Mental Health Conversation

The assignment content is about mental health and focuses on a therapeutic conversation between Nurse Maria and Forrest Gump, a patient with below-average IQ level and physical disability, when he was a little boy. The conversation aims to assess his problems, provide psychosocial support, and offer suggestions for improving his understanding of studies. The content also includes a social conversation between Forrest and his mother, Mrs. Gump, where they discuss his difficulties in understanding his studies and his feelings about being different from others.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH
MENTAL HEALTH
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

1MENTAL HEALTH
Mental Health Assignment
Name of Character: Forrest Gump
Television Show or Movie Source: Forest Gump
Movie information:
Finerman, W.(Producer), Zemeckis, R. (director).1994.Paramount pictures. United States.
Viacom.
Below average IQ level and physical disability related to
A B
Slow witted and low I.Q
C
as evidenced by
D
‘I don’t remember how to do addition.”_________________________
E
Patient have low IQ level and legs are fitted with braces therefore had a very troubled childhood.
F

2MENTAL HEALTH
Therapeutic Conversation
Characters: Nurse (Maria)
Patient: Forest Gump (when he was a little boy)
Scene: int. Country doctor's office - Greenbow, Alabama - day (1951).
The little boy closes his eyes tightly as he sits in the doctor’s office. The nurse is trying to gather
information for providing appropriate care to the patient. She is having a conversation Forrest
Gump and is trying to access his problems.
Orientation Phase:
(Forrest was sitting with his eyes tightly shut).
Nurse: “Good morning Forrest” (Smiling)
Forrest: “Good morning” (opens his eyes)
Nurse: “I am Maria, your nurse. Can I please check your ID? Then we can have a brief
conversation. I am sure you would feel better after this”. (Smiling and making eye contact,
standing in front of the patient at a safe distance to give him privacy).
Forrest: “Yeah ok go ahead” (nodding affirmatively)
Nurse: “So tell me Forrest, what brought you here? No one wants to be in the care setting right?
What is troubling you?”
(Forrest looking petulant and looks at other direction)

3MENTAL HEALTH
Nurse: “Feel free to talk Forrest. I am here to listen to all your concerns. Take your time there is
no hurry. I am here as a friend and not just your nurse. So you can relax.” (Smiling and sitting at
a stool beside the bed)
Forrest: “Yeah you are right. You can ask what you want to know. You can help me out I
suppose.”
Working phase
Nurse: “So tell me forest, how’s your school? Do you like going to school? What subject do you
like?”
Forrest: “My playmates makes fun of me, they don’t allow me to take part in the base ball
game”.
Nurse: “you can take help from your educator. Have you ever tried to do so?”
Forrest: “I have tried but my teacher scolds me when I am unable to perform well in the
assessments. They say that I have a below IQ level than the average.”
Nurse: “There is absolutely no such thing Forrest. It’s just that you are special than other
children. See you are having these runners fitted on your feet and you will be able to run as fast
as others can. You will also be able to do well on your assessments if you listen to my
instructions.”
Forrest: “Thank you sister.”
Nurse: Can I take some more time of yours? Would you mind?”
Forrest: “What test? Are you going to give me marks on the basis of that?”

4MENTAL HEALTH
Nurse: “well, do you want that?”
Forrest : “ I am afraid, I always get bad marks. Will you scold me if I score bad?”
Nurse: “Absolutely not dear.”
Forrest: “Tell me how you feel, tell me about your life, your mother, friends. (The nurse is trying
to explore by applying open ended questions).
Forrest: “My mother loves me a lot. She is fine as long as I am fine.”
Nurse: “Do you face problems while remembering or studying things?” (Closed end question)
Forrest: “I don’t understand what my teacher teaches in the classroom. I am unable to follow
them.”
Nurse: “does it happen to all the subjects or for all the teachers?” (Active listening)
Forrest: “I just don’t love studying. I don’t understand anything from the text book.”
Nurse: “Of course you will be. Please approach your teacher personally. Did you ever discuss
this with your mother?”
Forrest: “No”
Nurse: “So will you listen to my suggestions that I have given you?”
Forrest: yes, sister definitely.
Termination phase
Nurse: “Did you enjoy the session?”

5MENTAL HEALTH
Forrest: “yes it is always nice to cry your heart out to anyone.”
Nurse: “Do you have any other concern apart from your health and leg?”
Forrest: “No I am fine sister.”
Nurse: “well it was end of our session, please let me know if you have anything to share with
me. (Trying to provide psychosocial support to the patient).
Nurse goes out of the room and closes the room behind.
Social conversation
Characters: the conversation is between the patient Forrest Gump and his mother Mrs. Gump.
Scene: int. Gump boarding house/Forrest's bedroom
(Mrs. Gump reads out the ‘curious George’ from a book and Forrest sits on the bed and listens
to her).
Mrs. Gump: “finally e had to try it. It looked easy, but oh, what happened. First there....”
Forrest: “Momma, what’s vacation mean?”
Mrs. Gump: “Vacation?”
Forrest: “Where daddy went?”
Mrs. Gump: “It is a place from where people never come back.”
(Forrest lies in the bed and looks up)

6MENTAL HEALTH
Forrest: “mom why do I face difficulties in understanding my studies. Sometimes I feel if I could
go on a vacation just like Dad.”
Mrs. Gump: “why dear aren’t you not happy staying with me?”
Forrest: “Yes mom, of course I love you I just hate studying. I got a scolding today from my
principle. He told me that I have an extraordinary level of IQ. Why do then my friends make fun
of me?”
Mrs. Gump: “You are one of the special children I have got Forrest and I am so lucky to have
you in my life.”
Forrest: “Really mom? I feel so bad for you when you are being called to my school every now
and then.”
Mrs. Gump: Its fine dear. Go to your teacher the next day you face any problem from your
classmates and just don’t sit back. Now bring me your homework, I want to have a look on what
you are having problem. “Tomorrow we will again go for a follow up to the doctor. Have you
taken your medicines Forrest? Please take them regularly as it would help you to remember
better.”
Forrest: Yes mom. But I hate medicines. (Forrest, reluctantly leaving the room, leaving behind
Mrs. Gump smiling).
(Forrest Gump had some level of impairment in the intelligence. He was between the normal and
the high functioning disabled. The following conversations have been provided from the film and
the therapeutic conversations have been given following the NANDA diagnosis.

7MENTAL HEALTH
References
Bons, D., van den Broek, E., Scheepers, F., Herpers, P., Rommelse, N., & Buitelaaar, J. K.
(2013). Motor, emotional, and cognitive empathy in children and adolescents with autism
spectrum disorder and conduct disorder. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 41(3),
425-443.
Finerman, W.(Producer), Zemeckis, R. (director).1994.Paramount pictures. United States.
Viacom.