Experience of Psychologists in Palliative Care in Dealing with Challenging Situations

In the Czech Republic, palliative care has been developing significantly in recent years, including the development of palliative teams in hospitals. The position of a psychologist is an important part of the palliative team, but there is currently not enough information available about what situations psychologists in hospital palliative care perceive as challenging and how they manage these situations. The aim of the thesis is to better understand the experiences of psychologists in palliative care in dealing with challenging situations. Qualitative research was conducted with sixteen psychologists who were working in hospital palliative care at the time of the research. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The following themes were identified within challenging situations in the workplace: unpredictability of the environment; working overtime as a subjectively perceived necessity; coordination of care with attending physicians; disrupted relationships in the patient's family; relating the patient's situation to oneself. The research also identified themes related to coping with challenging situations. These themes are: need of self-reflection; work diversity as a way of self-care; maintaining boundaries; mutual team support; ritual as a way of closure; compassion...