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The Institute offers psychological, psychotherapeutic, psychodiagnostic and psychosocial support for children, adults and families, as well as specialised work with medical professionals, professionals from the helping professions, healthcare facilities, social services and organisations.

We work in the fields of clinical psychology, psychotherapy, psycho-oncology, psychosomatics, child development, clinical social work and psychosocial care.

You do not need to know in advance exactly what form of support you are looking for.

Specialised areas

The Institute's practice develops across several specialised areas of medical and clinical psychology, psychosocial care and clinical social work.

Each area brings together different forms of work depending on the specific situation and the person's needs – psychological consultation, psychotherapy, psychological assessment, work with the family, psychosocial support, patient navigation or support for professionals.

Psychosomatics

The body, psychological experience and relationships do not exist separately from one another.

Psychosomatics examines the complex relationships between bodily functioning, psychological experience, relationships and the environment in which a person lives.

The psychosomatic approach does not divide illnesses into "genuinely physical" and "psychological". It is based on the understanding that a person experiences illness simultaneously through the body, the psyche, relationships and social life.

A bodily symptom is real regardless of whether medicine has established a clear organic cause for it. The absence of a sufficient medical explanation likewise does not automatically mean that the symptom has a psychological cause.

Psychological work can be helpful with chronic pain, recurring bodily complaints, severe health-related anxiety, difficult adjustment to illness, or when a physical condition is experienced within the context of significant psychological and life burden.

Where a somatic illness has been diagnosed, psychological work may focus on how a person experiences their body, the treatment, the limitations, dependence on the medical system, and the changes in relationships and everyday life.

Forms of work

Important

The psychosomatic approach does not mean that the illness is caused by emotions, that the symptoms are imaginary, or that a person can be cured through "positive thinking".

Psychological work does not replace medical diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

Severe and chronic illness

Psychological and psychosocial support beyond the specific diagnosis.

A severe or prolonged illness confronts a person with tasks that go beyond medical treatment.

The diagnosis can change a person's sense of security, their relationship to their own body, professional life, family roles, sexuality, financial situation, independence and outlook for the future.

In some illnesses, a person must adjust to prolonged treatment and medical follow-up. In others, limitations arise in physical functioning or the need for help in everyday life. Sometimes the illness progresses with periods of relative stability followed by deterioration, which makes the future difficult to predict.

Psychological support does not assume that a person must "accept" the illness in a particular way. Fear, anger, sadness, uncertainty, hope, and difficulty adjusting to the changes can be understandable reactions to a real life situation.

The Institute works not only with people with oncological illnesses, but also with patients with other chronic, progressive, disabling or socially significant illnesses.

Forms of work

Important

Psychological and psychosocial support are part of complex care and do not replace medical treatment, follow-up or rehabilitation.

Crisis, traumatic experience and violence

Support for when what has been experienced disrupts the sense of security and one's usual ways of coping.

Certain events can abruptly change a person's sense of security and their ability to use their usual ways of coping.

This may be a severe accident, experienced violence, a sudden loss, a life-threatening medical situation, a sudden deterioration in health, or another event that a person experiences as extraordinary and difficult to integrate.

Following such an experience, fear, insomnia, intrusive memories or images, heightened vigilance, irritability, avoidance of certain places or situations, bodily tension, emotional withdrawal, or a sense that what happened continues to be present, even though the immediate danger has passed, may appear.

Not every strong psychological reaction after a severe event indicates post-traumatic stress disorder. Some of these reactions may be a natural response to an extraordinary experience.

Psychological work begins with understanding the specific person – what they have experienced, how they feel at present, how the event affects their everyday functioning, and what kind of support they need.

