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Assignment questions
NursingReflectionPatient communication

100-word reflective journal on communication techniques

A 100-word minimum reflective journal on a case video in which a nurse's exchanges with a discharging patient are labelled therapeutic or nontherapeutic: identify how the scenario enhanced your understanding of communication techniques and state what you will incorporate into your own communication style to improve the nurse-patient and family relationship.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 12, 2026

01

Why does 100 words mean choosing one technique?

A hundred words is about six sentences, so this journal is won or lost on selection. The scenario contains roughly a dozen labelled exchanges, and an entry that tries to survey them produces a list with no reflection in it. Choose one or two techniques and go deep. The four required criteria tell you exactly how the marks are split: one for the word count, one for what the scenario taught you, one for what you will change in your own practice, and one for reflective flow and mechanics. Two of the four are about your own learning and your own behaviour, which means at least half of the entry has to be in the first person and about you rather than about the nurse in the video. An entry that describes the scenario accurately and never says what its author will do differently can satisfy only two of the four criteria.

The most productive choices are the nontherapeutic moments, because they carry more learning than the therapeutic ones. Asking why can your daughter not help sounds like a reasonable clinical question, and the scenario labels it nontherapeutic because why questions read as accusations and put patients on the defensive — replacing it with tell me about the support you have at home gets the same information without the cost. I know exactly what you are going through is worse, because it is well meant: it moves the focus from the patient to the nurse at the moment the patient most needs to be heard. Answering the phone mid-conversation makes the same error nonverbally. These three are the ones most students recognise from their own practice, which is what makes a reflection on them read as genuine rather than performed, and genuine is what the flow criterion is really measuring.

Write the entry in a fixed shape and it will fit. One sentence naming the scenario and the technique you are focusing on. Two sentences on what you noticed and why it works or fails, using the correct terminology — providing leads, active listening, clarifying, developing rapport, focusing on self, dismissive behaviour — since the marker is checking that you can name techniques rather than describe niceness. Two sentences on what you will do differently, phrased as an observable behaviour rather than an intention: I will replace why questions with tell me about, I will finish the conversation before answering the phone. One closing sentence on the effect you expect that to have on the patient and family relationship. Then check the mechanics, because the fourth criterion allows only one or two misspellings, and in an entry this short it is the easiest mark on the page to keep.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Select one or two techniques rather than surveying the whole scenario.
  • 02
    Use the correct technical names for therapeutic and nontherapeutic techniques.
  • 03
    Explain why a well-intentioned response can still be nontherapeutic.
  • 04
    State the change to your own practice as an observable behaviour.
  • 05
    Meet the mechanics criterion, which is the cheapest mark available.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Write 100-word Reflective Journal on how this clinical scenario enhanced your understanding of important communication techniques and what would be incorporated into your individual communication style to improve the nurse-patient/family relationship. Write 100-word Reflective Journal on how this clinical scenario enhanced your understanding of important communication techniques and what would be incorporated into your individual communication style to improve the nurse-patient/family relationship. Required criteria 1. 100 word minimum reflection 2. Identifies how this scenario enhanced understanding of communication techniques 3. Addresses how these communication techniques will be incorporated into their own communication style to improve the nursepatient/family relationship 4. Logical reflective flow which follows standard grammatical rules with minimal (1-2) misspellings Case Video Transcript: “Let’s discuss your care needs, and I will call Connie, the social worker, to ask her to come talk to you. There might be more options for you.” Therapeutic. Providing leads is a therapeutic communication technique because the questions will help the client more clearly define any concerns. Inez touches Mrs. Halvorsen. Therapeutic. Touch is a therapeutic communication technique because it conveys caring and empathetic feelings by the nurse towards the client. “Why can’t your daughter help out when she stops by in the evening?” Nontherapeutic. Asking a “why” question is a nontherapeutic communication technique because it can be perceived as accusatory, causing the client to become defensive and mistrust the person who asked the question. Nurse Inez nods as Mrs. Halvorsen says, “Our neighbors are really good if we need anything and we can call them.” Therapeutic. Active listening is a therapeutic communication technique because the nurse takes in information using all the senses while conveying an open attitude towards the client. “Now Graca, mama’s got to go back to work. You be sure to bundle up for school. I’ll see you when you get home.” Nontherapeutic. Focusing on self is a nontherapeutic communication technique because it prevents the client’s goals from being perceived as most important. “It’s unfortunate, but Medicare only covers home health services for clients that are homebound.” Therapeutic. Clarifying is a therapeutic communication technique because it allows the nurse to validate the message received to ensure that both the nurse and client have a mutual interpretation of the message. “Here is some information about those services, along with the list of their fees.” Therapeutic. Credibility supports interprofessional and client communication by conveying confidence, providing accurate information, and acknowledging limitations during nurse-provider and nurse-client interactions. “I know exactly what you are going through. I had the same experience with my Aunt Jennie.” Nontherapeutic. Focusing on self is a nontherapeutic communication technique because it prevents the client’s goals from being perceived as most important. Inez answers the phone. Nontherapeutic. Dismissive behavior is an ineffective style of interpersonal communication because the nurse indicates that another person’s opinions or presence is not wanted or needed. “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Halvorsen. I am Inez. I will be the nurse caring for you today. How are you?” Therapeutic. Developing rapport with a client supports the establishment of a therapeutic relationship by sharing mutual feelings of acceptance while maintaining open communication and the development of trust and respect. “Okay. I have some discharge paperwork to go over with you. You will be discharged home in the care of your husband.” Therapeutic. Building trust with a client supports the establishment of a therapeutic relationship based on acceptance, empathy, honesty, and reliability. “Yes, that was Connie, our social worker, who discussed having a bath aide come to your home twice a week.” Therapeutic. Building trust with a client supports the establishment of a therapeutic relationship based on acceptance, empathy, honesty, and reliability.Communication techniques Discussion 2
02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    A reflective journal entry of at least 100 words.
  2. 02
    A statement of how the scenario enhanced your understanding of communication techniques.
  3. 03
    A statement of what you will incorporate into your own communication style.
  4. 04
    Logical reflective flow with correct grammar and near-perfect spelling.
03

