What Are Therapeutic Communication Techniques?

Therapeutic communication is a process by which a caregiver leads her patient to restorative change through a purposefully structured exchange of ideas. Practitioners articulate in a way that conveys understanding of the client's experience, fostering an environment of honest contemplation. This style of communicating approaches the patient as a whole, recognizing how his feelings and perceptions contribute to the success of therapy.

Open Questioning

Open questions encourage the patient to elaborate on his perspective. A closed question is one that can be answered with yes, no or a simple one-word response. This approach severely limits the quality information that can be gathered from the encounter. Open questions usually start with who, what, where, how,when, or auxiliary verbs such as could, would or can. For example, asking a question such as "Could you tell me a little bit more about the situation?" can provide the caregiver with valuable details that may prove instrumental to the success of therapy.

Expressing Implicit Thoughts

Language is a means of communicating one's thoughts to another, however people rarely express themselves fully with words. When someone is speaking, a larger set of ideas are concealed behind their statements. Bringing forth a patient's inner feelings and thoughts demonstrates a great level of understanding and empathy. If a patient is complaining about having to repeat things, the nurse could say "Sounds as though you feel like no one is listening to you." Although the client didn't say so directly, the accuracy of her response was implied.

Silence

At times, silence can speak volumes. By simply resisting the human urge to fill empty air with words, a nurse can non-verbally encourage his patient to re-evaluate her perspective. Additionally, repeating the last phrase stated by the client in an upward inflection, followed by silence, causes the patient to measure the truth in what she believes. This is a subtle way of inspiring the client to widen her view, without inciting defensive reaction.