Psychosocial-Spiritual Alberta Community of Practice 2025-26
Recurring event May 12, 2026 · 12:00 - 1:00pm Next Event: June 12, 2026 · 12:00 - 1:00pm
Organized by: Palliative Institute
Audience: Healthcare professionals
Webinar Palliative care Spiritual health Mental health
This community of practice seeks to develop the clinical and self-care skills of professionals providing psychosocial-spiritual care to palliative patients, families and the bereaved in Alberta.
In palliative and grief care, there is often a component of suffering that we cannot “fix” or “take away”. Instead, as psychosocial-spiritual professionals we are called to companion and support, foster coping, processing, treatment, and sometimes healing. This COP seeks to develop the clinical and self-care skills of professionals providing psychosocial-spiritual care to palliative patients, families and the bereaved in Alberta. Developed with Alberta content, this series is open to social workers, spiritual care providers, creative arts therapists, occupational therapists, Indigenous liaisons, counsellors, psychologists, nurses and other clinicians providing emotional and spiritual support.
We meet on the second Thursday of the month from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Sessions
Trauma-informed palliative care
Session 7: May 14 · 12 to 1 p.m. (MST)
Title: Trauma informed palliative care: patient and provider considerations.
Presenter: Janet de Groot, BMedSc., MD, MMedSc, FRCPC; psychiatrist, Professor of Psychiatry, Oncology and Community Health Sciences, and founding Associate Dean, Equity and Professionalism (2008-2017) at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Her clinical research includes implementation of CALM, a clinical intervention for advanced cancer, and exploring the therapeutic effects of group digital storytelling.
Learning goals:
At the end of the session participants will be able to:
- Describe trauma informed palliative care (TIPC) and a variation on TIPC.
- Identify how a patient’s trauma response may affect themselves.
- Describe best practices for a trauma-informed palliative care team.
Last wish
Session 8: Jun. 11 · 12 to 1 p.m. (MST)
Title: Dignity in practice: Exploring a last wish program in hospice care
Presenters: Matthieu Coulombe, Chaplain & Fate Hurtada, RN, Covenant Care
About the session:
The Last wish Program is a dedicated initiative designed to provide residents with a sense of dignity and personal fulfillment during their final stages of life. By facilitating meaningful experiences ranging from simple comforts to significant meaningful events the program honors the unique legacy and humanity of each individual in hospice care. The Last wish committee, comprised of staff and volunteers, work to bring a resident's Last wish to life. Through these intentional gestures, the program transforms the environment of the facility into a space where hope and peace are prioritized alongside comfort.
Learning goals:
At the end of the session participants will be able to:
- Describe an overview of the Last Wish program
- Define the clinical impact of the Last Wish Program
- Understand the process and value of facilitating meaningful experiences at end of life