Palliative Care : The role of Counsellors

Abstract: The following article is a study about counsellors working with terminally ill patients receiving Palliative care. In an effort to understand their role in the Palliative team and how they participate in the care of dying individuals, four counsellors working in four different Palliative hospices in Stockholm were interviewed by using structured interviews. The key questions concern the methods and interventions counsellors use, the risk factors that the job entails, the support they receive and finally their reflections about life and death The literature on the topic was accessed via Ersta Sköndal Högskola College library and Internet database. The results of the study reveal that Palliative Care Approach takes into consideration all aspects of an individual (physical, psychological, social and spiritual). Counsellors are part of a multidisciplinary team and their role is to focus on the social and psychological aspects. They undertake comprehensive assessments of the patient’s context and their coping strategies through the use of psychosocial theories such as Sense of Coherence and Logo therapy. Via their skilled use of core counselling skills they establish close relationships with patients and families. At the same time they are always mindful of keeping the right distance. Counsellors are the receivers of a lot of emotional pain and suffering of patients and families and as such this transference can lead to emotional exhaustion. Access to good support is an essential prerequisite for avoiding burnout. Close encounters with death leads to reflections of life and death. Counsellors need to be well developed and experienced in order to provide good quality palliative care.