.

Therapeutic
Communication Technique Examples Rationale .
Giving lnforrnatlon
"My name Is....• Informing the clientof facts Increases his or her
making avai able the
"Visiting hours are. knowledge about a topic or lets the client know
facts that the client
• what to expect .The nurse is funct oning as a
needs
"My purpose in being resource person.Giving Information alSO builds
here trust with
Is....• the client.
Giving recognlUon
Greeting the client by name,indicating
ackOOWledglng, awareness of change,or noting efforts the client
"Good morning, Mr. S..
Indicating awareness has made all show that the nurse recognizes
" "You've finished your
liSt of the client as a person.as an individual. Such
things to do." recognition does not carry the notion of
Making observatlons value,that Is,of being "good" or "bad."
"I notice that you've
verbalizing Wllat the
combE<J your hair.· Sometimes clients cannot verbalize or make
nurse perceives themselves understood.Or the client may not be
"Youappear tense."
"Areyou uncomfortable ready to talk.
when...?"
"I notice that you're
btting your lip."
Offering self-making one· "I'll sit with you The nurse can offer his or her presence,Interest. and
awhile.·
self available "I'll stay here with you.· really upset."
"I'm interested in what Nurse: "You're really mad and
you upset."
Ptaclng event In time or think."
sequence-<laritying "What seemed to lead up
the relatlon5hlp of to...?"
events In time "Was this before or
after...?" "When did this
happen?"

Presenting reallty
offering for
consideration that "Isee no one else in the
Which is real room." "That sound wasa
car
backfiring."
"Your mother iS not
here;Iam a nurse."
Reflectlng--<lirecting
client
actions.thoughts.and Client "Do you think
feelings back to client Ishould tell the
doctor...?"
Nurse: "Do you think you
should?"
Client "My brother spends all
my money and then has
nerve to ask for more."
Restating-repeating the Nurse: "Ths causes you to
main idea expressed feel angry?"
Client "Ican't sleep. Istay
awake all night.·
Nurse: "You have difficulty
sleeping."
Client "I'm really mad,I'm
 desire to
understand.It
isimportant that The nurse repeats what
this offer is the client has said in
uncondttional;that approxi mately or
iS, the client does nearly the same words
not have to the client has used.
respond verbally This restatement lets
to get the nurse's the client know that he
attention. or she communicated
Putting eventsin the idea effectively. ThiS
proper sequence encourages the client to
helps both the continue.Or iithe client
nurse and the has been misun
client to see themin derstood, he or She
perspective. The can clarity his or her
client may gaininsight thOughts.
into cause-and-effect
behavior and
consequences. or the (continued)
client may be able to
see that perhaps
some tilings are not
related. The
nurse may gain
informationabout
recurrent patterns
or themes in the
clienrs behavior or
relationships.
When it is obvious that the
client is miSinterpreting
real
ity, the nurse can
indicate what is real.
The nurse does thiS
by calmly and quietly
expressing his or her
percep tions or the
facts.not by way of
arguing wrth the cli
ent or belittling hiS or
her
experience.Theintent
is to indicate an
alternative line of
thought for the client
to consider, not to
"convince" the client
that he or she iS
wrong.
Reflect onencourages the
client to recognize and
accept
hs or her own
feelings.The
nurseindicates that the
client's point of view
has value and that
the client has the
right to have
opinions, make
decisions, and think
independently.