After being robbed and beaten by an unknown assailant, a patient is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When developing a plan of care for the patient, which of these interventions will the healthcare provider plan to implement first?

PTSD can develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. PTSD is characterized by intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks of past traumatic events, causing severe anxiety. Medication therapy and teaching effective coping skills will be part of the patient's plan of care, but these will have limited effectiveness until the patient feels safe and has a trusting relationship with the healthcare provider. Typically, the patient will avoid reminders of the trauma, so the patient should be encouraged to talk about the trauma at his or her own pace.