the college of nurses of ontario presents the therapeutic nurse client relationship revised 2006 practice standard an overview at the core of nursing is the therapeutic nurse client relationship nurses establish and maintain this relationship by using nursing knowledge and skills as well as applying caring attitudes and behaviors the college's therapeutic nurse client relationship practice standard applies to all nurses regardless of their role or area of practice the five key components of the therapeutic nurse client relationship are professional intimacy power empathy respect and trust regardless of the context length of interaction and whether the nurse is the primary or secondary care provider these components are always present now we'll examine these components individually professional intimacy is inherent in the type of care and services that nurses provide it may be the physical activities such as bathing that nurses perform for and with clients that create this closeness professional intimacy may involve psychological spiritual and social elements that are identified in the plan of care access to the client's personal information also contributes to professional intimacy the nurse client relationship is one of unequal power although a nurse may not immediately perceive it the nurse has more power than the client does this power imbalance arises from the nurse having more authority and influence in the health care system specialized knowledge access to privileged information and the ability to advocate for the client and the client's significant other if a nurse misuses the power in the relationship it's considered abuse empathy refers to expressing an understanding of what the health care experience means from the client's perspective it includes validating and resonating with the meaning of that experience in nursing empathy includes maintaining an appropriate emotional distance from the client to ensure objectivity respect is the recognition of the inherent dignity worth and uniqueness of every individual regardless of the client's socioeconomic status and personal attributes and the nature of the client's health problem trust is critical in the nurse client relationship because the client is in a vulnerable position at the beginning of a relationship trust is fragile so it's especially important to keep promises to a client it's difficult to re-establish trust once it has been breached you have now completed chapter two an overview to work through another chapter in the therapeutic nurse client relationship learning module close this presentation and return to the learning center