What is the most essential task for a nurse to accomplish prior to forming a therapeutic relationship with a client?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Before forming a therapeutic relationship with a client, a nurse must first clarify their own personal attitudes, values, and beliefs. This is crucial because the nurse's own biases and perspectives can impact how they interact with the client and provide care. By recognizing and understanding their own values and beliefs, the nurse can work towards setting them aside during interactions with clients in order to provide unbiased and effective care. This self-awareness is key to establishing a trusting and therapeutic relationship with clients, as it allows the nurse to approach each client as an individual with unique needs and concerns.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Genuineness is an essential characteristic in the development of a therapeutic relationship between a nurse and a patient. Being genuine involves being honest, sincere, and authentic in interactions with the patient. If an individual is two-faced, it means they are not genuine and may present different personas to different people, lacking authenticity in their relationships. A nurse identifying genuineness as missing in such an individual can recognize the need to address this aspect to build trust and establish a therapeutic relationship based on honesty and transparency.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: According to Peplau, in the role of a surrogate, the nurse is expected to function as a nurturing parent in order to build a trusting relationship with the client. This involves providing emotional support, guidance, and care similar to that of a parent figure. By assuming a nurturing role, the nurse can promote a therapeutic relationship where the client feels supported and understood, leading to better outcomes in the nursing care provided. Playing cards with a small group of clients, discussing childhood events, or providing a safe social environment may be important interventions in other nursing roles, but when functioning as a surrogate, creating a nurturing and trusting relationship is the most appropriate intervention according to Peplau's theory.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Option C ("Reviewing the changes that have happened during our time together has helped me put things in perspective.") indicates successful termination of the therapeutic nurse-client relationship because it shows that the client has gained insight, processed the progress made during the therapeutic relationship, and is able to reflect on the changes and growth that have occurred. This demonstrates that the therapeutic goals have been achieved, and the client has developed the necessary coping strategies and skills to move forward independently, which is a positive outcome when concluding the nurse-client relationship.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: In this nurse-client interaction, the nurse is using the therapeutic communication technique of reflecting. Reflecting involves mirroring back to the client the feelings or thoughts they have expressed to encourage further exploration or clarification. By responding with "Other than drinking, what alternatives have you explored to decrease anxiety?" the nurse is reflecting back to the client the statement about using alcohol to calm down and is inviting the client to consider other ways to manage their anxiety. This response helps the client gain insight, explore additional options, and enhances the therapeutic relationship.