TITLE:
Therapeutic Communication Methods Targeting Families and Family Members: A Literature Review
AUTHORS:
Taketo Watsuji, Naohiro Hohashi
KEYWORDS:
Therapeutic Communication, Family Nursing, Family Interview/Meeting, Family Belief Systems Theory, Literature Review
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: Background and Purpose: Therapeutic communication is a new term in family health care nursing, defined by Hohashi (2019) as a method of
family intervention, and characterized by inclusion of not only verbal
conversation but also nonverbal interaction. However, specific therapeutic
communication methods have not been systematized. The purpose of this study was
to clarify therapeutic communication methods for families/family members from
the perspectives of verbal communication and
non-verbal communication through a review of existing literature. Methods: We conducted a search using the
medical literature databases PubMed and Ichushi-Web using the keywords
“therapeutic communication”. Analysis was performed on seven articles from PubMed and 14 articles from
Ichushi-Web that described therapeutic communication
methods performed by healthcare professionals for families/family members. Through directed content analysis, therapeutic
communication methods were
subcategorized, and classified into three categories: verbal
communication, non-verbal communication, and verbal/non-verbal communication. Results: A total of 23 subcategories were extracted. Verbal communication included 11
subcategories, such as “asking questions using the communicatee’s words as they
are”. Non-verbal communication included five subcategories, such as “noticing changes
in the content of the communicatee’s story”. And
verbal/non-verbal communication featured seven subcategories, such as
“making the communicatee aware of one’s own beliefs”. Conclusion: Therapeutic communication methods included basic care/caring in family
interviews/meetings, as well as verbal communication and non-verbal
communication that act on family/family
members’ beliefs. It is believed that changes in family/family members’ beliefs
can be used to eliminate, reduce, or improve problematic conditions in
the family.