Nowy model opieki psychologicznej w ramach Zespołu Wsparcia Duchowego w Centrum Onkologii w Bydgoszczy

Abstract

In May 2010 the Franciszek Łukaszczyk Memorial Centre for Oncology in Bydgoszcz witnessed the launch of operations of its Spiritual Support Team, which comprises the Clinical Psychology Department and the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel. The low treatment rate in cancer therapy contributes to the perception of the disease as a hopeless condition. Such a view adversely affects the proceass of psychological coping in oncological therapies; therefore, medical therapy is now used in combination with psychological influence. The process of adaptation heavily depends on hope, faith and finding a sense of life’s meaning, thus perceiving life as having its purpose and value. The Spiritual Support Team aims to provide wide-ranging psychological and spiritual aid to the Centre’s patients as well as to their relatives and the institution’s employees. Psychologists from the Clinical Psychology Department offer patients their assistance in coping with cancer at different stages: diagnosis, treatment, remission, metastasis and the terminal phase. Besides individual meetings, patients and their families can take advantage of group sessions (relaxing, psychological and educational activities as well as support groups). The Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel performs a religious role and is the venue for numerous artistic programmes such as concerts, shows and lectures. To meet the expectations of non-Catholic patients, there is an expert on ecumenism who has a theological education and helps the Centre’s patients to contact clerics representing various religions.