EAPC task force on education for psychologists (2011)
This Taskforce was created in May 2009 with a remit to improve education for psychologists in palliative care in Europe. The Taskforce activities were successfully concluded in September 2011 with the publication of the EAPC Expert Paper “Guidance on Postgraduate Education for Psychologists involved in Palliative Care”.
Aims and Objectives
Psychologists are an important professional group in palliative care and undertake different types of work, such as direct patient and family consultation, education, management, staff support, and/or research. However, their role, their core competencies and their professional identity in palliative care in many European countries are not very well established, yet. Therefore, the primary aim of this Taskforce was to gather information on the situation of psychologists in palliative care in different European countries. Further aims were the definition of core competences for psychologists working in palliative care in Europe, as well as the development of a framework for core curricula for psychologists working in different areas of palliative care.
Results
As a result of our Taskforce activities, a paper titled “The EAPC Task Force on Education for Psychologists in Palliative Care” has been published in the April 2011 issue of the European Journal of Palliative Care. This article provides important information on the situation of psychologists involved with palliative care, as well as on the background for the setting up of this task force. Click here to download a free pdf version of the paper.
Based on the state of affairs highlighted in this paper, an outline for guidance on postgraduate education for psychologists in palliative care was created. Our Taskforce members were invited to give input to this guidance document with their expertise and their professional experience, and all co-authors supported the paper actively with their contribution. Click here to download a free pdf version of the paper.
Outlook
Since the very beginning of this initiative, there had been an overwhelming response from psychologists from all over Europe who offered their support and made valuable contributions and suggestions for our activities. We would like to express our sincere thanks for this response.
The unexpectedly large response to our Taskforce activities has highlighted the demand for an international initiative for psychologists working in palliative care. The results of our Europe-wide survey have shown that despite the large number of psychologists working in this field there is a perception that the impact of psychological issues in palliative care and the role of psychologists in palliative care teams to date are not sufficiently acknowledged.
We invite all those who wish to commit themselves to the improvement of education and support for psychologists in palliative care in Europe to follow up our activities and to carry on the work with specific goals. It is possible to make an application for a new Taskforce to the European Association for Palliative Care.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all our members for their encouraging and inspiring support during the period of our activities. We would like to express our special thanks to all co-authors who have contributed to the EAPC Expert Paper “Guidance on Postgraduate Education for Psychologists involved in Palliative Care”. Last but not least we would like to thank Eva Eggenberger and Anthony Greenwood for their commitment and for their support of the Europe-wide survey among psychologists working in palliative care.
Partners
- ANTEA http://www.antea.net/
- International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) www.ipos-society.org/
- European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA) www.efpa.eu/
We thank the British Psychological Association (http://www.bps.org.uk/) for awarding this Task Force with a grant of £2.000 each year in travel expenses for a period of 2 years
Publications
The following documents are held under copyright by Hayward Group Ltd, publisher of the European Journal of Palliative Care. It may be downloaded for single academic use only.
- Jünger S and Payne S., (2011), Guidance on postgraduate education for psychologists involved in palliative care, EUR J Pall 2011; 18 (5) 328-252
- Jünger S and Payne S., (2011), SPANISH: SPANISH- Guía para la formación de postgrado de psicólogos que intervienen en cuidados paliativos, EUR J Pall 2011; 18 (5) 328-252
- Jünger S and Payne S., (2010), The EAPC Task Force on Education for Psychologists in Palliative Care, Eur J Pall Care 2010; 17(2) 84-87
Coordinators
Saskia Jünger
Health Scientist & Psychologist
Department of Palliative Medicine,
University Hospital Bonn, Germany
Sheila Payne
Health Scientist & Psychologist
Director of the International Observatory
on End of Life Care, UK
Members
Steering committee
Jan Ablett – UK
Ursula Bates – Ireland
Anna Costantini – Italy
Anna Giardini – Italy
Mai-Britt Guldin – Denmark
Rosalynde Johstone – UK
Christina Liossi – UK
Sandra Martins Pereira – Portugal
Elzbieta Pożarowska – Poland
Walter Rombouts – Belgium
Claudia Wenzel – Austria
Research Assistant
Eva Eggenberger – Austria
Associated group
Bárbara Antunes – Portugal
Oded Ayzenberg – Israel
Vanessa Baio – Belgium
Carolina Casañas i Comabella – Spain
Benna Chase – Malta
Gemma Costa Requena – Spain
Susan Delaney – Ireland
Jane Fletcher – Australia
Maren Galushko M.A. – Germany
Carol Gouveia Melo – Portugal
Sue Hall – UK
Deirdre Howley – UK
Helle Johnson – Denmark
Agnieszka Karpowicz – Poland
Karen-Inge Karstoft - Denmark
Orla Keegan – Ireland
Shulamith Kreitler – Israel
Christian Loffing – Germany
Katarzyna Ludwin – Poland
George Lyrakos – Greece
Katarzyna Makara – Poland
George Lyrakos – Greece
Katarzyna Makara – Poland
Inge Merete Manuel – Denmark
Ana Marques – Portugal
Kimberley Mc Laughlin – UK
Katalin Muszbek – Hungary
Cheryl Nekolaichuk – Canada
Barbara Ninnemann
Sergey Psyrnik – Russia
Beate Riedel – UK
Dolores Rius – Spain / Germany
Anna Rodríguez Morera – Spain
Birgit Ruzicka – Austria
Anja Simonič – Slovenia
Luzia Travado – Portugal
Lieve Van den Block – Belgium
Adriaan Visser – The Netherlands
Elisabet Wasteson – Norway
Sharla Wells-Di Gregorio – USA
Elżbieta Wesołek – Poland
Kirsty Williams
Shelagh Wright – Ireland
Tanja Zagar – Slovenia
Advisory group
Maria Die Trill (Spain)
António Manuel Godinho Fonseca (Portugal)
Christine Kalus (UK)
María Antonía Lacasta Reverte (Spain)
Martina Pestinger (Germany)
Gustavo Francisco Rodio (Argentina)
Teresa Salas Campos (Spain)
Nigel Sage (UK)
Boguslaw Stelcer (Poland)