Case Study: James Forbes
Part 2: Assessment
A day after his admission, James goes to his first group and the nurse leading the group reminds the group that anything shared in the group is not to be discussed outside of the group, but if anything is said that is important to the care of an individual, the information will be shared with the appropriate staff members.
The nurse asks the group if there is anything the group members would like to focus on for the day. One member says, "I'd like to talk about family and spousal support because my family and my wife just don't get mental illness, and they just keep telling me I'm lazy and need to 'snap out of it." Many of the clients in the group agree that their partners struggle to understand. One group member asks James if he is married, and he responds that his husband brought him there. Another group member says, "So does he have your back?" Suddenly James starts crying. What is the nurse's best response?
• *James, are you someone who cries a lot?"
• "James, can you stop crying?"
• *James, does this mean your spouse is not supportive?"
"lames, do you want to talk about what's upsetting you?"