In Correctional Nursing practice, professionalism includes knowing and adhering to the boundaries of the nurse-patient relationship, which are defined by the correctional environment and the need for safety. Correctional Nurses convey caring for their patients through their communication, rather than through the physical or personal contact that our nursing colleagues practicing in non-correctional settings might use.

Effective communication is so important to Correctional Nursing practice that it is included as a standard in The Correctional Nurse: Scope and Standards of Practice, third edition (2020) published by the American Nurses Association. Standard Nine includes, in part, that the Correctional Nurse uses “communication styles and methods that demonstrate caring, respect, deep listening, authenticity and trust.” Thus, the Correctional Nurse must be knowledgeable about, and skilled at, therapeutic communication. 

Therapeutic communication is defined as the face-to-face process of interaction that focuses on advancing the physical and emotional well-being of a patient. Nurses use therapeutic communication techniques to provide education and support to patients, while maintaining objectivity and professional distance. There are a variety of techniques that may be used to engage in therapeutic communication with a patient, including the use of open-ended questions; acknowledgment and acceptance; using silence; asking for clarification; active listening; reflecting and summarizing.  

Open-ended Questions

When open-ended or broad questions are used, the patient is given the opportunity to direct the flow of the conversation and decide what is most important to them to discuss.  An example question is, “What would you like to discuss today?” 

Acknowledgement and Acceptance

Acknowledgement and acceptance is not the same as agreement. Rather, it is the acknowledgement to the patient that he/she/they have been heard. An example response is saying, “Yes, I get what you are saying.”  

Use Silence

Equally important is using silence. Often giving no response at all allows both you and the patient time to think about what was said or to give the patient the “break” needed to switch topics. When using silence, the patient should be the one to re-start the conversation.  

Ask for Clarification

When Correctional Nurses ask for clarification during a therapeutic intervention, it ensures that the nurse understands what the patient is trying to convey, and it may also allow the patient to have more clarity in their thinking, as they must rephrase their thoughts.  Asking the patient to elaborate, or stating that you don’t quite understand what they mean are examples of clarification.  

Actively Listen

Active listening is vitally important to all communication, but especially in a therapeutic intervention, when the goal is to have an open, honest and effective conversation with the patient. It involves giving verbal and non-verbal cues to the speaker to show that you are engaged in the conversation.  An example of a non-verbal active listening cue is nodding your head in agreement with something that is said.  An example of a verbal active listening cue is asking “What happened after that?”  

Use Reflection

Reflecting is a technique used most often when the patient asks the Correctional Nurse  to solve a problem or tell him/her/them what to do.  It involves rephrasing the request/question back to the patient.  For example, if the patient asks the Correctional Nurse  what to do about a situation in the housing unit that is occurring, the Correctional Nurse should ask the patient what they think they should do, and process the response together. This helps the patient take ownership of any decision that is made, and will help him/her/them in the future when decisions need to be made. 

Summarize

Summarizing is also a very important technique that all Correctional Nurses should use when communicating with their patients. By restating what they heard the patient say, the Correctional Nurse verifies that he/she/they were listening and that the patient was understood. This can be done throughout the conversation, or it can be done at the end, but it should include validation by the patient that the summary and the Correctional Nurse’s understanding of the conversation is the same as his/hers/theirs. If not, then the patient will have the opportunity to clarify the misunderstanding.  A question to ask at the end of the summary is, “Am I understanding this correctly?”

This is not an exhaustive list of techniques that can be used in therapeutic communication, but mastering these will allow Correctional Nurses to engage in effective therapeutic communication with their patients, thereby demonstrating professional nursing practice and caring for their patients.  

Please share your experiences with therapeutic communication in the correctional setting in the comments section below!