The nurse states, "Earlier today you said you were concerned that your son was still upset with you. When I stopped by your room about an hour ago, you and your son seemed relaxed and smiling as you spoke to each other. How did things go between the two of you?" This is an example of which therapeutic communication technique?

A. Consensual validation involves checking whether the nurse’s understanding of what the client has said is accurate (e.g., “Do I understand you correctly?”). B. Encouraging comparison is correct because the nurse is asking the client to compare earlier feelings of concern with the later observed interaction with the son. C. Accepting means showing understanding or acknowledgment of what the client says (e.g., nodding or saying “Yes”), not prompting a comparison. D. General lead encourages the client to continue talking but does not specifically invite comparison of events.