Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) Practice Test

What does the technique of interpretation primarily aim to do in therapeutic communication?

1. Empower clients

2. Clarify feelings

3. Restate facts

4. Reflect emotions

The correct answer is: Clarify feelings

The technique of interpretation in therapeutic communication primarily aims to clarify feelings. This approach involves helping clients understand the meaning behind their thoughts, behaviors, and feelings by connecting them to previous experiences or the context of their current situation. Through interpretation, a practitioner can guide the client towards deeper insights, enabling them to recognize how certain emotions may influence their actions or reactions. By focusing on the underlying feelings and their implications, the technique fosters self-awareness and understanding, which are crucial for personal growth and emotional processing. This helps clients find clarity in their emotional experiences and leads to better coping strategies and decision-making. The other techniques listed, such as empowering clients, restating facts, or reflecting emotions, serve different functions in therapeutic communication but do not specifically focus on interpreting the meanings behind feelings. Empowerment encourages client agency, restatement ensures accurate communication, and reflection emphasizes acknowledgment of emotions. Each has its place, but the interpretation distinctly aims at deepening understanding of feelings.