Educatio n @ St Christopher's - St Christopher's Hospice

Psycho-Social Masterclasses
Our St Christopher’s Psycho-Social Masterclasses are interactive workshops which
provide an opportunity for participants to share case material and experiences with
fellow practitioners. Drawing on the collective expertise of contributors we will
reflect on practice, together build our knowledge of interventions and gather
strategies for the future.
The Masterclasses are aimed at colleagues from a variety of backgrounds and
differing degrees of previous experience in the topic presented. What each person
gets out of the Masterclass will depend on what they bring to the Masterclass.
The emphasis however, will be on shared interactive learning and a rich forum for
conversation amongst peers. We will offer some expertise from our practice at the
hospice and briefly present related research and thinking.
You may choose to attend a Masterclass because:
you want to improve your knowledge and skills
you have a particular practice dilemma relating to the given topics which you
would like to have in-put on
you are not expecting to acquire new skills but just as importantly, want
reassurance you are following best practice
Who should attend these Masterclasses
Clinician and practitioners in palliative care
Counsellors, Psychologists, Social Workers working with illness and loss
Social care personnel
Managers, educationalists and supervisors
Working with Risky Conversations
3 May 2012, 09.30-13.00 £35 Code PSM0512
Facilitators
Julia Manning and Gill O’Halloran Principal Social Workers, St Christopher’s
“Stop shouting at me! Your anger is frightening me. I can only imagine it must be
frightening you too.” “I know you say you can’t cope without seeing me but I actually
think you would cope very well. In fact I think it’s time to start talking about endings”.
This Masterclass will offer a platform for exploring ‘risky conversations’ with
individuals and families in the context of illness and loss. Sometimes we have no
choice but to respond to risk situations. Whilst we will acknowledge the need for
assessment, containment and keeping safe, our focus in this session will be on
initiating conversations which push boundaries, mention the unmentionable or
confront. What are the risks of getting such conversations wrong, to our patients,
clients, ourselves and our organisations What is the cost of not taking a risk
In dialogue between senior practitioners in this field and the course participants, we
will explore the above challenges using real cases as examples.
Tackling risky agendas Team and organisational implications
Developing strategies for
coping
Personal-professional boundaries
Sex, Intimacy and Loss:
Working with illness, death and bereavement
Sex, Intimacy and Loss
7 September 2012, 09.30-13.00 £35 Code PSM0912
Facilitators
Ninon Van der Kroft Betsy Barker and Marilyn Goss, Principal Social Workers,
St Christopher’s
This Masterclass will provide a forum for exploration and discussion of the complex
practice issues surrounding sex, intimacy and loss when working with individuals,
couples and families facing illness, death and bereavement.
Intimacy is an often neglected topic, nevertheless central to people’s being, requiring
sensitivity and skill to address. To enter into conversations with clients around these
issues, practitioners will need to develop their curiosity about what gets in the
way these may be concerns about the client’s privacy, taboos in society around
sexuality, different cultural norms or ultimately what the topic raises for us on a very
personal level.
Getting sex and loss on the agenda Interventions that work
Tackling sensitive conversations
Managing how we are affected