Join us for the 2026 IPSON conference, March 19th at the National Conference of Ireland!
This dynamic daylong event will focus on "Stories That Shape Us: Bridging Science and Humanity in Psychosocial Oncology"
IPSON’s third annual conference will take place on Thursday, March 19th. It will be a dynamic daylong event at the National College of Ireland (NCI) in Dublin. The theme of the conference is "Stories That Shape Us: Bridging Science and Humanity in Psychosocial Oncology". The comprehensive conference programme includes keynote talks, panel discussions and academic poster viewing sessions.
And don’t forget about the two exciting post-conference workshops on Friday March 20th!
Workshop 1: Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM): An Introductory Workshop
Presented by Laura Foran, Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care, Canada
Description: This interactive introductory workshop provides clinicians with a clinically grounded overview of Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), a brief, evidence-based psychotherapy for individuals living with advanced cancer and their caregivers. The session explores how meaning-oriented and relational processes can be engaged alongside distress, uncertainty, and ongoing threat in serious illness.
Participants will be introduced to the theoretical foundations, core structure, and therapeutic stance of CALM, with attention to four key domains: symptom management and communication with healthcare providers; changes in self and close relationships; spirituality, meaning, and purpose; and preparing for the future, hope, and mortality. Through brief conceptual input, clinical examples, and guided discussion, the workshop highlights how CALM supports patients in navigating existential concerns while maintaining psychological flexibility and connection.
This workshop is intended for clinicians seeking a conceptual orientation to CALM and its relevance within psychosocial oncology care, and serves as a preparatory foundation for the full CALM intensive training.
Date: Friday, 20 March 2026
Time: 9.30am-12p
Workshop 2: From Distress to Growth: Cultivating Post-Traumatic Growth in Cancer Survivors
Presented by Anna Nisyraiou and Maria Vasilopoulou, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece
Description: This interactive workshop offers clinicians a practical and clinically grounded approach to working with post-traumatic growth (PTG) in cancer care. Participants will explore how growth-related processes may emerge in psychotherapy alongside distress, uncertainty, and ongoing threat, and how these processes can be recognised and thoughtfully supported in everyday psycho-oncology practice.
Participants will be introduced to a coherent framework for understanding PTG as a dynamic, relational, and meaning-oriented process, relevant across different cancer stages and treatment contexts. The workshop will combine brief conceptual input with guided discussion and reflection on clinical situations in which PTG-related themes may arise, such as changes in identity, priorities, relationships, or sense of meaning. Attention will be given to therapist stance, timing, and clinical sensitivity when engaging with growth-related material, particularly when distress remains present.
This workshop is intended for clinicians who wish to deepen their conceptual understanding of PTG and begin integrating a PTG-informed lens into assessment, formulation, and therapeutic conversations within routine cancer care.
Date: Friday, 20 March 2026
Time: 1pm -3:30pm