Therapeutic Communication Introduction

Therapeutic Communication Introduction

• Communication forms the basis of the nurse-patient relationship, crucial for psychiatric nurses to help patients regain psychological/physiological function, identify problems, and address emotional needs.
• Communication is a two-way process involving the exchange of information, ideas, and feelings.

Therapeutic Communication Definition

• It is an interpersonal interaction where nurses focus on a client's specific needs to foster effective information exchange.
• This approach helps nurses achieve goals like building therapeutic relationships, identifying key client concerns, understanding client interpretations of problems, and facilitating emotional expression.

Elements of Communication

• Referent: The stimulus or reason for communication.
• Sender: The person encoding and conveying the message.
• Message: The content of the communication.
• Medium (Channel): The method of communication (e.g., auditory, visual, tactile).
• Receiver: The person who interprets the message .
• Feedback: The response the receiver gives, showing if the message was understood.

Forms of Communication

• Communication consists primarily of nonverbal (90%) and verbal (10%) cues.
• Verbal communication: Words used for communication.
• Effective verbal communication: Characteristics include clarity, brevity, pacing, relevance, and appropriate intonation.
• Nonverbal communication: Includes personal appearance, eye contact, posture, gait and facial expressions.

Techniques to Enhance Communication

• Silence: Allows time for reflection and response.
• Accepting: Shows reception and understanding of the message.
• Giving Recognition: Acknowledging the client as a person.
• Offering Self: Making oneself available and showing interest.
• Offering General Leads: Encouraging continued communication without taking over.
• Giving Broad Openings: Allows the client to direct the conversation.
• Placing Events in Time or Sequence: Clarifies the context of events.
• Making Observations: Expressing nurse's perceptions of client behaviour.
• Encouraging Description of Perceptions: Encouraging clients to articulate their feelings.
• Encouraging Comparisons: Helping clients identify similarities in situations to aid understanding.
• Restating: Repeating the main point.
• Reflecting: Reflecting feelings, ideas, and questions back to the client.
• Focusing: Concentrating attention on a single point.
• Exploring: Delving deeper into a topic.
• Giving Information: Providing relevant facts.
• Presenting Reality: Clarifying a situation or perception without argument.
• Voicing Doubt: Expressing uncertainty in a non-judgmental way.

Factors Affecting Communication

• Internal factors: Include the communicator's knowledge level, age, concerns, and physical status.
• External factors: Include the communication environment (e.g., noise level, temperature, lighting, crowding).

Techniques to Improve Communication

• Maintain active listening, eye contact, give full attention.
• Clarify ideas before attempting to communicate.
• Be clear on the purpose of the communication.
• Use appropriate medium. (E.g., oral, visual, written)
• Provide a climate of trust and confidence.
• Watch the tone of voice carefully.
• Use simple language.