Question

The nurse is using drawing, puppetry, and other forms of play therapy while treating a terminally ill, schoolage child. The purpose of these techniques is to help the child:

1. internalize his feelings about death and dying.
2. accept responsibility for his situation.
3. express feelings that he can't articulate.
4. have a good time while he's in the hospital.

Answer 1

The nurse uses play therapy techniques like drawing and puppetry to help the terminally ill child express complex feelings about illness and death, an approach grounded in both Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief and Theatre in Health Education practices.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse's use of drawing, puppetry, and other forms of play therapy while treating a terminally ill, school-age child is primarily aimed to help the child express feelings that he or she may not be able to articulate. The terminally ill often undergo the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, as described by Elizabeth Küber-Ross. Theatre in Health Education (THE) practices like puppetry can help navigate difficult conversations and emotions that terminally ill children might have difficulty expressing. In particular, these therapeutic techniques foster a safe and creative environment, allowing for expression and processing of complex emotions related to illness and the prospect of death. This approach acknowledges that while medical treatment is about physical care, emotional and psychological support is equally important for the well-being of terminally ill children.