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Initiating an interview with a patient

The psychiatric nurse is initiating an interview with Mr. Johnson. He is a 33-year-old male client admitted to the Behavioral Center with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The nurse begins the interaction by saying, “How shall we start today?”

Why is this an appropriate opening statement to initialize a clinical interview session?
Why should the nurse use simple, concrete, and direct messages with the client?

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