Easily accessible and integrated psychological care after renal transplantation

A kidney transplant is a stressful event that may have extensive implications
in patients' life. Patients are expected to identify bodily signals adequately
and in time. They also have to handle psychological and social effects of the
disease and transplantation. Research has shown that patients need good
adaptation skills (coping) in order to handle these consequences. When these
skills are insufficient, psychological problems may occur. Psycho-education,
cognitive training, and body-oriented techniques are keys to reduce these
symptoms. Regular care has shortcomings with regard tot adequate attention.
There are few integrated psychological interventions for patients who have had
a kidney transplant. Therefor, a brief cognitive therapy with mindfulness
elements is developed and evaluated for renal transplantation patients in this
study.

To assess the posibilities of implementing a psychological intervention as part
of standard health care in clinical practice.
To test the effects of a short psychological intervention on quality of life
after renal transplantation.

Prospective one centre pilotstudy

Psychological intervention designed to improve patients' skills in coping with
physical, psychological and social consequences after a renal transplantation

The group will get 4 psychotherapy sessions of 1 hour every two weeks. There
are two measurements with short questionnaires which will take about 15
minutes.