Auburn University NURS 3230 Mental Health Nursing

Interpersonal Process Recording (IPR)

Student Name: Riley Cullen

Brief Information about this Client: Middle age, Caucasian man who is a current inmate at the Lee County Detention Center in jail for stealing his neighbor’s 4-wheeler and having a vehicle full of weapons

Student Goals For this interaction: Talk to the client about his experience at the jail and how he is coping with his current situation while focusing on my communication skills and interpersonal relationships

Setting/Time: January 31st 1:30PM at Lee County Detention Center in Opelika, Alabama

Nurse Communication (Verbal & Non Verbal)

Client Communication (Verbal & Non Verbal)

Nurse’s Thoughts & Feelings Related to the

Interaction

Analysis of the Interaction (Effectiveness, Technique,

Name & Rationale)

Alternate or Revised Response

1. “I imagine it’s hard being in jail where you do not have access to your family like you used to.” I kept my posture open and welcoming to the patient, making sure not to cross my arms or seem disinterested/distracted.

“All I want to do is get out of here and be with my family. I have a daughter and a son and they are just growing up without me.” The patient looked down at the floor and placed his hands in his lap as he spoke.

If I were in this patient’s position I would be devastated. Family relationships and interactions are a necessity for my own survival and sanity, and I can imagine the mental and emotional state of this patient after being denied access to his family, especially because he has a history of bipolar disorder and depression.

The patient appeared to be extremely saddened when talking about his family. I tried to get him to open up by using the approach of restating his problem in order to encourage him to expand on his feelings. I believe this was a good technique to use in this situation because we were just getting our conversation started and I did not want to ask any personal questions too soon.

Ask patient to tell me about his family. Ask patient if his family ever gets to comes to visit him. Ask patient if he has ever written letters to his family or kept a journal of his feelings as an outlet for emotion.

2. “Wow, that’s a pretty vivid dream. “Last night I had a The patient talking Asking the patient how How often do you have

How did you feel when you woke up?” I showed interest in the patient’s story about his dream by nodding my head as he told the story.

dream that I was in the grocery store with my daughter and she reached up to grab my hand. I woke up and I actually was reaching my hand out in my sleep.” The patient closed his eyes to envision this dream he had. He smiled as he demonstrated how he physically reached out his hand in his dream.

about his dream made me realize how real his situation is. He is in jail and obviously misses his family so much that he dreams about real, every day encounters with them like going grocery shopping. This made me feel very sympathetic toward the patient because I realized that he was sorry for the crime he committed and would do anything to be with his family again.

he felt when he woke up might not have been the best therapeutic approach because it was obvious he was disheartened by this dream.

dreams like this? Is this a recurring dream? How did it make you feel to have such a vivid dream about your daughter?

3. “I’m sorry if I woke you up to talk. Does sleeping help you pass the time while you are in jail?”

“All I do is sleep.” The patient had obviously woken up for the interview because his hair was disheveled and he kept rubbing his eyes to wake himself up.

If I were in jail, I would probably do the same as this patient and sleep as much as I could to makes the days go by quicker and forget about my current situation.

I think the patient is using sleep as a coping mechanism he us using while in jail. I think apologizing for waking up the patient was a good therapeutic technique because I didn’t want him to think I was wasting his time and disturbing him. The

Readdress the patient’s previous comment of dreams by asking if he dreams every time he sleeps. Ask patient if, in his opinion, he is sleeping too much.

patient seems to be sleeping as a coping mechanism while he is in jail.

4. “What did you like to do before you came to jail?”

“Hunt. Me, my kids, and my wife all know how to use guns. I love hunting.” It was obvious how much the patient gained interest and lit up when we talked about hunting.

I have never hunted before but it startled me when he said his kids knew how to use his guns because they are so young. His possession of guns was one of the reasons he was brought to jail, for having a vehicle full of weapons.

I tried to explore the patient’s interests and cheer him up by having him recall positive memories. I think this was extremely effective because the patient was able to focus on something he loves. He told us all about his gun collection, his first time hunting, and his first time taking his kids hunting.

Ask about other hobbies or interests. Ask about why he loves hunting so much. Ask about safety precautions, especially with such young kids.

5. Silence. I handed patient a band-aid. “Can I get a band-aid? I itched my arm and now it’s been bleeding.” Patient lifted up shirtsleeve and revealed a 2cm bleeding scab.

I watched the patient grimace in pain as he peeled back his sleeve, which had dried to the wound on his arm. He applied the band-aid himself even though I offered to assist him. I felt sorry for the patient that he wasn’t able to get a band-aid sooner and that the scab had

I used silence in this situation to gather my thoughts and allow the patient to apply the band-aid.

Ask why the patient needed a band-aid. Ask how the patient managed to scratch himself so hard he started bleeding. Ask if patient had any more cuts.

dried to his shirt, making the wound more painful for him.

6. “I don’t want to hold you up, thank you for talking to me.”

“I think it’s meal time.”

Patient was very polite and answered all of my questions. He sometimes had trouble gathering his thoughts but seems to be coping well in jail.

I allowed the patient to go eat and thanked him for taking to me, which I think he appreciated.

Ask patient if there was anything he needed or anything else he would like to talk about.