A nurse is counseling a client who is experiencing partner violence. Which of the following statements should the nurse make?

A. Implement measures to prevent intentional self-inflicted injury:
This choice is the priority. Individuals with borderline personality disorder are at an increased risk of self-harm and suicidal behaviors. Implementing measures to prevent intentional self-inflicted injury, such as close monitoring, removing potentially harmful objects, and creating a safe environment, is crucial to ensuring the client's safety and well-being.

B. Discuss the appropriate use of assertive behavior with the client:
Teaching assertive behavior is an important aspect of therapy for individuals with borderline personality disorder. Learning to express emotions and needs in a healthy, assertive manner can improve their interpersonal skills and relationships. However, this choice is secondary to ensuring the client's safety. Safety concerns need to be addressed before moving on to other therapeutic interventions.

C. Encourage the client to attend weekly support group meetings:
Support group meetings can provide valuable social support and a sense of belonging for individuals with borderline personality disorder. Being part of a supportive community can offer understanding and coping strategies. While this is a beneficial intervention, it is not the priority. Safety concerns and addressing self-harm risk take precedence.

D. Assist the client to maintain awareness of her thoughts and feelings:
Developing self-awareness and emotional regulation skills is essential in managing borderline personality disorder. Techniques such as mindfulness and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can help individuals become more aware of their thoughts and emotions. While important for long-term management, this intervention is not the priority when immediate safety concerns are present. Safety should always be the first focus of care.

A. Reassure staff members that the debriefing is confidential:
Explanation: This step is crucial in establishing trust among the participants. Reassuring confidentiality encourages individuals to express their feelings and experiences openly. It helps create a safe environment where people can share their emotions without fear of judgment or repercussions.

B. Have staff members discuss their involvement in the event:
Explanation: After establishing confidentiality, it might be appropriate to encourage participants to discuss their involvement in the event. This allows individuals to share their perspectives and experiences, helping others understand the situation from different angles. Sharing experiences can provide insights into how different people were affected and how they coped.

C. Ask staff members to describe their most traumatic memories of the event:
Explanation: While it might be a natural inclination to immediately delve into the most traumatic memories, it's generally not the first step in a critical incident stress debriefing. Encouraging participants to share their most traumatic memories right away could be overwhelming and retraumatizing. The process usually begins with establishing trust and then progresses to discussing individual experiences, gradually leading to more specific and potentially distressing details.

D. Provide stress-management exercises to the staff members:
Explanation: Stress-management exercises are valuable and often an essential part of the debriefing process. However, introducing stress-management techniques usually comes after participants have had the opportunity to express their feelings and experiences. These exercises can include relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, or mindfulness practices, which help individuals manage their stress and anxiety effectively.