In which phase of group therapy should the nurse plan to first address termination?

Choice A reason: Transference occurs when a patient unconsciously projects feelings or attitudes from past relationships onto the nurse, a common phenomenon in psychotherapy. This influences the therapeutic relationship, requiring careful management, aligning with psychoanalytic principles, making this the correct choice.

Choice B reason: The nurse projecting feelings onto the patient describes countertransference, not transference. This involves the nurse’s unconscious biases, which can hinder therapy if not addressed, but it is distinct from the patient-driven process of transference, making this choice incorrect.

Choice C reason: A patient refusing to engage reflects resistance, not transference. Resistance involves avoiding therapeutic work, often due to anxiety, but it lacks the projective quality of transference, which involves redirecting past emotions, making this choice incorrect.

Choice D reason: Establishing boundaries is a therapeutic technique, not transference. Boundaries ensure professional interactions but do not involve the unconscious projection of feelings from past relationships, which defines transference, making this choice incorrect for the described phenomenon.

Choice A reason: GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, reduces neuronal activity, not enhances cognitive functions like memory. Memory improvement is associated with cholinergic or glutamatergic systems, not GABA, making this choice incorrect for the expected effect of GABA potentiation.

Choice B reason: Fewer visual hallucinations are associated with antipsychotics affecting dopamine, not GABA. GABA’s inhibitory effects calm the brain but do not directly target psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, making this choice incorrect for the medication’s effect.

Choice C reason: GABA potentiation, as with benzodiazepines, enhances inhibitory effects, reducing neuronal excitability and calming the central nervous system. This directly alleviates anxiety, a primary therapeutic effect, aligning with GABA’s role in anxiety disorders, making this the correct choice.

Choice D reason: Increased alertness is contrary to GABA’s inhibitory effects, which promote sedation. Stimulants, not GABAergic drugs, enhance alertness, making this choice incorrect, as GABA potentiation leads to calming, not stimulating, effects on the brain.