Therapeutic Communication Prepared by Sally McDonald Revised by Tim Corbett

Helping vs Social Relationships Care Trust Growth Purposeful/intentional Unequal sharing Focus on Client’s needs Time limited SOCIAL Care Trust Growth Spontaneous Usually equal or near equal sharing Focus on needs of both individuals Ongoing

Locus of Control GIVING HELP Feeling important Feeling useful Feeling powerful Feeling gratified Feeling happy NEEDING HELP Feeling unimportant or inadequate Feeling useless or depressed Feeling powerless Feeling frightened or embarrassed Feeling sad or angry It is more pleasant to give help than to need help. Helping professionals must must be constantly aware of the effects of their status on people seeking help. Clients should be empowered by the experience in the helping interview. Empowered clients are likely to participate more fully in their care and return to health faster

Phases of Helping Relationships Orientation Phase Working Phase Termination Phase

Orientation Phase “getting to know you” phase setting the tone making introductions establishing roles reaching agreement on goals developing trust Appearance, professional, clean hair, etc

Working Phase “problem solving” phase attending to client’s needs Nurse in role of teacher/counselor encouraging active participation by client gathering further data assisting client in decision making facilitating change Evaluate problems & goals Once orientation phase completed & trust level fairly comfortable, time for Identification of the problem or problems that are shared by the client.

Termination Phase reviewing & summarizing goals met and progress made acknowledge feelings of loss reassuring clients with issues such as, “How will this problem/disease affect my life ?” or “What do I need to change ?” Should meet some resolution at each helping interview

Active Listening 3 Phases restatement involves repeating or paraphrasing the words of the client reflection is verbalizing both the content and the implied feelings of the client’s message clarification is summarizing the client’s thoughts & feelings & resolving confusion

Active Listening STOP TALKING demonstrate that you want to listen remove distractions be patient

Techniques Offering Self-making yourself available on an unconditional basis- “I’ll stay with you awhile” Giving Recognition-acknowledging client’s thoughts and feelings Sharing Observations-”You seem tense and upset” Encouraging Descriptions-ask client to verbalize experience- “Tell me what is happening now”

Techniques Restating-repeating the main idea Sequencing-placing events in chronological order Reflecting-referring questions, thoughts, feelings back to client- “What do you think you should do?”

Assertive Communication “I” Statements allow people to ‘own’ (take responsibility for) their own thoughts & feelings assertiveness involves taking a risk

NONVERBAL CUES 80-90% of any message is carried nonverbally by our body language (facial expression, paralanguage, and tone, pitch, and volume of voice

NONVERBAL CUES professional attire sit arm’s length away relaxed but attentive posture

NONVERBAL CUES facial expressions and tone should be friendly & interested use direct eye contact & match your eye contact with the patient’s pay attention to body language of the patient as well as your own

INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES the purpose of the interview is to obtain accurate & thorough information put your client at ease as they may feel uncomfortable about revealing sensitive information to you explaining your format helps clients accept & understand the purpose of the interview

INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES in general, use open-ended questions however, to obtain specific information, closed-ended questions are preferable validate information clarify responses use reflective questions/comments & paraphrasing

Progression of the Interview Broad Openings- such as “Tell me about yourself” are designed to allow the client to relate his or her story in a way that is comfortable

Progression of the Interview Open-Ended Questions encourage the client to elaborate or give explanations (for example, “What happened yesterday?”) they provide direction & keep the conversation focused

Progression of the Interview Closed-Ended Questions can be answered with 1-2 words and can be useful in obtaining specific types of information, such as “What is today’s date?”

EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWING as a professional nurse, you will spend about half of your time obtaining information from clients & colleagues excellent communication as well as interviewing skills are fundamental, yet require years of practice

WHY, WHAT, HOW why do you need the information? how will the information I am seeking direct me in helping my client? how will you phrase your questions?

Who to Ask? if the client is able to speak, ask him/her family perspectives may also be important written consent may be required to question concurrent/previous healthcare providers be courteous and respectful never forget client confidentiality

“Why” Questions offensive misuse of ‘why’ appears threatening and confrontational and puts clients on the defensive they can interfere with developing a therapeutic relationship & are seldom considered therapeutic

Conveying Upsetting Information The SPIKES Model developed by Radziewicz & Baile (2001) Setting Perception Invitation Knowledge emotions Summary

Setting private & comfortable invite others, such as family members

Perception refers to what client and others already know useful in uncovering misinformation

Invitation For example, the statement, “Would you like me to explain more about what happened?’

Knowledge gradually dispense information assessing client’s ability to cope with it The family may insist that the client not be told difficult news

Emotions let client vent while you remain calm keep in mind Stages of Grief & Loss may need to set limits on inappropriate /harmful behavior

Summary review all important information with the client and family may need to repeat information more than once

Self-Disclosure Use self disclosure to help clients open up to you – not to meet your own needs Keep disclosures brief Don’t imply that your experience is exactly the same as the client’s Only self-disclose about situations that you have mastered

Self-Disclosure Monitor your own comfort with self-disclosure Respect your client’s needs for privacy Remember that there are cultural variations in the amount of self-disclosure considered appropriate Identify risks and benefits of self disclosure

Therapeutic Versus Nontherapeutic Communication - Facilitates transformation of working nurse-patient relationship - Relationship allows for adequate & accurate data collection & assessment - Performed with & not for patient

Therapeutic Versus Nontherapeutic Communication - Hinders relationship formation - Prevents patient from becoming mutual partner & relegates him/her to passive recipient of care