Unit IV Mental Health Test Bank (All
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
7.1. What is the most essential task for a nurse to accomplish prior to
forming a therapeutic relationship with a client?
A. To clarify personal attitudes, values, and beliefs
B. To obtain thorough assessment data
C. To determine the clients length of stay
D. To establish personal goals for the interaction - correct
answer✅✅ANSWER: A
RATIONALE: The most essential task for a nurse to accomplish prior to
forming a therapeutic relationship with a client is to clarify personal
attitudes, values, and beliefs. Understanding ones own attitudes, values, and
beliefs is called self-awareness.
7.2. A hungry, homeless client, diagnosed with schizophrenia, refuses to
participate in an admission interview. When the nurse postpones the
admission interview, verbally assures safety, and provides a warm meal, he
or she is promoting which of the following?
A. Sympathy
B. Trust
C. Veracity
D. Manipulation - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: B
RATIONALE: The nurse is promoting trust by postponing the admission
interview, assuring safety, and providing a warm meal. Trust implies a feeling
of confidence that a person is reliable and sincere and has integrity and
veracity. Trustworthiness is demonstrated through nursing interventions that
convey a sense of warmth and caring to the client.
7.3. Which is the best nursing action when a client demonstrates
transference toward a nurse?
,Unit IV Mental Health Test Bank (All
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
A. Promoting safety and immediately terminating the relationship with the
client
B. Encouraging the client to ignore these thoughts and feelings
C. Immediately reassigning the client to another staff member
D. Helping the client to clarify the meaning of the current nurse-client
relationship - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: D
RATIONALE: The nurse should respond to a clients transference by clarifying
the meaning of the nurse-client relationship, based on the current situation.
Transference occurs when the client unconsciously displaces feelings toward
the nurse about a person from the past. The nurse should assist the client in
separating the past from the present.
7.4. What is the priority nursing action during the orientation (introductory)
phase of the nurse-client relationship?
A. Acknowledge the clients actions and generate alternative behaviors.
B. Establish rapport and develop treatment goals.
C. Attempt to find alternative placement.
D. Explore how thoughts and feelings about this client may adversely impact
care. - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: B
RATIONALE: The priority nursing action during the orientation phase of the
nurse-client relationship should be to establish rapport and develop
treatment goals. Rapport implies feelings on the part of both the nurse and
the client based on respect, acceptance, a sense of trust, and a
nonjudgmental attitude. It is the essential foundation of the nurse-client
relationship.
7.5. Which client response should a nurse expect during the working phase
of the nurse-client relationship?
,Unit IV Mental Health Test Bank (All
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
A. The client gains insight and incorporates alternative behaviors.
B. The client and nurse establish rapport and mutually develop treatment
goals.
C. The client explores feelings related to reentering the community.
D. The client explores personal strengths and weaknesses that impact
behaviors. - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: A
RATIONALE: The nurse should expect that the client would gain insight and
incorporate alternative behaviors during the working phase of the nurse-
client relationship. The client may also overcome resistance, problem-solve,
and continually evaluate progress toward goals.
7.6. What should be the nurses primary goal during the preinteraction phase
of the nurse-client relationship?
A. To evaluate goal attainment and ensure therapeutic closure
B. To establish trust and formulate a contract for intervention
C. To explore self-perceptions
D. To promote client change - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: C
RATIONALE: The nurses primary goal of the preinteraction phase should be to
explore self-perceptions. The nurse should be aware of how any
preconceptions may affect his or her ability to care for individual clients.
Another goal of the preinteraction phase is to obtain available client
information.
7.7. Which phase of the nurse-client relationship begins when the individuals
first meet and is characterized by an agreement to continue to meet and
work on setting client-centered goals?
A. Preinteraction
, Unit IV Mental Health Test Bank (All
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
B. Orientation
C. Working
D. Termination - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: B
RATIONALE: The orientation phase is when the individuals first meet and is
characterized by an agreement to continue to meet and work on setting
client-centered goals. There are four phases of relationship development:
preinteraction, orientation, working, and termination.
7.8. Which client statement should a nurse identify as a typical response to
stress most often experienced in the working phase of the nurse-client
relationship?
A. I cant bear the thought of leaving here and failing.
B. I might have a hard time working with you. You remind me of my mother.
C. I cant tell my husband how I feel; he wouldn't listen anyway.
D. Im not sure that I can count on you to protect my confidentiality. - correct
answer✅✅ANSWER: C
RATIONALE: The nurse should identify that the client statement I cant tell my
husband how I feel; he wouldn't listen anyway reflects resistance to change,
which is a common behavior in the working phase of the nurse-client
relationship. The working phase includes overcoming resistant behaviors on
the part of the client as the level of anxiety rises in response to discussion of
painful issues.
7.9. A client has made the decision to leave her alcoholic husband. She is
feeling very depressed. Which nontherapeutic statement by the nurse
conveys sympathy?
A. You are feeling very depressed. I felt the same way when I decided to
leave my husband.
