Social Workers as Leaders for Facilitating Trauma-Informed Palliative Care in the Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic

Abstract

Palliative care social workers are trained to identify how trauma manifests over the course of serious and chronic illness. This expertise can guide patients and team members to ensure a trauma-informed experience of care. This paper identifies the growth of outpatient palliative care clinics as an opportunity for palliative care social workers to emphasize this clinical skill set and assume a leadership role in the implementation of trauma-informed practices early in the trajectory of serious illness.