Establishing therapeutic communication with patients is considered as one of the most important duties of nursing students. Although therapeutic communication is a fundamental part of nursing education, its various attributes have not been clearly determined in nursing literature. Therefore, this qualitative study was conducted to explore therapeutic communication between patients and nursing students in the Iranian context through perceptions of nursing students, nursing instructors, and patients. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of six nursing students, six nursing instructors, and six patients as per the inclusion criteria. The data collection process continued in the field until theory saturation was reached. Data analysis was conducted by using a conventional content analysis approach over 8 months in 2016. Data analysis revealed three categories: "a measure to deliver patient-centered care," "emotional companionship," and "a phenomenon affected by values." These categories were considered as therapeutic communication defining traits. Putting more emphasis on therapeutic communication instruction and facilitating the recruitment of more men into the nursing career are recommended.