Psychosocial care for people with kidney disease
Level One Training -- PILOT COURSE
This course is currently available only to pilot participants. To access the course materials, you will need the pilot password, which was included in the 7 March invitation email.
Designed for all patient-facing staff in kidney care, this training enhances skills in providing compassionate, empathetic psychosocial support for people with kidney disease.
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All Patient-Facing Staff
Target Audience
Self-paced
Online Course
Course Type
15-30 min
per module
Module Length
2-2.5 hours
Total Duration
About the course
This training is designed for all patient-facing staff in kidney care and focuses on enhancing your ability to provide compassionate and effective psychosocial support to people with kidney disease. Through a series of short, practical modules, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the emotional, social, and psychological challenges people with kidney disease face and how to support them effectively.
This training was developed by the UK Kidney Association together with a team of kidney psychotherapists, counsellors, social workers, and clinical psychologists. Their work was carried out as part of the National Psychosocial Working Group, hosted by Kidney Care UK.
The course equips you with knowledge and strategies for addressing individuals' stressors, improving communication, and fostering better treatment adherence. You’ll explore common psychosocial responses to chronic illness, why some people struggle to adjust, and how to use active listening, validation, and empathic engagement to enhance care.
By integrating psychosocial care into your practice, you can help people with kidney disease navigate their treatment journey with greater resilience and well-being, ensuring a more holistic and patient-centred approach to care.
This training was developed by the UK Kidney Association together with a team of kidney psychotherapists, counsellors, social workers, and clinical psychologists. Their work was carried out as part of the National Psychosocial Working Group, hosted by Kidney Care UK.
The course equips you with knowledge and strategies for addressing individuals' stressors, improving communication, and fostering better treatment adherence. You’ll explore common psychosocial responses to chronic illness, why some people struggle to adjust, and how to use active listening, validation, and empathic engagement to enhance care.
By integrating psychosocial care into your practice, you can help people with kidney disease navigate their treatment journey with greater resilience and well-being, ensuring a more holistic and patient-centred approach to care.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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Identify common psychosocial stressors affecting people with kidney disease, their families, and support network.
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Understand the broader social context and its influence on individuals' experiences with kidney disease.
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Recognise typical psychological, emotional, and behavioural responses.
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Explain why some people face difficulties in adjusting and adapting to long-term health conditions.
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Understand the importance of communication: both verbal and non-verbal.
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Apply strategies such as setting boundaries, active listening, empathising, normalising, and validating to support people with kidney disease.
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Plan appropriate next steps, including providing information, signposting, or referring for further psychosocial care.
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Understand the impact of exposure to individuals' emotions and experiences on healthcare providers.
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Understand how to respond to suicidality and risk in people with kidney disease.
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Recognise and understand the underlying functions of 'challenging behaviour' and its context.
The Authors
Created in partnership between
UK Kidney Association
The UK Kidney Association is the leading professional body for the UK kidney community, dedicated to improving lives by supporting professionals in the delivery of kidney care and research. We have over 2,000 doctors, scientists and multi-professional team members.
Kidney Care UK
Kidney Care UK is the UK's leading kidney patient support charity. We provide practical, emotional and financial support to kidney patients and their families and fund patient-centred projects to help improve kidney care services throughout the UK.
Kidney Psychological Therapists
The Kidney Psychological Therapists group brings together psychological practitioners dedicated to delivering high-quality psychological care for kidney patients and their families. We promote best practice, support professional development, and advance the role of psychological care within the wider multi-disciplinary team through clinical work, training, research, and peer support.
Renal Social Work Group
The Renal Social Work Group supports and promotes renal social work across the UK to improve the lives of people affected by kidney disease. We provide peer support and professional development for renal social workers, champion the patient voice in national conversations, and work to embed social care within the multi-disciplinary team.
The Renal Psychosocial Working Group
The National Psychosocial Working Group, hosted by Kidney Care UK, advocates for equitable access to psychological, psychiatric, and social care for kidney patients. We work to integrate psychosocial support into routine kidney care through research, policy, and advocacy.
Welcome to the pilot!
Thank you for participating in the pilot of this course. Your feedback will help us in refining the final version before its launch across the UK. At the end of the course, you'll have the opportunity to complete an evaluation, sharing insights on what worked well and what could be improved.
You can access the course evaluation using the button below.
You can access the course evaluation using the button below.
Write your awesome label here.
Created in partnership between
UK Kidney Association
The UK Kidney Association is the leading professional body for the UK renal community, dedicated to improving lives by supporting professionals in the delivery of kidney care and research. We have over 2,000 doctors, scientists and multi-professional team members.
Kidney Care UK
Kidney Care UK is the UK's leading kidney patient support charity. We provide practical, emotional and financial support to kidney patients and their families and fund patient-centred projects to help improve kidney care services throughout the UK.
Kidney Psychological Therapists
The Kidney Psychological Therapists group brings together psychological practitioners dedicated to delivering high-quality psychological care for kidney patients and their families. We promote best practice, support professional development, and advance the role of psychological care within the wider multi-disciplinary team through clinical work, training, research, and peer support.
Renal Social Work Group
The Renal Social Work Group supports and promotes renal social work across the UK to improve the lives of people affected by kidney disease. We provide peer support and professional development for renal social workers, champion the patient voice in national conversations, and work to embed social care within the multi-disciplinary team.
The Renal Psychosocial Working Group
The National Psychosocial Working Group advocates for equitable access to psychological, psychiatric, and social care for kidney patients. We work to integrate psychosocial support into routine kidney care through research, policy, and advocacy.