Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, substance
abuse Saunders NCLEX 68, 69, 72
Questions and Correct Answers/ Latest
Update / Already Graded
852. A client with a diagnosis of depression who has attempted
suicide says to the
nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing ever
goes right for
me." Which response by the nurse demonstrates therapeutic
communication?
1. "You have everything to live for."
2. "Why do you see yourself as a failure?"
3. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
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Ans: 4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
Rationale: Responding to the feelings expressed by a client is an effective
therapeutic communication technique. The correct option is an example
of the use
of restating. The remaining options block communication because they
minimize
the client's experience and do not facilitate exploration of the client's
expressed
feelings. In addition, use of the word why is nontherapeutic.
853. The nurse visits a client at home. The client states, "I haven't slept
at all the last
couple of nights." Which response by the nurse demonstrates
therapeutic
communication?
1. "I see."
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2. "Really?"
3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
4. "Sometimes I have trouble sleeping too."
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Ans: 3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
Rationale: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication
technique of
restatement. Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting
component
to it, it repeats the client's major theme, which assists the nurse to obtain a
more
specific perception of the problem from the client. The remaining options
are not
therapeutic responses since none encourages the client to expand on the
problem.
Offering personal experiences moves the focus away from the client and
onto the
nurse.