Non-therapeutic Communication Between a Nurse Practitioner and a Patient with PTSD

Non-Therapeutic Communication Techniques
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
January 31, 2022
This Script focuses on the non-therapeutic communication between a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Patient suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder:
Nurse: Hello Mr. X. I’m glad to see you again. How are you doing today?
Patient: I’m doing good, thank you. I have been going on walks more often these days.
Nurse: That’s good to hear! I notice that you are tense right now. Is there anything that’s on your mind?
Patient: Me tensed? I’m not tense. What made you say that?
Nurse: Nothing, you just seem to be different from your usual self (requesting an explanation). You can tell me anything that you want.
Patient: Well, to be honest, I can’t remember it much, and I’m not sure whether talking about it would help me remove my mind from it.
Nurse: Don’t worry; you have a very capable physician and staff here. I think I can definitely help you.
Patient: That’s good to hear. I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time but decided not to tell anybody about it. Not my wife or my friends.
Nurse: Why did you decide not to tell them (requesting an explanation)?
Patient: I just don’t want them to worry and think that I have my psych problem again. It’s just that they think I have made a lot of progress already.
Nurse: You don’t have to worry. We all make mistakes. I don’t think minor and isolated lapses should be cause for concern now that we have made so much progress (Belittling Feelings expressed).
Patient: Okay, since you said so, I guess I should tell it you. To be honest, I have been experiencing some nightmares again lately. I don’t know how to explain them. Sometimes I even experience them while I’m half awake.
Nurse: I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have anything else on your mind?
Patient: Well, I cannot remember most of it. I immediately forget every time I wake up, and everything seems blurry. But I’m not sure if it’s something that can be resolved with this.
Nurse: I see, you don’t have to worry. You have a very capable physician and support group that can help you (defending). Please tell me what you saw in your dreams.
Patient: Hmmm, okay… I think there are some. It seems that I am back during the clash that we had with ISIS back when I was still in Iraq. There were also times when I recall the time when the enemy forces blew up a building in Aleppo.
Nurse: Yes, I see. Your email last week said that you were feeling anxious an...