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
7.1. What is the most essential task for a nurse to accomplish prior to
forming a therapeutic relationship with a client?
A. To clarify personal attitudes, values, and beliefs
B. To obtain thorough assessment data
C. To determine the clients length of stay
D. To establish personal goals for the interaction - correct
answer✅✅ANSWER: A
RATIONALE: The most essential task for a nurse to accomplish prior to
forming a therapeutic relationship with a client is to clarify personal
attitudes, values, and beliefs. Understanding ones own attitudes, values, and
beliefs is called self-awareness.
7.2. A hungry, homeless client, diagnosed with schizophrenia, refuses to
participate in an admission interview. When the nurse postpones the
admission interview, verbally assures safety, and provides a warm meal, he
or she is promoting which of the following?
A. Sympathy
B. Trust
C. Veracity
D. Manipulation - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: B
RATIONALE: The nurse is promoting trust by postponing the admission
interview, assuring safety, and providing a warm meal. Trust implies a feeling
of confidence that a person is reliable and sincere and has integrity and
veracity. Trustworthiness is demonstrated through nursing interventions that
convey a sense of warmth and caring to the client.
7.3. Which is the best nursing action when a client demonstrates
transference toward a nurse?
,Unit IV Mental Health Test Bank (All
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
A. Promoting safety and immediately terminating the relationship with the
client
B. Encouraging the client to ignore these thoughts and feelings
C. Immediately reassigning the client to another staff member
D. Helping the client to clarify the meaning of the current nurse-client
relationship - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: D
RATIONALE: The nurse should respond to a clients transference by clarifying
the meaning of the nurse-client relationship, based on the current situation.
Transference occurs when the client unconsciously displaces feelings toward
the nurse about a person from the past. The nurse should assist the client in
separating the past from the present.
7.4. What is the priority nursing action during the orientation (introductory)
phase of the nurse-client relationship?
A. Acknowledge the clients actions and generate alternative behaviors.
B. Establish rapport and develop treatment goals.
C. Attempt to find alternative placement.
D. Explore how thoughts and feelings about this client may adversely impact
care. - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: B
RATIONALE: The priority nursing action during the orientation phase of the
nurse-client relationship should be to establish rapport and develop
treatment goals. Rapport implies feelings on the part of both the nurse and
the client based on respect, acceptance, a sense of trust, and a
nonjudgmental attitude. It is the essential foundation of the nurse-client
relationship.
7.5. Which client response should a nurse expect during the working phase
of the nurse-client relationship?
,Unit IV Mental Health Test Bank (All
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
A. The client gains insight and incorporates alternative behaviors.
B. The client and nurse establish rapport and mutually develop treatment
goals.
C. The client explores feelings related to reentering the community.
D. The client explores personal strengths and weaknesses that impact
behaviors. - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: A
RATIONALE: The nurse should expect that the client would gain insight and
incorporate alternative behaviors during the working phase of the nurse-
client relationship. The client may also overcome resistance, problem-solve,
and continually evaluate progress toward goals.
7.6. What should be the nurses primary goal during the preinteraction phase
of the nurse-client relationship?
A. To evaluate goal attainment and ensure therapeutic closure
B. To establish trust and formulate a contract for intervention
C. To explore self-perceptions
D. To promote client change - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: C
RATIONALE: The nurses primary goal of the preinteraction phase should be to
explore self-perceptions. The nurse should be aware of how any
preconceptions may affect his or her ability to care for individual clients.
Another goal of the preinteraction phase is to obtain available client
information.
7.7. Which phase of the nurse-client relationship begins when the individuals
first meet and is characterized by an agreement to continue to meet and
work on setting client-centered goals?
A. Preinteraction
, Unit IV Mental Health Test Bank (All
Answers) A+ Guide 2024-2025
B. Orientation
C. Working
D. Termination - correct answer✅✅ANSWER: B
RATIONALE: The orientation phase is when the individuals first meet and is
characterized by an agreement to continue to meet and work on setting
client-centered goals. There are four phases of relationship development:
preinteraction, orientation, working, and termination.
7.8. Which client statement should a nurse identify as a typical response to
stress most often experienced in the working phase of the nurse-client
relationship?
A. I cant bear the thought of leaving here and failing.
B. I might have a hard time working with you. You remind me of my mother.
C. I cant tell my husband how I feel; he wouldn't listen anyway.
D. Im not sure that I can count on you to protect my confidentiality. - correct
answer✅✅ANSWER: C
RATIONALE: The nurse should identify that the client statement I cant tell my
husband how I feel; he wouldn't listen anyway reflects resistance to change,
which is a common behavior in the working phase of the nurse-client
relationship. The working phase includes overcoming resistant behaviors on
the part of the client as the level of anxiety rises in response to discussion of
painful issues.
7.9. A client has made the decision to leave her alcoholic husband. She is
feeling very depressed. Which nontherapeutic statement by the nurse
conveys sympathy?
A. You are feeling very depressed. I felt the same way when I decided to
leave my husband.
