Palliative Management Using Culturally Sensitive End-of-Life Counselling

12 The Impact of Culturally Sensitive Counselling on Terminally Ill Persons Palliative care facilitates personalised treatment of the terminally ill and improves care quality and outcomes. It ensures that care providers deliver services that make patients comfortable at this stage of life (Semlali et al., 2020). It produces positive psychological outcomes among those experiencing distress. Colón and Wladkowski (2019) noted that therapists who appear warm and welcoming during counselling create a stronger bond with patients from minority communities. Integrating culturally sensitive counselling into palliative care enhances care delivery to these patients.

In contrast, counselling is less effective with therapists who seem distant. Other studies show that using a language the patient is familiar with and mimicking behaviors relatable to their culture helps them become more interested in therapy (Breitbart & Chochinov, 2022). This approach helps ease tension between therapists and already distressed clients. It leads to increased patient participation and engagement in counselling. Ref also noted that culturally sensitive counselling improves understanding, increasing patient safety and reducing inefficiencies.

Supporters of culturally competent end-of-life counselling argue that it provides therapists with a platform to vary the therapeutic approach from one client to another, depending on the client's culture, instead of applying similar treatment standards for all clients (Brooks et al., 2019). This approach also improves the therapeutic alliance. Although some healthcare professionals argue that focusing on cultural differences may offend some clients and subsequently damage the therapeutic alliance, it is generally accepted that acknowledging and respecting someone’s culture, beliefs, and values can lead to more effective treatment and positive outcomes for clients and therapists. Even if the care provider and the palliative care