A lesbian client says she cheats on her lover for the thrill; the nurse should respond therapeutically by focusing on the client's own behavior and desires rather than trying to change the lover's perception. Which statement is therapeutic?

A lesbian client says she cheats on her lover for the thrill; the nurse should respond therapeutically by focusing on the client's own behavior and desires rather than trying to change the lover's perception. Which statement is therapeutic?

• A. Your lover would understand your cheating if you explained why you need the thrill.
• B. You should just stop cheating to keep the relationship.
• C. Perhaps your task is not to make your lover see that your dalliances are meaningless but to look at your own behavior and determine what you would like or not like to be different.
• D. This behavior is normal, and you should continue.

Answer: (C)

The core idea here is using a client-centered approach that centers on the person’s own behavior, motives, and goals rather than trying to change someone else’s view. The therapeutic statement invites the client to look at her own actions and decide what, if anything, she wants to be different, which supports self-awareness, responsibility, and personal agency. It avoids directing or judging the lover, and it reframes the issue as a matter of the client’s patterns and values rather than a problem to be solved in the partner. This kind of response helps the client explore what the behavior is giving her emotionally, what needs it’s meeting, and what boundaries or changes she genuinely wants in her life. By focusing on her own desires and potential changes, she’s more likely to gain insight and consider healthier coping strategies or relationship choices. In contrast, telling her to stop cheating to keep the relationship centers on a behavioral directive without addressing underlying motives, which can feel punitive or simplistic. Suggesting that the lover would understand if she explains the thrill shifts the focus to modifying someone else’s perception rather than examining her own behavior. Declaring the behavior normal and continuing it ignores the opportunity for reflection and growth.

The core idea here is using a client-centered approach that centers on the person’s own behavior, motives, and goals rather than trying to change someone else’s view. The therapeutic statement invites the client to look at her own actions and decide what, if anything, she wants to be different, which supports self-awareness, responsibility, and personal agency. It avoids directing or judging the lover, and it reframes the issue as a matter of the client’s patterns and values rather than a problem to be solved in the partner.

This kind of response helps the client explore what the behavior is giving her emotionally, what needs it’s meeting, and what boundaries or changes she genuinely wants in her life. By focusing on her own desires and potential changes, she’s more likely to gain insight and consider healthier coping strategies or relationship choices.

In contrast, telling her to stop cheating to keep the relationship centers on a behavioral directive without addressing underlying motives, which can feel punitive or simplistic. Suggesting that the lover would understand if she explains the thrill shifts the focus to modifying someone else’s perception rather than examining her own behavior. Declaring the behavior normal and continuing it ignores the opportunity for reflection and growth.