Final answer:
The goals of psychotherapy include reducing emotional discomfort, improving social interactions, and clarifying the meanings of events, to help patients with mental illnesses better manage their conditions and enhance their performance in daily activities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Goals of Psychotherapy Treatment
The goals of psychotherapy for a patient with a mental illness include a variety of therapeutic objectives aimed at improving the patient's overall functioning and well-being. The nurse should recognize that psychotherapy is intended to reduce emotional discomfort, which is a fundamental aspect of many mental health treatments. Furthermore, the goals extend to improving social interactions and helping the patient to clarify the meaning of events, which is often crucial in understanding and overcoming personal psychological challenges. While relaxing the body may be a secondary benefit of some therapeutic techniques,
it is not typically a primary goal of psychotherapy. Enhancing performance in situations is another relevant goal, as psychotherapy often aims to provide patients with the skills and strategies needed to function better in their day-to-day lives, whether it's at work, school, or in personal relationships.