Counseling Patients at the End of Life
Course #67770 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
End-of-life decisions can be complex and challenging. Health and mental health professionals can help with their expertise, whether it is for the person facing death, their family, surrogate decision makers, or caregiver. It is vital for health and mental health professionals to learn when and how to include end-of-life discussions into their sessions, assist with decision making and planning, and learn the differences between palliative and end-of-life care. Aligning on key concepts and approaches to care can help to ensure that the best possible care and support are given at the end of life.
- INTRODUCTION
- DEFINING END-OF-LIFE CARE
- THE ROLE OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN END-OF-LIFE COUNSELING
- PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCERNS FOR PATIENTS AT THE END OF LIFE
- END-OF-LIFE CONVERSATIONS
- MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS FOR END-OF-LIFE CARE
- BEREAVEMENT
- PRACTICAL, ETHICAL, AND LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
- CULTURALLY COMPETENT CARE AT THE END OF LIFE
- CONCLUSION
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This introductory course is designed for psychologists responsible for supporting patients at the end of life.
The purpose of this course is to provide psychologists with the knowledge and strategies necessary to best assist patients to seek and receive optimal end-of-life care.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Define palliative and end-of-life care.
- Outline the role of health and mental health professionals in end-of-life counseling.
- Identify psychological concerns present at the end of life.
- Discuss key components of end-of-life conversations.
- Analyze mental health interventions that can be incorporated into end-of-life care and bereavement.
- Describe practical, ethical, and legal issues that can arise in the provision of end-of-life care.
- Examine the impact of culture and culturally competent care on end-of-life decisions and support.
Lisa Hutchison, LMHC, has more than 20 years of experience providing individual and group counseling with adults. She specifically focuses on teaching assertiveness, stress management, and boundary setting for empathic helpers. Ms. Hutchison graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, with a Master’s degree in education for mental health counseling.
Contributing faculty, Lisa Hutchison, LMHC, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Margaret Donohue, PhD
The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.