Psychological skills in cancer care

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Systematically and critically assess the psychological needs of people living with cancer and articulate how health professionals may respond to individual needs and preferences.
• Autonomously (within scope of practice) plan and implement active assessment and management of risk and safeguarding, with reference to the underpinning concepts outlined in the module, recognising the importance of collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team and the impact on patients, family, and carers.
• Critically analyse the evidence base, including relevant concepts and theoretical frameworks and apply these to assessing psychological distress at key points in the cancer pathway.
• Apply level 2 psychological skills (NICE 2004) and knowledge to deliver psychological care using brief low intensity psychological techniques/interventions.
• Critically reflect on personal practice and growth of self-awareness through your exploration of values, beliefs, and evidence based practice.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of collaborative, holistic, bio-psychosocial care planning within the multi-disciplinary team including referral to specialist services.

The module will be based around 4 themes:

1. Reflective and reflexive practice through engagement with peers and module team

• Self-awareness
• Supervision
• Self-care practices

2. Detection, screening, and assessment of need for psychological support

• Communication skills
• Assessing distress
• Assessment of risk

3. Formulation and intervention

• Using psychological skills to understand peoples’ problems
• Psychologically informed brief low-intensity interventions e.g., CBT and Third Wave informed approaches
• Systemic practice - focusing on relationships and recognising that individuals are embedded in their social context.
• Supporting people to develop problem solving strategies to manage cancer related challenges

4. Referring onwards

• Who and where to refer e.g., to specialist services
• Signposting e.g. to third sector organisations

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and learning methods include lectures and workshops, which incorporate demonstrations, role-play, experiential learning, and group work. As part of the independent study there is an element of required reading that will underpin your development of knowledge and understanding.

We use a range of teaching and learning methods and recognise that students have different preferred learning styles including.

• Lectures
• Demonstrations
• Supervised skills practice on peers
• Self-directed learning (including books, journals, audio-visual resources etc.)
• E-learning (including use of Blackboard and other on-line resources.)

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Dornelas, E. A. (2018). Psychological treatment of patients with cancer..

Nicholas, D. R. (2016). Psychosocial care of the adult cancer patient : evidence-based practice in psycho-oncology..

Holland, J. C. (2015). Psycho-oncology..

Kreitler, S. (2019). Psycho-oncology for the clinician : the patient behind the disease..

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External