Respond to Anger With the NURSE Technique
The acronym NURSE refers to:
Naming
- Be suggestive: “It sounds like you’re worried about your cancer may be recurring”
- Don’t be declarative: “You’re worried that your cancer may recur”
Understanding
- "I can’t imagine what it is like to…”
Respecting
- Respond to strong emotion with strong acknowledgement: “You have shown a lot of courage through all this.” “I am amazed by how well you have coped with your mother’s illness.”
Supporting
- Express empathy and understanding of the patient’s situation: “I sense how upset you are feeling about the CT scan results”
- Show willingness to help: “I will be here with you through this.”
- Acknowledge their efforts to cope
- Tell them your availability for them, if you can
Exploring
- "Tell me more about what is affecting you.” or “Tell me more about what upsets/scares you the most”.
If you are not sure why they are upset, ask, “What were you thinking about just now? Can you help me understand what made you cry just now, what’s going through your mind as we talk?”