During the working phase nursing interventions have twofold purpose: assisting patients to explore and understand their thoughts and feelings and supporting patient decisions and actions. Which option best reflects this twofold purpose?

During the working phase nursing interventions have twofold purpose: assisting patients to explore and understand their thoughts and feelings and supporting patient decisions and actions. Which option best reflects this twofold purpose?

• A. Assisting patients to explore and understand their thoughts and feelings and supporting patient decisions and actions.
• B. Establish a formal contract addressing the patient's problems.
• C. Develop rapport and trust without a plan.
• D. Explain the nurse's role and the boundaries of the relationship.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that during the working phase, the nurse’s interventions are aimed at two interrelated goals: helping the patient explore and understand their own thoughts and feelings, and actively supporting the patient in making decisions and taking actions. This dual approach enables the patient to gain insight into their emotions and concerns while also moving toward concrete steps they choose to take, fostering autonomy and self-efficacy. The best answer mirrors this exact dual purpose by explicitly naming both exploration of inner experience and support for patient decisions and actions. It reflects how the working phase is not just about understanding the patient’s emotions but also about helping them plan and carry out their chosen course. Other options describe elements that belong to different aspects of the nurse–patient relationship or different phases. Establishing a formal contract relates more to clarifying boundaries and expectations, not the dual focus on exploration and action planning. Developing rapport without a plan lacks the direction and problem-solving focus essential to the working phase. Explaining the nurse’s role and boundaries fits the orientation phase, when roles and boundaries are introduced, rather than the collaborative problem-solving work that follows.

The main idea here is that during the working phase, the nurse’s interventions are aimed at two interrelated goals: helping the patient explore and understand their own thoughts and feelings, and actively supporting the patient in making decisions and taking actions. This dual approach enables the patient to gain insight into their emotions and concerns while also moving toward concrete steps they choose to take, fostering autonomy and self-efficacy.

The best answer mirrors this exact dual purpose by explicitly naming both exploration of inner experience and support for patient decisions and actions. It reflects how the working phase is not just about understanding the patient’s emotions but also about helping them plan and carry out their chosen course.

Other options describe elements that belong to different aspects of the nurse–patient relationship or different phases. Establishing a formal contract relates more to clarifying boundaries and expectations, not the dual focus on exploration and action planning. Developing rapport without a plan lacks the direction and problem-solving focus essential to the working phase. Explaining the nurse’s role and boundaries fits the orientation phase, when roles and boundaries are introduced, rather than the collaborative problem-solving work that follows.