Experiences of psychological care in the hospital and perspective on psycho-oncology

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Health Psychology encompasses the interfaces between the psychological processes of health and illness. In the hospital setting, it contributes to broadening care by recognizing emotional, social, and symbolic dimensions. Within the field of health, psycho-oncology emerges as a specialty focused on understanding and caring for the subjective experiences of people diagnosed with cancer and their families. OBJECTIVE: To report on the possibilities and challenges of the psychologist's role in the hospital setting, with an emphasis on the care of an oncological patient. METHODOLOGY: Experience developed during a supervised internship in Health Psychology, carried out in the Medical Clinic Ward of a public general hospital, between August and December 2024, totaling 120 hours. The actions involved welcoming, active listening, psychological assessment, and monitoring of patients and families with general health conditions, with an emphasis on an oncological condition. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Observations indicated that welcoming and listening constitute central therapeutic instruments for managing emotions arising from illness, especially in the face of cancer. Challenges to psychological practice in this context include the hegemony of the biomedical model and the disarticulation of care flows within the hospital network. Regarding possibilities, these include promoting adherence to treatment, mediating between the team and patients, and fostering spaces for expression and reinterpretation of suffering. CONCLUSION: Although challenges related to the hegemony of the biomedical model and structural limitations persist, psychological practice in this context reveals broad possibilities for intervention by promoting emotional expression and reinterpreting suffering.