Canada

de Souza Institute

de Souza Institute has a partnership with Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) to provide online continuing education to support psychosocial oncology, including psychosocial care, courses in sexual health and palliative care.

For more information, please visit us online: www.desouzainstitute.com

Through de Souza Institute, health care professionals obtain the specialized skills to guide and help cancer patients throughout their journey (prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and palliation). We use the latest information and best practices as well as cutting edge innovative learning.

Any Time, Any Place – de Souza Institute courses are offered primarily online with the occasional course through Ontario Telemedicine Network or in-person. The Institute is focused on providing de Souza health care professionals with the advanced knowledge and expertise to handle every situation from managing a reaction to chemotherapy medication, to managing anxiety and fears, or to managing pain and other symptoms.

Contact Victoria Wolno at [email protected] or call 1-844-758-6891.

IPODE: Interprofessional Psychosocial Oncology Introduction to Theory and Practice

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Psychosocial Oncology is a specialty area of cancer care that is concerned with the myriad of psychological, emotional, social and spiritual responses of persons affected by cancer. This web-based continuing education course provides an opportunity for practicing health professionals to explore common psychosocial issues that individuals and families experience when an adult family member is diagnosed with cancer. Primary emphases in the course include understanding the illness experience and assessing distress and coping from a family centered perspective. The course draws on a case-based, narrative format and provides opportunities to learn in small groups of interprofessional learners drawn from across Canada.

The course design is web-based. A range of innovative learning resources have been developed specifically for this course, including case study narratives, video-taped interviews, and dramatizations of individual, family and interprofessional situations. Cases will provide opportunities for students to learn about diverse and marginalized communities. Online discussion boards will be maintained to explore course topics.

The main mechanisms to facilitate learning in this course will entail eLearning and thirteen 1.0 hour weekly real time online conference sessions on. (“Live Classroom”) starting each January and September.

For more information, please go to https://www.desouzainstitute.com/IPOI

IPODE: Sexual Health & Cancer Part 1

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this 7-week course is to assist health professionals in cancer care to integrate human sexuality in their thinking and practice. Sexual concerns are one of the most common problems encountered in cancer care settings; yet they are the least likely to be discussed unless asked. The framework of this course encourages course participants to:

1. Address their own, and society’s, attitudes and biases towards sexuality and sexual health;
   
2. Increase knowledge regarding functional and dysfunctional aspects of human sexuality; and
   
3. Develop knowledge and skill with regard to assessment and educational interventions for common sexual health issues in cancer care. Attention to issues of diversity will be integrated throughout.
   

For more information, please go to https://portfolio.desouzainstitute.com/courseCodes/view/IPOD.

IPODE: Sex Counselling in Cancer Part 2

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The framework of this course encourages course participants to develop more advanced knowledge and skill in:

1. Evidence based interventions for common cancer related sexual issues;
   
2. Analysis of case studies to develop treatment plans.
   
3. Interprofessional knowledge and skill.
   

Attention to meeting the needs of diverse populations will be integrated throughout. Course participants are expected to present their own cases during the seminar for discussion. This course is 7 weeks in length, including one orientation week.

For more information, pleas go to https://portfolio.desouzainstitute.com/courseCodes/view/IPOS.

Cancer Survivorship: Partnering with Patients to Improve Their Experience

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This survivorship course is suitable for all regulated health care professional working with cancer survivors in the hospital or community setting. An outstanding team of interprofessional educators contributed to the content development addressing general survivorship issues common to all cancers types. The team was led by Dr. Pam Catton (MHPC, MD, FRCPC), Director, Collaborative Health, Wellness and Cancer Survivorship Centre and ELLICSR research program and Scott Secord (MSW, RSW), Director, Person Centred Perspective at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

The course takes a patient-centred approach focusing on best practices and strategies to enable patients in self-management and self-care in the three core areas of survivorship: managing their health care, dealing with the consequences of cancer and its treatment, and adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours. The course includes eight modules and is interactive. Upon completion of the course you will receive 0.5 credits in the domain of Therapeutic and Supportive Relationships.

For more information, please go to: https://portfolio.desouzainstitute.com/courseCodes/view/SURV.

Addressing Empathy Fatigue, Managing Grief for Healthcare Professionals (AEFG)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on teaching health care professionals how to recognize and assess the impact of grief and loss on their practice, and apply effective communication and coping mechanisms to reduce the risk of empathy fatigue.

For more information, please go to: https://my.desouzainstitute.com/courseCodes/view/AEFG.

Management of Depression and Anxiety in Cancer (MDAC)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course promotes an evidence-based wholistic approach to care and management of depression and anxiety in individuals with cancer. The content and structure of the course is based on the Pan-Canadian Practice Guideline: Screening, Assessment and Management of Psychosocial Distress, Major Depression and Anxiety in Adults with Cancer.

The following areas are covered in the modules:

• Prevalence and risk factors for anxiety and depression in cancer patients
• The bio-psycho-social etiology and pathophysiology of anxiety and depression
• Elements involved in initial screening, comprehensive assessment and focused assessment
• Assessing risk of immediate harm
• Differences between suicidal ideation, request for Medically Assisted Dying, or Desire for Hastened Death
• Clinical pathway based on distress severity
• Psychosocial treatment options
• Pharmacological treatment options
• Practical team-based interventions across the continuum of emotional distress

For more information, please go to https://portfolio.desouzainstitute.com/courseCodes/index/1/query:management+of+depression+and+anx

Education in Palliative Care (EPC) Course Series

The Education in Palliative Care (EPC) course series will introduce you to providing person-centred palliative care for patients living with serious illness such as cancer, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), congestive heart failure (CHF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With palliative care support, patients report fewer symptoms, better quality of life, and greater satisfaction with their care.

The Education in Palliative Care (EPC) course series consists of three courses that teach a comprehensive curriculum in palliative and end-of-life care:

EPCA – The Palliative Approach to Care

EPCB – Symptom Assessment and Management in Palliative Care

EPCC – End-of-Life Care, Grief, and Loss

For more information and to try a sample module, please go to https://www.desouzainstitute.com/epc/