Listen actively and guide the patient into telling you more about important areas. Attentive silence can facilitate a patient to say more. Recognize and respond to the patient s feelings. Confrontation may be helpful when a patient story is inconsistent. By pointing out to patients something about their own words or observed behavioral clues to anger, anxiety, or depression, you can bring these feelings out.
Interpretation makes an inference, rather than the observation made with confrontation.
For example, You are asking a lot of questions about you Valium. Ask direct questions to fill in the details. Direct questions should proceed from the general to the specific and should not be leading questions. Closed questions are often leading. If a patient is unable to answer without help, offer multiple choice answers.