The nurse is caring for a client with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who is anuric and receives hemodialysis three times a week. During a routine assessment, the patient expresses frustration about strict fluid restrictions and states, “I don’t even make urine anymore, so why does it matter how much I drink?” Which of the following is the most appropriate response by the nurse?

Choice A reason: This response reinforces professional boundaries while therapeutically redirecting the client to explore external social support, addressing potential dependency. It validates the client’s feelings without personalizing the relationship, promoting healthy coping and social integration, which are critical for mental health recovery and maintaining therapeutic integrity.

Choice B reason: Bluntly denying friendship dismisses the client’s feelings, potentially damaging trust and therapeutic rapport. This approach risks alienating the client, who may feel rejected, hindering open communication and progress in addressing underlying emotional needs, making it non-therapeutic in a mental health context.

Choice C reason: Suggesting other friends without exploration dismisses the client’s expressed feelings, potentially invalidating their emotional experience. The assumption about existing friends may not apply, and the response lacks therapeutic engagement, failing to address the client’s dependency or need for social connection, making it less effective.

Choice D reason: Affirming the client’s view of friendship blurs professional boundaries, fostering dependency and compromising therapeutic objectivity. While validating feelings is important, reinforcing a personal connection risks hindering the client’s ability to develop external support systems, making this response non-therapeutic for mental health progress.

Choice A reason: Implementing interventions addresses specific needs but is not the primary goal of therapeutic communication during admission. Interventions follow after building trust, as depression and anxiety require a strong therapeutic alliance to ensure effective treatment engagement, making this a secondary priority at this stage.

Choice B reason: Teaching self-care skills is important for long-term management but not the initial communication goal. Clients with depression and anxiety need trust and emotional safety first to engage in learning, making skill-building secondary to establishing a therapeutic relationship during the admission assessment.

Choice C reason: Facilitating emotional expression is a key component of therapeutic communication but depends on a trusting relationship. Without a strong nurse-client bond, clients with depression and anxiety may resist sharing emotions, making this goal important but secondary to establishing rapport during the initial assessment.

Choice D reason: Establishing a therapeutic nurse-client relationship is the priority during admission, as it builds trust and safety, critical for clients with depression and anxiety. This foundation enables emotional expression, engagement in interventions, and skill-building, ensuring effective communication and treatment adherence, making it the primary goal in this context.