Conquering Fear
Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW, OSW-C Program Manager, Oncology Social Work
JULY 27, 2017
Since we all know that fear is a companion of a cancer diagnosis, we also would all agree that any strategies to better manage it can be welcome. I suspect that conquering is optimistic, but even better managing would be positive. Especially if some strategies work in the middle of the dark night
From Healthday comes this report:
Conquering One Big Cancer Side Effect: Fear
Three new therapy programs provide much-needed psychological support, researchers report
FRIDAY, June 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer can be a frightening, nerve-wracking disease, and medical science often overlooks the emotional toll it takes on patients.
Now, a trio of new studies shows that three therapy programs can help people deal with the turmoil and stress of cancer.
One study focused on a brief series of therapy sessions developed by Canadian researchers to help patients with advanced cancer manage the practical and emotional problems they face.
That program, called CALM, consists of three to six 45- to 60-minute sessions delivered by trained health care professionals.
CALM sessions focus on ways to best handle health care decisions, personal relationships and fears related to the end of life, said lead researcher Dr. Gary Rodin, head of supportive care at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto.
"These are challenges that patients and families predictably have to face, and there can be a lot of distress around them, a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear, a lot of sadness," Rodin said. "And yet there hasn't been a systematic approach to help patients deal with this."