A nurse is creating a plan of care for a client who has borderline personality disorder. Which of the following actions should the nurse include in the plan?

A. Assess the client for triggers of self-mutilating behavior: Clients with borderline personality disorder are at risk for self-harm. Identifying triggers helps the nurse implement preventive strategies, provide timely interventions, and promote safety, which is a critical component of care planning. B. Encourage the client to use splitting behaviors: Splitting, or viewing people as all good or all bad, is a maladaptive coping mechanism. Encouraging this behavior would worsen interpersonal relationships and is not therapeutic. C. Assist the client in developing more dependent relationships: Borderline personality disorder involves unstable and intense interpersonal relationships. Promoting dependence is counterproductive; the goal is to foster healthy, balanced relationships and coping strategies. D. Use sympathy when developing the therapeutic relationship with the client: Sympathy can reinforce maladaptive behaviors and dependency. Therapeutic relationships should focus on empathy, consistency, and clear boundaries rather than sympathy.