What shape should six sentences take?

01

The focus

Name the scenario and the one or two techniques the entry is about.

02

What you noticed

Two sentences on the exchange and why it was therapeutic or nontherapeutic, with the technique named.

03

What you will change

Two sentences giving an observable behaviour you will adopt or drop.

04

Expected effect

One sentence on what this changes for the patient and family relationship.

04

Where do the technique names come from?

Recommended databases

  • NCBI Bookshelf
  • Course Learning Resources

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Re-watch or re-read the scenario and mark the two exchanges you react to most strongly.
  2. 2.
    Check the technique names against a therapeutic communication source so the terminology is exact.
  3. 3.
    Draft freely, then cut to the shape rather than writing to length.
  4. 4.
    Run a spell check, since the fourth criterion is graded on mechanics.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION AND THE NURSE-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

    Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, NCBI Bookshelf · 2022

    The named therapeutic and nontherapeutic techniques used in the scenario, with definitions to quote accurately.

  2. 02

    COLLABORATION WITHIN THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM

    Nursing Management and Professional Concepts, NCBI Bookshelf · 2022

    The social worker referral in the scenario, and how credibility works in nurse-provider communication.

  3. 03

    FOUNDATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CONCEPTS

    Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, NCBI Bookshelf · 2022

    Rapport, trust and empathy as the basis of the therapeutic relationship the reflection is aiming at.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Listing every labelled exchange in the transcript instead of choosing one or two.
  • Summarising the scenario rather than reflecting on it.
  • Writing entirely in the third person about the nurse in the video.
  • Describing good communication as being kind rather than naming techniques.
  • Phrasing the change as an intention — 'I will be more aware' — instead of a behaviour.
  • Falling under the 100-word minimum, which is an explicit criterion.
  • Losing the mechanics mark to avoidable spelling errors.

Submission checklist

  • At least 100 words, counted.
  • One or two techniques named using the correct terminology.
  • At least half the entry written in the first person.
  • A specific behaviour you will change, phrased observably.
  • A stated expected effect on the patient or family relationship.
  • No more than one or two misspellings.

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines

Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.

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