Congress dinner and further workshop desciptions

Reminder: Call for Late Breaking Poster

Late Breaking Posters can still be submitted until July 15th, 2017.
It's worth participating: The best posters will receive a poster prize sponsored by the José Carreras Leukämie-Stiftung. To submit your poster please fill out the template which can be downloaded from our website and turn in your submission via mail to: [email protected].
Kindly note that Late Breaking Poster submissions will not be published in the abstract book.

Berlin Ball & Dinner - News

We are proud to announce that the band Klezmeyers will be playing at the Berlin Ball & Dinner. The music of the Klezmeyers has travelled far – the three Berlin instrumentalists merge Klezmer melodies with Flamenco, Jazz and arbic rhythms. For a sneak peak of their beautiful klezmer music take a look on the Klezmeyers website. Join us for the Berlin Ball & Dinner and enjoy a wonderful experience full of local flavours in this incredible venue. Attendance is not included in your registration fee. Tickets can be purchased here. Due to the limited number of tickets, an early registration for the Berlin Ball & Dinner is recommended.

Get Together

All delegates are heartily welcome to attend the Get Together. Prior to the congress days, you will have the chance to get to know other congress attendees and enjoy a nice and fun evening in one of Berlins most unique spots. You will need to register your attendance during the registration process. Due to limited space, the get together is open only to congress delegates who have registered for the event.

Participation is free of charge, however you need to register for this event via our online registration system.

Introduction to all Workshops

This week we want to present you two more workshops from our IPOS2017 program. For additional information about the congress program and everything you need to know to register for workshops please visit our congress website on www.ipos2017.com.

Coping with Anxiety in the Different Phases of the Disease
Workshop held by Shulamith Kreitler

Anxiety is one of the most common and difficult aspects of cancer which may affect negatively the patients' quality of life. Anxiety may differ in the different phases of the disease. For the patient the disease is not a homogenous track but  includes several phases, e.g., the diagnosis, the treatments, survival, recurrence and the end-phase. In each phase the patients need to cope with emotionally difficult issues that often evoke anxiety. However, the causes for the anxiety may differ in the various phases, e.g., in the earlier phases anxiety may be evoked by uncertainty and the need to undertake decisions (e.g., treatment options, disclosure to others); in later phases by pain, suffering and fear of death. Different coping strategies may be more effective in regard to some anxiety types than others. Helping the patients optimally requires adapting the coping strategies to the specific issues, the phase of the disease and the particular personality of the patient.  The workshop will focus on characterizing the different sources of anxiety, identifying the adequate coping strategies for the various anxiety experiences and   procedures for helping patients use the various coping strategies for overcoming the negative impact of anxiety.

Shulamith Kreitler was born in Tel-Aviv, has studied psychology, philosophy and psychopatholohgy  in Isael, Switzerland and the USA, got her PhD in Bern Switzerland. Has worked as a professor of psychology in different universities, including Harvard, Princeton and Yale, and in Agentina and Vienna. She is a certified clinical and health psychologist and a full professor of psychology at Tel-Aviv University since 1986. She has established the psychooncology research center unit at the Ichilov hospital in 1993 and has been head of the psychooncology research center at Sheba Medical Center since 2007. She has published over 200 papers an 15 books.

Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM):
A Supportive-Expressive Therapy for Individuals and Couples Facing Metastatic and Advanced Cancer
Workshop held by Gary Rodin & Sarah Hales

This workshop will provide an overview of the theory and practice of a brief evidence-based supportive- expressive therapy for individuals and couples facing the threat of disease progression and mortality related to metastatic and advanced cancer. It is intended to help individuals and couples manage distress in this situation, to navigate the health care system, to negotiate adjustments in attachment relationships, to reconsider life priorities, and to face the end of life. These problems are universal for those with advanced cancer and CALM has been shown be generalizable across diverse cultural and national settings. The workshop will be divided into three parts: 1. the theoretical framework of CALM therapy based on attachment and relational theory and existential therapy; 2. the content domains and process of CALM therapy, including mentalization, reflective awareness, affect regulation and the maintenance of attachment security; 3. qualitative and quantitative research findings on the outcome and process of CALM therapy. A unique feature of this workshop is the use of videotaped live sessions from all phases of CALM therapy and of the supervisory process.

Dr Gary Rodin is the University of Toronto/University Health Network Chair in Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care and Head of the Department of Supportive Care at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada.
He leads a clinical and research program on the psychosocial dimensions of advanced and terminal disease and on the development and evaluation of novel interventions to improve the quality of life and the quality of dying and death in this population. These integrated psychosocial and palliative interventions include Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), a supportive-expressive psychotherapeutic treatment for patients with metastatic cancer and their caregivers, and an integrated emotion and symptom-focused intervention for individuals diagnosed with life-threatening hematological malignancies of acute onset. Through GIPPEC, a University of Toronto Interdisciplinary Institute based at Princess Margaret, Dr. Rodin has established international partnerships in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East to contribute to global access to palliative and supportive care for patients and families facing advanced disease and the end of life. He has published widely in these areas and is recognized internationally for his efforts to improve the rigor of research and the effectiveness and availability of psychosocial and palliative interventions.

Dr Sarah Hales, MD, PhD, FRCP(C) is a psychiatrist and researcher in the Division of Psychosocial Oncology at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada. Her research has been funded by the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Prostate Cancer Canada/Movember. Her clinical and research interests include the end of life experience as it affects both patients and families, and psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at alleviating distress in those facing advanced disease. Together with Dr. Gary Rodin and Dr. Christopher Lo, she has been involved in developing and researching Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), as well as training and supervising health care professionals in delivery of this brief supportive expressive psychotherapy for patients living with advanced cancer.