nurse knows what is best for the client.