Supporting Terminally Ill Patients and Their Families Using Refocalization Psychology and Transactional Analysis

Often when faced with terminally ill patients we pay little attention to their families. This article suggests that a therapeutic community or team made up of a physician, a psychotherapist, and a nurse, along with the patient and his or her family, can be helpful in such cases. In particular, the psychotherapist's task is to provide emotional support for the patient, his or her family, and the other members of the team as well as to facilitate family members in finding ways they can actively help the patient to die with dignity. The paradox is to help the patient die while helping the family to live.