Dignity Therapy for people receiving palliative care.

INTERVENTION: Dignity therapy psychotherapeutic intervention. A clinician trained in dignity therapy will undertake a therapy session with participants.Iin this session the participant and therapist will sit down and engage in a discussion of the participants life guided by a standardised set of nine questions. The therapy will consist of two‐to‐three sessions, depending upon of the need for further discussion and editing of the document. The first session will be approximately 45 minutes ‐ 1 hour long. The second session in which the therapist and participant actively and collaboratively edit the document will be approximately 20‐30 minutes, and the third if needed will take no more than 15 minutes. Each session will be separate by approximately one week. Each will be conducted face‐to‐face. The therapist is a senior Cancer Care Coordinator who has trained with the founder of Dignity therapy, Dr Harvey Max Chochinov. The legacy document will be provided to participants approximately one to two weeks after completion of the intervention. CONDITION: cancer distress palliative care PRIMARY OUTCOME: Distress, measured with distress thermometer, patient dignity inventory SECONDARY OUTCOME: Cost of intervention per participant calculated by the time spent on each case multiplied by the therapists hourly rate. Recruitment rate, Total time for intervention for each participant Withdrawal rate INCLUSION CRITERIA: Cancer patients that have a palliative diagnosis and have been referred to the palliative care team will be eligible for inclusion.