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Mental health quizlet saunders 8th ed
Questions and Correct Answers/ Latest
Update / Already Graded
787. 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?"
Responding to 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 no
therapeutic because clients frequently interpret why questions as
accusations. Why questions can cause resentment, insecurity and mistrust.
788. 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"
2. "Really?"
3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
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4. "Sometimes I have trouble sleeping too."
Ans: 3. You're having difficulty sleeping?
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 because none of
them encourages the client to expand on the problem. Offering personal
experience moves the focus away from the client and onto the nurse
789. A client experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that
his food is being poisoned. Which communication technique should
the nurse use to encourage the client to eat?
1. Using open-ended questions and silence.
2. Sharing personal preference regarding food choices
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3. Documenting reasons why the client does not want to eat
4. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition
Ans: 1. Using open-ended questions and silence
Open-ended questions and silence are strategies used to encourage
clients to discuss their problems. Sharing personal food preferences is not
a client-centered intervention. The remaining options are not helpful to
the client because they do not encourage the client to express feelings.
The nurse should not offer opinions and should encourage the client to
identify the reasons for the behavior.
791. A client diagnosed with terminal cancer says to the nurse, "I'm
going to die, and I wish my family would stop hoping for a cure! I get
so angry when they carry on like this. After all, I'm the one who's
dying." Which response by the nurse is therapeutic?
1. Have you shared your feelings with your family?
Mental health quizlet saunders 8th ed
Questions and Correct Answers/ Latest
Update / Already Graded
787. 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?"
,2 | Page
Ans: 4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
Responding to 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 no
therapeutic because clients frequently interpret why questions as
accusations. Why questions can cause resentment, insecurity and mistrust.
788. 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"
2. "Really?"
3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
,3 | Page
4. "Sometimes I have trouble sleeping too."
Ans: 3. You're having difficulty sleeping?
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 because none of
them encourages the client to expand on the problem. Offering personal
experience moves the focus away from the client and onto the nurse
789. A client experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that
his food is being poisoned. Which communication technique should
the nurse use to encourage the client to eat?
1. Using open-ended questions and silence.
2. Sharing personal preference regarding food choices
, 4 | Page
3. Documenting reasons why the client does not want to eat
4. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition
Ans: 1. Using open-ended questions and silence
Open-ended questions and silence are strategies used to encourage
clients to discuss their problems. Sharing personal food preferences is not
a client-centered intervention. The remaining options are not helpful to
the client because they do not encourage the client to express feelings.
The nurse should not offer opinions and should encourage the client to
identify the reasons for the behavior.
791. A client diagnosed with terminal cancer says to the nurse, "I'm
going to die, and I wish my family would stop hoping for a cure! I get
so angry when they carry on like this. After all, I'm the one who's
dying." Which response by the nurse is therapeutic?
1. Have you shared your feelings with your family?
