Psychologists
Psychologists, mainly clinical psychologists
and health psychologists, who are
becoming increasingly interested and
involved in palliative care, face a mixed
reception. Some psychologists are facing
a degree of resistance that Payne and
Haynes (2002) refer to as 'hostihty'. One
reason for this appears to be the ever
present issue of fluid boundaries and the
number of people who profess to 'own'
this area of care. Payne and Haynes highlight
that healthcare professionals, while
having a role to play in providing psychosocial
care to patients and families, need
to acknowledge when they have provided
all that they can provide and refer on to a
more specialist service, such as that provided
by a psychologist