At this stage, social workers tell you how to approach problems and resolve them in a manner that is most beneficial to you. There may also be times when the social worker should speak up on behalf of the patient who does not have proper family support, or refer a member of the family to protective services in case he/she is experiencing neglect at home. Each and every patient is taught how to deal effectively with their illness.
At certain places, the social worker may be the only resource, who may be handling all psychosocial, psychological and practical problems. Services like these are normally included as a part of your total care. Information about community resources is also available with social workers. That way they can refer you to other types of local help resources, apart from providing counseling.
Practical problems: These types of problems can vary from everyday requirements, for instance food and clothing, to professional requirements, for example job issues. Here are a few examples of the most common practical problems that you or your family members may face, and which may require you to get help from a social worker.
• Concerns related to the illness, for instance, how to reach the treatment facility everyday, how to arrange for parking costs, and which place to stay for overnight hospital visits that happen at out-of-town locations.
• Concerns about finance
• Concerns about the job
• School-related concerns
• Food costs and how to prepare
• Help with everyday activities
• Language or cultural differences (when your culture or language may not be the same as that of people around you)
• Arranging help for family members and caregivers
To deal with problems that may only be leading to mild distress, the social worker can provide patient and family education, initiate support group sessions, and make available resource lists. In case the distress is severe due to practical problems, patient and family counseling may be provided by the social worker. Other services provided by a social worker can include referring people to community resources, teaching effective approaches to problem-solving, helping you get the required care, and initiating education and support group sessions.
Mental health
Generally, mental health services deal with the evaluation and treatment of your distress in the moderate to severe range (4 or more when evaluated using the distress scale). This type of distress can be due to emotional or psychiatric problems that the individual may have had faced before the diagnosis of cancer. Certain problems that can make coping a lot more difficult include the following:
• Severe depression
• Dementia
• Panic attacks
• Anxiety
• Substance abuse
• Mood disorders
• Adjustment disorders
• Personality disorders
All the above may worsen due to the distress resulting from cancer diagnosis.
Usually, mental health services are offered by psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric social workers. Often, social workers and oncology nurses are also highly skilled and experienced in these specific areas. Normally, one of these members will be a part of your cancer care team. To help you cope, mental health professional rely on a wide variety of counseling and therapy approaches. They usually begin by helping you identify ways or approaches that may have proved effective for you earlier. These professionals will respect your individual coping style and attempt to strengthen it even more. They can make it possible for you to understand how past experiences or problems might be making it difficult for you to cope with the cancer. They can also teach you specific techniques such as meditation and relaxation to help you cope with your distress.
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