Forms of work

  • Psychological consultation in life crisis
  • Psychological support after a traumatic experience
  • Psychological assessment after a traumatic experience
  • Individual psychotherapy
  • Support for loss and grief
  • Support after a severe medical experience
  • Support for professionals after a difficult case
  • Psychological crisis intervention for teams

Important

In cases of immediate risk to life or health, ongoing violence, severe psychological crisis, suicidal intentions or another emergency situation, outpatient psychological work is not a substitute for emergency medical, psychiatric or other competent assistance.

Palliative care and end of life

Support for the patient, relatives and professionals in advanced illness, loss and end of life.

Palliative care places the person's quality of life at the centre in the context of a severe, progressive or life-threatening illness, and includes attention to the physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of the experience.

Psychological work during this period is not aimed at the person necessarily "accepting death", coming to terms with it, or talking about it before they are ready.

One patient may need to talk about their fears, another about their family, a third about specific practical matters, while a fourth may prefer to continue living their everyday life without every meeting being turned into a conversation about the end of life.

Autonomy, dignity and the individual way in which a person understands their own situation remain at the centre.

Psychological work also includes relatives. They may simultaneously be providing intensive care, experiencing fear of the impending loss, and having to make practical decisions during a period of significant emotional burden.

Support for medical professionals is also part of this area. Conversations about prognosis, treatment goals, deterioration and the end of life are among the most difficult professional situations in medicine.

Forms of work

  • Psychological support in advanced illness
  • Support for relatives and carers
  • Assessment of caregiver burden
  • Preparation for possible loss
  • Family and partner support
  • Support for talking with children about severe illness
  • Support for loss and grief
  • Groups for relatives
  • Groups for loss and grief
  • Support and supervision for medical professionals
  • Training on conversations about prognosis and advanced illness
  • Training on communication at the end of life

Important

Psychological support is part of the palliative approach, but does not replace specialised medical palliative care, control of physical symptoms, or the decisions of the medical team.

Hope and a realistic conversation about the illness are not necessarily opposites. As the medical situation changes, so may the focus of a person's hope.

Clinical social work and patient navigation

Support where illness meets family, work, social rights and the system.

A severe illness almost never exists solely as a medical problem.

It can affect work and income, the ability to care for oneself, family roles, the need for help from others, housing situation, access to social services, and interaction with various institutions.

Patients and their relatives often have to orient themselves within a complex system in a short period of time, precisely when they have the least physical and psychological resources to do so.

Clinical social work considers the person within the context of the illness, the family, the social environment and the healthcare system. The aim is to identify specific psychosocial needs, available resources and realistic options for support.

Patient navigation assists with orientation and coordination within the system. The specialist does not make decisions on behalf of the patient, but helps them understand their options, determine the next steps, and reach the appropriate institutions, specialists and forms of support.

Forms of work

  • Psychosocial assessment
  • Patient navigation
  • Orientation regarding ТЕЛК and НЕЛК procedures
  • Orientation regarding social rights and support options
  • Support with changes in work capacity
  • Support for returning to work after severe illness
  • Assessment of the need for care and support in everyday life
  • Referral to social services and community resources
  • Support for relatives and carers
  • Assessment of caregiver burden
  • Coordination between different forms of health and social support

Important

The clinical social worker may assess psychosocial needs, provide information, assist with orientation and coordinate support within the scope of their professional competence.

They do not replace a physician, lawyer, ТЕЛК, НЕЛК, НОИ, АСП or another competent administrative body and cannot determine or guarantee the outcome of a medical, administrative or legal procedure.

When you do not know where to start

Sometimes the difficulty cannot be placed in only one category. A severe illness, for example, may simultaneously bring anxiety, changes in relationships, professional difficulties, the need for social support and strain on the whole family.

Therefore, you do not need to know in advance whether you require psychological consultation, psychotherapy, psychological assessment or psychosocial support.

During the initial meeting, the situation can be clarified and the most appropriate next approach can be discussed – psychological or psychotherapeutic work, psychological assessment, psychosocial support, group format or referral to another specialist.

The person should not have to fit into a predetermined category. The form of support is determined according to the person, their situation and their specific needs.