Therapeutic De-Escalation In Nursing

Working with patient’s that are aggressive can be challenging and even overwhelming at times, making it important of the nurse to self-reflect upon the encountered situation to gain insight and understanding. Being self-aware to one’s own feelings while working with patients and reflecting upon those feelings can benefit a nurse’s practice and care that is provided. As I stood outside the clinic room, I had a lot of nervous energy going because I had no idea what to expect walking into the room and what would happen. I felt hesitant to enter the room which seemed to be a similar response to everyone else as well that was waiting outside their respective doors. As we entered the room I was quite throw off by having the patient sitting on the

This intervention is one way to establish a bond with an patient who may be presenting as agitated or anxious because it creates a relationship of mutual respect, which leads to the lack of need for aggression (Price &Baker, 2012, p. 314). To foster this technique, I used a variety of different therapeutic approaches, such as facilitating expression and shared problem solving. By allowing the patient to divulge how she was feeling about this sudden change in her life, she was able to communicate openly which allows for the expression of anger and frustration (Price & Baker, 2012, p. 315). This patient talked openly about every feeling that she had occurring due to the news of needing the colostomy, even her most private emotions which showed our growth in rapport with her, as we made her comfortable during this visit. Furthermore, I used the intervention of shared problem solving by recognizing the patient’s anxiety upon first appearance of her and asking what was happening that was causing her to feel that way in this moment. This allowed her to center within her feelings and see that we cared to notice how she is doing and how we are interested in how we can help. The second theme that I used to help de-escalate was differing interventions using non-verbal communication. I maintained eye contact without going over board which is a great technique to use when dealing with an agitated person (Price & Baker, 2012, p. 314). Similarly, I maintained a close enough distance to the patient in order to seem open and wanting to be present to listen, but far enough away to ensure my own safety. Lastly, I used personal control of my own feeling to remain calm with the patient as they escalated further from calm. Tied with this, I was able to become comfortable with silence which allowed for the patient to have time to think about her feelings, which lead to an ease