Examples of Therapeutic Communication Techniques
Technique that encourages the patient to select a topic for discussion.
Example: What are you thinking about?
What is broad opening?
Directing back patient's ideas, feelings, questions, and content.
Example: "You're feeling anxious, and it is related to a conversion you had with your wife last night?"
What is reflection?
Able to speak but remains silent.
What is mutism?
Loses train of thought, stops speaking because of unconscious block
Example: "Then my father....what was I saying?"
What is blocking?
Questions or statements that help a patient expand on a topic.
Example: "I think we should talk more about your relationship with your sister."
What is focusing?
Skill of information giving.
Example: "I think you need to know more about how your medication works."
What is informing?
Comes up with new words and definitions.
Example: "Zargleves are good to eat", referring to any candy snack
What is neologism?
Repeats last word heard
Example: Wait right here is responded to with "Here, here, here."
What is Echolalia?
When you ask the patient to verify your understanding of their message.
Example: "You're smiling, but I sense that you are really angry with me."
What is sharing perceptions?
Presenting an alternate idea for a patient to consider relative to problem solving.
Example: "Have you thought about responding to your boss in a different way when he raises that issue with you? For example, you could ask if a specific problem occurred."
What is suggesting?
Speech becomes fast, loud, rushed, and emphatic.
What is pressured speech?
Describes too much detail, cannot be selective.
Example: When asked, "How are you?" replies, "My back hurts, my nose is stuffy, my skin is dry, my hair is a mess."
What is circumstantiality?
Repeating main thought expressed by the patient.
Example: "You say that your father left you when you were 3 years old?"
What is restating?
Active process of receiving information and examining reactions to messages received.
Example: Maintaining eye contact and receptive nonverbal communication.
What is listening?
Shifts rapidly between unrelated topics.
What is flight of ideas?
Repeats words, phrases, or sentences several times.
Example: The nurse says, "It's time to take you medicine." The patient responds, "take your medicine, take your medicine, take your medicine."
What is verbigeration?
Attempting to put into words vague ideas or unclear thoughts of a patient; asking the patient to explain what he/she means.
Example: "I am not sure what you mean. Could you tell me about that again?"
What is clarification?
Underlying client issues or problems that emerge repeatedly during caregiver-client relationship.
Example: "I've noticed that in all of the relationships you have described, you have been hurt or rejected by a man. Do you think this is an underlying issue?"
What is theme identification?
Speaks constantly, shifting between loosely related topics.
Example: "Martha married Jim, who is a cook. I can cook. Cows are something we can cook."
What are loose associations?
Repeats single activity, cannot shift from one topic to another. Answers new question with previous question's answer.
What is perseveration?