Mental Health Nursing Chapter 8: Therapeutic Relationships

*A patient says, "Please don't share information about me with the other people." How should the nurse respond?* a. "I will not share information with your family or friends without your permission, but I share information about you with other staff." b. "A therapeutic relationship is just between the nurse and the patient. It is up to you to tell others what you want them to know." c. "It depends on what you choose to tell me. I will be glad to disclose at the end of each session what I will report to others." d. "I cannot tell anyone about you. It will be as though I am talking about my own problems, and we can help each other by keeping it between us." - ANS: A A patient has the right to know with whom the nurse will share information and that confidentiality will be protected. Although the relationship is primarily between the nurse and patient, other staff needs to know pertinent data. The other incorrect responses promote incomplete disclosure on the part of the patient, require daily renegotiation of an issue that should be resolved as the nurse-patient contract is established, and suggest mutual problem solving. The relationship must be patient centered. *After several therapeutic encounters with a patient who recently attempted suicide, which occurrence should cause the nurse to consider the possibility of countertransference?* a. The patient's reactions toward the nurse seem realistic and appropriate. b. The patient states, "Talking to you feels like talking to my parents." c. The nurse feels unusually happy when the patient's mood begins to lift.