Challenges in providing family-centered support to families in palliative care

Background:Supporting the family-as-a-whole presents challenges in palliative care, although family meetings are increasingly used in routine practice. The Family Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT) Model guides clinicians in using a range of intervention strategies.Aim:To examine the therapists’ techniques used in assessing ‘at risk’ families in palliative care to better illuminate what helps and what remains challenging.Method:Recorded sessions 1 and 2 were coded using the FFGT fidelity coding measure, with its glossary of definitions. Inter-rater reliability between three coders was satisfactory at 88%. Frequencies of strategy utilization were computed, with extraction of examples of both successful and problematic approaches.Setting/participants:From within a larger study of family therapy during palliative care at a comprehensive cancer center, the first two sessions (n = 144) delivered to 74 families (299 individuals) by 32 therapists were coded and analyzed.Results:Therapists readily explored the story of...