Settling Into and Moving in a Climate of Care: Styles and Patterns of Interaction Between Nurse Psychotherapists and Clients

PURPOSE: To study nonverbal manifestations of rapport between nurse psychotherapists and clients. METHODS: A phenomenological investigation of eight pairs of nurse psychotherapists and clients was completed using video-cued narrative recall. FINDINGS: Emotional congruence, physical mirroring of gestures, postures, expressions, and shared cadences were significant to the participants. Matching behaviors were responsive, not technique-driven, and occurred only at meaningful junctures. Matching behaviors showed up simultaneously and as turn-taking responses, and felt genuine because they incorporated imperfection and were expressed in varied ways. Settling into the climate of the client's world and matching her response helped the nurse therapist shape intervention possibilities, create a comfortable sense of timing, and establish rapport. CONCLUSIONS: Video-cued narrative recall was an effective research strategy.