Therapeutic Communication

Therapeutic communication is a technique in which the nurse consciously influences a patient or helps them understand better by expressing their feelings through verbal and nonverbal communication.

Nurses use this technique primarily to develop a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship and determine the patient's essential needs.

Therapeutic communication occurs in two forms—verbal and nonverbal.

Verbal communication aims to exchange accurate, concise, and complete information using spoken or written words in a mutually understood common language.

In verbal conversation, the speaker must be mindful of their vocabulary, tone, pace, clarity, conciseness, timeliness, and relevancy.

In the healthcare setting, verbal communication occurs in two ways. It can be in oral form, such as two nurses sharing patient information, or in written form, such as emails.

In contrast, nonverbal communication is exchanging information through body language or expressions rather than words.

Various forms of non-verbal communication include eye contact, facial expression, gestures, sound, and posture.

For instance, a nurse may pat the patient's shoulder to reassure them. In this situation, the nurse communicates nonverbally through touch.