Hospice social workers walk lines between extremes to serve people in challenging situations. One such line is steady, normalizing empathy.
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Five direct interventions for non-verbal patients
Five forms of “treatment” or “therapy” that hospice social workers can provide to non-verbal patients to help enrich their experiences.
Continue reading »Hearing the silent: Why hospice social workers must listen to even non-verbal patients
The first and last lesson of people-helping is to listen. This doesn’t change when the people we serve don’t have
Continue reading »Interacting with non-verbal patients as a hospice social worker
Now that we’ve discussed how to respond when people don’t stop talking, I thought it’s a good time to discuss
Continue reading »When hospice patients or family members won’t stop talking
Attentive listening is the primary service we offer hospice patients and their family members. Listening can validate the experiences that
Continue reading »Irvin Yalom’s wisdom for hospice social workers
No discussion of counseling in hospice would be complete without an acknowledgment of the little book that has become the
Continue reading »Hospice counseling: Forming a therapeutic relationship
Putting it simply, C+B=TR (Connection plus Boundaries equals Therapeutic Relationship). I recently attended a care-plan meeting for a lonely patient
Continue reading »Counseling in hospice: Comfort comes first, breakthroughs come on occasion
Hospice requires a different approach to counseling for several reasons. Grief requires support and affirmation more than motivation or self-regulation.
Continue reading »Before you provide counseling in hospice
Counseling is one the most powerful tools you can provide as a hospice social worker, it is imperative to know when to apply it, and when to withhold it.
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