A nurse is caring for a client who is seeking treatment for opioid use disorder. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

A. Summarize the objectives the client achieved during the relationship:
This intervention is more appropriate for the termination phase of the nurse-client relationship. During termination, the nurse summarizes the progress made, goals achieved, and skills learned during the therapeutic relationship. This helps both the nurse and the client reflect on the journey and celebrate accomplishments.

B. Present issues regarding confidentiality:
Discussing confidentiality is crucial and typically occurs in the orientation phase of the nurse-client relationship. Establishing trust and clarifying the boundaries of confidentiality early in the relationship helps the client feel secure and promotes open communication. This choice is relevant during the initial stages of the therapeutic relationship.

C. Promote the client's problem-solving skills:
This is the correct choice for the working phase of the nurse-client relationship. In this phase, the focus is on active problem-solving, exploring feelings and thoughts, and encouraging the client to develop coping strategies. The nurse supports the client in identifying problems, generating solutions, and implementing effective strategies. Promoting the client's problem-solving skills is a central aspect of therapeutic work during this phase.

D. Identify the responsibilities of the client and nurse:
Clarifying the responsibilities of both the client and nurse is essential to establish clear roles and expectations. This usually occurs in the orientation phase. During this phase, the nurse explains the purpose of the therapeutic relationship, the roles of both parties and the boundaries of the nurse-client interaction. Establishing clear responsibilities helps create a foundation for a respectful and effective therapeutic alliance.

A. Denial:
Denial is a defense mechanism in which a person refuses to accept reality or acknowledge the existence of something that is evident to others. For example, a person diagnosed with a serious illness might deny that they are ill or refuse to believe the diagnosis. In this scenario, the client is not denying a reality; he is expressing anger and directing it toward the nurse.

B. Compensation:
Compensation is a defense mechanism where an individual overachieves in one area to compensate for real or imagined deficiencies in another area. For instance, someone who feels intellectually inferior might excel in sports to compensate for their perceived inadequacy. This is not applicable to the client's situation in the scenario provided.

C. Rationalization:
Rationalization involves providing logical or reasonable explanations to justify behaviors or feelings that might otherwise be unacceptable. For instance, a person might rationalize a failure by blaming external factors rather than accepting personal responsibility. In the scenario, the client is not offering rationalizations but is expressing direct anger.

D. Displacement:
Displacement occurs when emotions, especially anger or frustration, are redirected from the original source to a less threatening target. For example, a person who is angry with their boss might come home and take out their frustration on their family members. In the given situation, the client is displacing his anger from his partner onto the nurse, asking her to leave, making displacement the most appropriate choice.