Opinions on therapeutic communication

Zookeeper3 · Mar 14, 2010

Woops, sorry was vomiting on my shoes:eek:

Seriously. Nursing school means well, what is needed is de-escallation classes, anger management classes and get you to start practicing those press gainey one lined zingers..... "thank you for choosing @#$#@# for all your health care needs".

You will learn in time how to read a patient, know how to react, how far you can push, when you can joke, and find great quick ways to help someone feel better. We just do it naturally, while managing a hundred other tasks.

I've given up surveys as a new years resolution, otherwise I'd be more specific. Take care.

mamamerlee, LPN · Mar 14, 2010

Almost any conversation that pertains to the pt or their care could be considered 'therapeutic'.

I would prefer, as Zookeeper3 said, anger management, and de-escalation classes.

Tait, MSN, RN · Mar 14, 2010

First off I think this is a great little snapshot of Therapeutic Communication: http://www.livestrong.com/article/87211-definition-therapeutic-communication/

1. How important is therapeutic communication to patient care?

I would give it a solid nine. Some days you just can't do anything but keep them alive, but I always try to incorporate strong communication in my care.

2. What constitutes therapeutic communication to you? Select all that apply

All of the above. Each situation can be an opportunity for therapeutic communication, and quite honestly all factor into building a trusting relationship in a very limited time frame. Remember we have to be advocates for our patients, which means we need them to feel comfortable showing us their concerns.

3. How often do you ensure therapeutic communication occurs with your clients?

It is a natural part of my entire shift, occurring in several different conversations.

4. When you are pushed for time, which intervention is the first to go?

Documentation. I can always sit and gather my thoughts for a few minutes after my shift, and sometimes find this to be a better solution for one or two patients if the night has been particularly stressful. Letting the adrenaline settle tends to provide a clearer thought process for me.

5. Do you believe therapeutic communication helps in the healing process?

Absolutely.

Tait

PS. In response to the above posters, I agree nursing school needs to provide more support for our mental health. However classes like these really stuck with me, in fact well before nursing was even a glimmer in my mind. I can still remember a comm class I had where we had to partner off and discuss an issue using therapeutic communication. It has helped me tremendously with my patients, as well as handling conflict with techs and other nurses effectively.

aura_of_laura · Mar 14, 2010

1. 10

2. all of the above

3. c

4. This is a dumb question. You don't have to sacrifice any of them, nor is it okay to sacrifice any one of these. Therapeutic communication is essential in doing any of the other choices well... Take pain management for example : if you're short-tempered with your patient, or roll your eyes when they compain or ask about their medication, how honest do you think they'll be with you?

5. a

I have to disagree with Zookeeper that all nurses automatically learn therapeutic communication. My preceptor, a psych nurse of 30 years, once patted a severely depressed, newly-diagnosed HIV patient (who had a small child and no support) on the leg and told her "We've all got problems, dear." Um, no, not like that we don't.

I've seen nurses gossip, make snide remarks, argue, demean, and ignore their patient's attempts at communication over difficult topics. Communication is an art, and while it's true some people inherently are good at it, most of us aren't as hot as we think we are.

For my job, we're trained in therapeutic crisis intervention twice a year, with a strong emphasis on communication. Never seen a person who couldn't use a refresher...

mustlovepoodles, RN · Mar 14, 2010

Woops, sorry was vomiting on my shoes:eek:
Seriously. Nursing school means well, what is needed is de-escallation classes, anger management classes and get you to start practicing those press gainey one lined zingers..... "thank you for choosing @#$#@# for all your health care needs".

:nmbrn:

PS. In response to the above posters, I agree nursing school needs to provide more support for our mental health. However classes like these really stuck with me, in fact well before nursing was even a glimmer in my mind. I can still remember a comm class I had where we had to partner off and discuss an issue using therapeutic communication. It has helped me tremendously with my patients, as well as handling conflict with techs and other nurses effectively.

Absolutely. I would daresay that people in the field of nursing probably suffer higher rates of depression and addiction than other professions, simply because of the incredibly stressful conditions we are faced with on a daily basis. I wish my nursing school had addressed codependency, which is rife in the nursing profession. I wish they had taught me how to set limits, how to cope with stress, and how to keep MYSELF healthy. I've been a nurse for 32 years and I just NOW learning these things. How different might my practice have been, how much healthier would I be if I had just had some tools to work with?

constructiongal · Mar 14, 2010

Thank you for the comments thus far. I have to say I think my school has done a good job of helping us realize the level of stress we will see during our nursing careers. We had a class called nuring issues that dealth with learning how to manage job stress and staff interactions. Our teachers have been verry candid about stressful working with techs, doctors, fellow nurses and adminstration will be. Each instructor has strongly encouraged us to set our limits and stick to them. They stated this was an issue for them when they got out of school and they want us to succeed as nurses, not just survive. I also am more aware than others about how stressful interactions can be, with a father who was an LPN and a mother who became a physican.

Once again I thank everyone thus far for their input and hope to recive more replies to my survey. :yeah:

leslie :-D · Mar 14, 2010

5. Do you believe therapeutic communication helps in the healing process?
Absolutely.
Tait
PS. In response to the above posters, I agree nursing school needs to provide more support for our mental health. However classes like these really stuck with me, in fact well before nursing was even a glimmer in my mind. I can still remember a comm class I had where we had to partner off and discuss an issue using therapeutic communication. It has helped me tremendously with my patients, as well as handling conflict with techs and other nurses effectively.

ugh, i could never adapt to the (therapeutic) communication techniques i was taught in school.
it made me feel awkward and robotic.
however...
i do remember an instructor asking our class of approx 70 (1st or 2nd day of school), "how many believed in the benefit of a therapeutic relationship" with our pts?
only myself and 1 other, raised our hands.
my jaw dropped.
so while i haven't memorized any (therapeutic) communication techniques, i do make it a point that all my pts feel safe, comfortable with me...
you know, a therapeutic relationship, and however that manifests itself.:)
leslie

Aww Leslie, now it isn't as bad as it sounds, but perhaps that is because my comm class was taught by a theatre instructor.

I learned the pattern of respectful discussion in class, but made it my own and have had great success.

It is amazing what sincerity can do. Plus avoiding "should" and expressing yourself with "I feel, this makes me feel".

Tait

PS. Now I am off to learn how to knit to decrease my stress from work and anxiety