A client newly admitted to a mental health facility asks, "Do you have a boyfriend?" What is the most appropriate response by the nurse?

A client newly admitted to a mental health facility asks, "Do you have a boyfriend?" What is the most appropriate response by the nurse?

• A. Let's talk about you. Do you have a boyfriend?
• B. I am not allowed to tell you about my personal life.
• C. Yes I do. We have been together for three wonderful years.
• D. This interview is about you, not me.

Answer: (A)

In mental health nursing, maintaining professional boundaries while using therapeutic, client-centered communication is essential. When a client asks about the nurse’s personal life, the best response redirects the conversation back to the client and invites them to share about themselves. Saying “Let's talk about you. Do you have a boyfriend?” does exactly that: it sets a boundary by focusing on the client and then asks an open, nonjudgmental question about their own life, which helps assess social support and personal relationships that can affect mental health and treatment planning. Other options either reveal personal information, which breaches boundaries, or are more impersonal or dismissive and do not actively engage the client in sharing about themselves.

In mental health nursing, maintaining professional boundaries while using therapeutic, client-centered communication is essential. When a client asks about the nurse’s personal life, the best response redirects the conversation back to the client and invites them to share about themselves. Saying “Let's talk about you. Do you have a boyfriend?” does exactly that: it sets a boundary by focusing on the client and then asks an open, nonjudgmental question about their own life, which helps assess social support and personal relationships that can affect mental health and treatment planning.

Other options either reveal personal information, which breaches boundaries, or are more impersonal or dismissive and do not actively engage the client in sharing about themselves.