RESUMEN
Psychological symptoms are notably prevalent in palliative care (PC) settings, significantly impacting quality of life for patients and their families. Given the inherent multidimensionality of suffering in PC, addressing these psychological aspects is essential. This article aims to introduce and integrate discrete concepts from various schools of psychotherapy, which are directly applicable to PC practices, thereby providing clinicians with a rich toolkit to manage psychological distress. The article focuses on 10 key concepts from different psychotherapeutic traditions. They are a small sample from the vast and deep pool of wisdom contained in psychotherapeutic theory, and they were selected due to their direct applicability to PC practice. Adopting psychotherapeutic principles, along with leveraging the interdisciplinary wisdom inherent in PC practice, enhances our therapeutic relationships in PC and empowers patients to navigate their illness with greater resilience and adaptive coping.
RESUMEN
Palliative care clinicians enhance the illness experiences of patients and their families through building therapeutic relationships. Many psychological concepts underlie a clinician's approach to a specific patient. Through high-yield tips, this article highlights ten selected psychological elements that palliative care clinicians often use to support patients. As we all (both clinicians and patients) bring our own histories and unique biographies to the work of palliative care, a more explicit focus on the psychological aspects of this work can enhance our own experience and efficacy as providers. With a thoughtful focus on the psychological aspects of how we engage with patients, palliative care clinicians can offer a more meaningful therapeutic encounter.