This document outlines techniques for therapeutic communication between nurses and patients. It discusses active listening skills like maintaining eye contact and nodding. It also covers techniques like broad openings to encourage discussion, restating to repeat the patient's thoughts, seeking clarification by asking for examples, reflecting questions to help identify feelings, focusing on a topic until its meaning is clear, identifying recurring themes, informing patients about relevant information, using humor and silence appropriately, suggesting alternative problem solving ideas, and sharing perceptions to verify understanding. The goal is to effectively communicate and understand the patient.

1. TECHNIQUES OF
THERAPEUTIC
COMMUNICATION
BY,
17NS030

2. LISTENING
•It is an active process of receiving information.
•Responses includes maintaining eye contact,
nodding ,gesturing and other non-verbal
communication convey to the patient that he is
being listened to and understood.

3. BROAD OPENINGS
•Encouraging the patient to select topics for
discussion
•Example:
“What are you thinking about?”

4. RESTATING
•Repeating the main thought expressed by the
patient
•Example:
“you say that your mother left you when you
were 5 years old.”

5. SEEKING CLARIFICATION
•Asking patient to elaborate or give examples of
ideas or feelings to seek clarification of what is
unclear.
•Example:
“ I am not familiar with your work, can you
describe it further for me.”

6. REFLECTING
•Throwing back the patients statement in a form of
question that helps patient to identify feelings.
•Example: Patient: I think I should leave now.
Nurse: Do you think you should leave now.

7. FOCUSING
•Pursuing a topic until its meaning or importance
is clear.
•Example:
You were saying…..”

8. IDENTIFYING THEMES
•Asking to identify recurring thoughts, feelings,
behaviors.
•Example:
when do you always feel the need to check the
locks and doors.

9. INFORMING
•The skill of information giving.
•Example:
“ I think you need to know more about your
medications.”

10. HUMOUR AND SILENCE
• HUMOUR : Discharge of energy through
cosmic enjoyment of imperfection.
•SILENCE: Lack of verbal communication for a
therapeutic reason.

11. SUGGESTING
•Presenting of alternative ideas for the patient to
problem solving.
•Example:
“ Have you thought about responding to your
boss in a different way when he raises that issues
with you?

12. SHARING PERCEPTION
•Asking the patient to verify the nurses
understanding of what the patient is thinking or
feeling.
•Example:
“ You are smiling but I sense that you are angry
with me.”