A nurse is leading a therapy session for a group of adolescent clients. Which of the following statements should the nurse identify as an adaptive use of ego defense mechanisms?

A. The nurse maintains confidentiality unless the client's safety is compromised:
Explanation: Maintaining confidentiality is a fundamental principle in nursing practice. Nurses are ethically and legally obligated to keep client information confidential, ensuring that the client's privacy is respected. Confidentiality builds trust between the nurse and the client, encouraging open communication. However, confidentiality can be breached if the client's safety is at risk, such as if they express suicidal or homicidal thoughts, indicating the need for intervention to ensure their well-being.

B. The nurse seeks to spend extra time specifically with the client each day:
Explanation: While it's important for nurses to spend adequate time with each client, seeking to spend extra time specifically with one client may create imbalances in care distribution. Nurses should strive to provide equitable care to all clients, addressing their needs based on assessments and care plans. Special attention to one client could lead to feelings of favoritism or neglect among other clients, affecting the therapeutic environment.

C. The client sees the nurse as an authority figure:
Explanation: Clients often view nurses as authority figures due to their expertise and role in healthcare. This perception can facilitate a therapeutic relationship, as clients may trust the nurse's guidance and care. However, this should be balanced with empathy and understanding to create a supportive and therapeutic environment.

D. The client regards the nurse as a friend:
Explanation: While a therapeutic nurse-client relationship aims for trust and rapport, it is not a friendship. The nurse maintains professional boundaries to provide objective care without personal bias. Friendship implies a level of personal involvement that can compromise the nurse's ability to make objective clinical decisions. A therapeutic relationship is built on trust, respect, empathy, and clear professional boundaries.

A. Encourage participants to express conflicts and work toward resolution:
Explanation: During the working phase of therapy, the nurse encourages participants to express their conflicts, fears, and concerns openly. The working phase is characterized by active participation and problem-solving. Encouraging clients to express their feelings and conflicts helps them work through their issues and promotes resolution. It's a crucial step in the therapeutic process, allowing clients to explore their emotions and gain insight into their anxieties.

B. Inform participants about principles for listening to and respecting each other:
Explanation: Setting ground rules for respectful communication is typically done in the initial or pre-working phase of therapy. While maintaining a respectful environment is important throughout the therapeutic process, it's not specific to the working phase.

C. Suggest that participants reflect on their progress as individuals and as a group:
Explanation: Reflection and assessment of progress can occur throughout therapy, not just in the working phase. It's essential for clients to evaluate their progress, but this action is not exclusive to the working phase.

D. Ask participants to become acquainted with and talk to each other:
Explanation: Building rapport and getting acquainted with other group members often occurs in the initial phase of therapy. During the working phase, the focus shifts more toward discussing and resolving specific issues and conflicts rather than introductory activities.