Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing

What Should the Nurse Do?

Psychiatric-Mental Health NursingWhat Should the Nurse Do?

What Should the Nurse Do?

1 .
Nurse Georgia, who works at a community mental health center, is talking with Susan, a sixteen-year-old female, who she has often seen in the waiting room when her mother has an appointment with the psychiatrist. Nurse Georgia notices how mature Susan is as she says that she is worried that she may get a parking ticket because the appointment is taking longer than expected. Nurse Georgia asks Susan how long she has been driving. Susan explains that she has had her driver’s license for six months but learned how to drive when she was fourteen just so she could get her mom to the hospital if there was an emergency. She also provides transportation for her younger siblings who both play sports after school. Susan explains that her dad left when her mom got really sick four years ago, and they do not see him very often. She says that she often prepares meals for her siblings and helps with the household chores. She is a junior in high school who does well in school, but is beginning to feel the pressure of her classes and has noticed her grades slipping recently.
Based on this conversation, what actions should Nurse Georgia take to ensure the safety and well-being of this client’s children, most specifically Susan?
PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/psychiatric-mental-health/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/psychiatric-mental-health/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jul 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.