THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION

SKILLS
N350 Fall 2018
Week 2
Beatrice Kiama
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
• Communication is a two way process between two or more
individuals.
• Therapeutic Communication (TC) is the key to focusing on
patient’s symptoms and needs.
• TC allows for implementation of nursing process to facilitate
excellent and caring clinical practice.
• TC builds trust, enhances therapeutic nurse/patient
relationship and can support the goals of the relationship.
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 Words Matter! What you say and how you say it conveys
significant impact to the patient, family and fellow health care
team members.
 Communication is influenced by:
 Your personal beliefs, experiences, gender, culture, and values
 The reason for the interaction
 Who is involved in the communication
 The tone of the communication
 Note: If patronizing, condescending or stigmatizing behavior
is being used, it blocks current and future therapeutic
communication
ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSIDERATIONS
 The environment in which you have a patient or family
interaction makes a difference.
 Always Consider:
 Privacy
 Furniture
 Temperature
 Noise
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
Social vs Therapeutic Communication
 Social Communication:
 Spontaneous
 Personal
 Confidentiality may or may not be observed
 Listener may not be objective
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 Therapeutic Communication:
 Patient centered
 Planned
 Directed by the professional to meet the patient’s needs
 Purposeful – to explore personal issues and painful feelings of
the patient
 Objective
 Confidential
SURETY: A METHOD OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 SURETY
 S = Sit
 U = Uncross legs and arms
 R = Relax
 E = Eye contact
 T = Touch
 Y = Your intuition
 Webster’s dictionary definition = A state of being sure;
certainty; present in a confident manner; a pledge or other
formal engagement for the fulfillment of an undertaking
SURETY: A METHOD OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 S - Sit
 Sit at an angle to the client
 Creates a comfortable seating arrangement
 Give enough space between people (determined by culture)
SURETY: A METHOD OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 U – Uncross legs and arms
 In some cultures crossed arms are seen as not interested,
defensive, or superior
 Deliberately uncrossing arms and legs indicates an open
posture and receptive to the other person
SURETY: A METHOD OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 R – Relax
 Leaning towards the patient is an unnatural position and may
be difficult to maintain
 There is a difference between professional relaxation, still
with in the context of the patient/nurse relationship as
opposed to feeling relaxed in a personal context
SURETY: A METHOD OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 E – Eye contact
 Communicates respect and paying attention
 Different from staring, which is insensitive and intrusive
 May break from eye contact on occasion, especially if the
patient feels “put on the spot”
SURETY: A METHOD OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 T – Touch
 Appropriate use of touch and awareness of cultural sensitivity
including the meaning of “touch” to each individual patient
 Appropriate use of touch is respectful, compassionate and
understanding
 Inappropriate use of touch can be viewed as abusive
SURETY: A METHOD OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION
 Y –Your intuition
 Intuition should be trusted
 Listen to your “inner voice” and gather information about
what is your intuition perceiving.

 Stickley, T. (2011) From SOLAR to SURETY for effective non-

verbal communication. Nurse Education In Practice (11): 395-398.
SKILL TO REMEMBER
 Introduce yourself to the patient/client
 Ask permission to spend time with the patient
 Utilize SURETY to facilitate a conversation
 Sit at an angle to the patient
 Uncross legs and arms
 Relax
 Establish Eye contact
 Utilize touch appropriately (can shake hands if patient
initiates this gesture)
 Use your intuition to facilitate therapeutic communication
SKILLS TO REMEMBER
 Use therapeutic communication as outlined in your textbook
to have your conversation between you and the patient
 Did not give advice
 Monitor changes in the patient’s anxiety level
 Involve patient in problem solving of a subject that the
patient brings up for discussion
 Demonstrate active listening
 Utilize Interpersonal Record for documentation of the
interaction