Suffering from depression and PTSD

You are working with a war veteran, suffering from depression and PTSD.  During their stay in the acute in-patient psychiatric unit, you have gotten to know this patient superficially over a couple of night shifts.  Today is your first day shift to sit and talk with them.

Following the guidelines of the TIP guide (p. 67), how will you respond to build a conversation based on the skills of ‘questioning informally’?

Part 4. Eliciting Strengths

You are working with the discharge planning team and a patient who has been in the hospital due to crisis for the past month.  He lost his wife and young child in a house fire and is eager to start the process of healing and recovery by moving in with his brother and his family “for a while”. This patient is a successful restaurant manager, who has received an outpouring of support from his small home-town community. In the hours before his discharge, he starts to question whether or not he is ready to take this step.

Following the guidelines of the TIP guide (pm. 67-68), how will you respond while ‘eliciting strengths’?