A depressed client asks why the family is meeting; which response by the nurse would be therapeutic?

• A. Your family is learning about depression and how best to help you so that they can be supportive of you. We do not talk about you or anything confidential about you.
• B. We will discuss your confidentiality with the family.
• C. We do not discuss your private information with your family.
• D. Your family has requested to know everything about you.

Answer: (A)

Therapeutic communication about family involvement should explain the purpose of the meeting in a way that supports the patient and preserves privacy. The best response tells the patient that the family is learning about depression and how best to help, so they can be supportive, while also reassuring that confidential information will not be shared. This approach validates the patient, reduces anxiety, and fosters collaborative care by clearly stating the goal of the meeting and the boundaries of confidentiality.

Other approaches fall short because they either focus only on confidentiality without explaining the purpose of the meeting, deny any sharing with family, or imply that the family has an absolute right to know everything, which can undermine trust and the patient’s autonomy.