I have been working as a supervisor and counsellor in hospice and palliative care in Germany for several years now. In the last few years sociometric and psychodramatic methods have played an increasing role in my work. My main field of competence and most of my clients come from palliative and hospice work as well as bereavement counselling.
I give training in this topic for counsellors/“supervisors” and psycho-dramatists and doctors, nurses, theologians and other staff in palliative medicine / palliative care. The nationwide number of palliative care stations, inter-disciplinary palliative care teams and their need for counselling/supervision has almost doubled between 1999 and 2007. Ambulant hospice Home-Care often involves the services of volunteer workers. Their work is now becoming more professional. as they are offered supervision and support – paid by the German Health Insurance – due to legal regulations since 2003. Support for volunteer workers is itself undergoing transition. Specific offers for supervision are now being made by external supervisors to volunteer workers in hospices, replacing the support previously given by well-trained therapists from within the institutes. Since the end of 2008 , hundreds of ambulant palliative care teams have been founded to give complete coverage in the field of ambulant palliative care. Team-Supervision is a decisive quality factor in these new teams.