Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 63%
Full-length
A middle-aged female client begins outpatient therapy sessions with a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist for management of a phobic disorder. Which of the following nursing interventions should be an initial approach in symptom reduction?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
phobic disorders are learned responses; learned responses can be unlearned through certain techniques, such as behavioral modification; systematic desensitization is a form of behavior modification; is a strategy used in conjunction with deep muscle relaxation to decrease the extreme response to anxiety-producing situations as they are gradually exposed; then exposure is increased; goal is to eradicate the phobic response by replacing it with the relaxation response