Date of Award
2021
Document Type
Doctoral Research Paper
Degree Name
Psy.D.
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
Nicole Taylor
Second Advisor
Kimberly Gorgens
Third Advisor
Christine DeVore
Keywords
Training, Death anxiety, End of life care
Abstract
Inward reflection and knowing the self are an essential element to becoming a psychologist and is crucial when encountering themes of death and dying in psychotherapy. There are significant gaps in curriculum and training regarding death anxiety and end-of-life care for psychology trainees and psychologists despite psychologists’ growing presence in this type of work. The following paper will explore historical and current day theories of death anxiety and death education. It will also demonstrate the gaps in training for psychologists in the areas of death anxiety and end-of-life care and describe the need for this type of training to be central to graduate and post-graduate studies. Based upon the relevant literature, this paper will propose a training outline focused on facilitating a reflective process for psychologists to understand their own anxieties around death and dying in order to be better equipped to be with clients as they examine their own fears, biases, and anxieties.
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Extent
65 pgs
Recommended Citation
Kromrey, Bridget, "Encountering Death: A Training Proposal for Psychologists Addressing Death Anxiety and End-of-Life Care" (2021). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 415.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/415