A Novice Nurse Asks,"What Is So Wrong About Being Sympathetic

Multiple Choice

A novice nurse asks,"What is so wrong about being sympathetic with a patient who has also lost a parent like I did?" The psychiatric nurse manager responds:

A) "There is a fine line between empathy and sympathy that when crossed makes you less able to be therapeutic."
B) "Rather than discussing the loss of your parent with the patient, you can talk to me about it whenever you need to."
C) "I'll provide you with some excellent materials that I'm sure will help you to understand why sympathy is less therapeutic."
D) "Sympathy indicates that you are sharing your personal feelings and that changes the focus of the communication from the patient to you."