Abstract
When a psychologist with little experience gives psychological support to the geriatric patients/clients in palliative care, he/she faces various difficulties, such as the age difference between the psychologist and a patient, psychosocial problems of the patients, and so on. In the field of palliative care, listening attentively and showing empathy to the patients are considered to be important methods ; however, treating patients' anxiety and depression, especially when related to death, are subtle problems. Inexperienced psychologists need an equivocal methodology, which, however, is not being practiced sufficiently, yet it seems not enough. The first half of the current article reviews the psychological problems of the geriatric patients in palliative care from the perspective of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The second half precents a summary of a case which has been a struggle and a learning experience to the author, and discusses how inexperienced psychologists can contribute to this field.
