WELCOME TO THE RADIATION THERAPY

STUDENTS!IT WILL BE GOOD TO WORK

WITH YOU.

PSYCHO ONCOLOGY COURSE

DR. RUTH BENJAMIN (PhD)

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTMEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL PSYCHO-

ONCOLOGY SOCIETY (IPOS) AND THE AFRICAN ORGANIZATION OF RESEARCH AND TRAINING IN

CANCER(AORTIC)

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY

• The formal beginnings of Psycho oncology date to the mid 1970’s when the stigma making the word ‘cancer’ unspeakable were diminished to the point that the diagnosis could be revealed and the feelings of patients about their illness could be explored for the first time.

PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOLOGY

• However there is a second stigma which delayed the advent of psycho oncology, the stigma attached to mental illness and to psychology and psychiatry and the emotional, psychological and psychiatric factors and interactions in cancer care.

PSYCHO ONCOLOGY IS NOW A SUB SPECIALITY OF ONCOLOGY

• Now a lot of research into the psychological factors that influence the compliance with treatment; behavioral or lifestyle changes in reducing cancer risk; and symptom control during active treatment (anxiety, depression, pain and fatigue)

ONGOING TREATMENT

• Management of the disease and its treatment on an active and often a long term basis and its psychological aspects; post traumatic stress, pain etc. Adjustment disorder common at this time

PALLIATIVE CARE

• This is end of life care. We can no longer go for a cure. We have to deal with the symptoms and make the person as comfortable as possible.

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PALLIATIVE CARE

• This is very important and something we should think about right from the beginning.

• In the 1800’s and before, cancer WAS a death sentence because there was no known cure.

• Now we can often go for cure and have excellent results.

• Or we can get a person into remission for many relatively healthy years.

• But in this department there is a great deal of very effective palliative care.

HELPING A PERSON IN A PALLIATIVE SITUATION CAN BE VERY

REWARDING.• However your standard in these

cases is excellence in treatment as always ;

• However excellence in palliative care means that you do all you can for the patient, all you can to make things easier and more comfortable. At this stage even the way you speak to them is important. In their limited time, make things good for them.

THIS COURSE WILL BE FOR YOURSEVES AND FOR THE

PATIENTS YOU ARE WORKING WITH

• AND OF COURSE ANY COURSE IN PSYCHO ONCOLOGY EQUIPS YOU WITH AN USERSTANDING WHICH MAKES YOU MORE EFFECTIVE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO

• BOTH IN AND OUT OF YOUR WORK SITUATION.

FEELING COMFORTABLE WITH ONESELF

SELF ESTEEM, SELF CONFIDENCE AND LOVING

YOURSELF• LOVING YOURSELF

IS AN ESSENTIAL PART IN GAINING

• SELF CONFIDENCE • OR GAINING• SELF ESTEEM

ACCEPTING MYSELF

• IT IS IMPORTANT TO ACCEPT YOURSELF, BE COMFORTABLE WITH YOURSELF.

• WE ARE ALWAYS GROWING SO WE WILL CHANGE AS WE GO ALONG BUT ACCEPTANCE OF SELF COMES NOW, TODAY!

MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOURSELF

I DON’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO WEAR A BADGE

• IT IS JUST THAT YOU HAVE TO KNOW THIS AND FEEL THIS WITHIN YOURSELF

REALISING THAT I MAKE AN IMPACT ON OTHERS

• UNDERESTIMATING THAT IMPACT CAN MAKE ME HURT OTHERS WITHOUT INTENDING IT.

• I AM PART OF GREATER AND SMALLER GROUPS AND I STAND AS AN INDIVIDUAL

IT IS NOT FALSE PRIDE TO FEEL I AM IMPORTANT

• IF I MINIMISE MY STRENGTHS AND TALENTS I MINIMISE MY ABILITY TO BE EFFECTIVE WITH INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE AND HELPING THEM.

DWELLING ON THE NEGATIVE

• And ignoring the positive.

• Don’t even HEAR the positives.

• If we have a constructive assessment which is 90% positive and 10% negative we only see or hear the negative,

DISQUALIFYING THE POSITIVE

• We insist our positive qualities or accomplishments don’t count.

• We have succeeded many times but we only remember the failure which dominates our mind.

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS

• We think we can read people’s minds and conclude they are thinking badly of us.

• We think things will turn out badly even when there is absolutely no reason to think so.

• STRESS CAN BE EXPERIENCED AS IRRITATION AND ANGER. THEY CAN RANT AND RAVE AT THEMSELVES AND OTHERS.

TAKE TIME TO BE YOURSELF

• NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE. TAKE TIME OUT TO JUST RELAX AND REORIENTATE YOURSELF, NOT TO FEEL LIKE A COG IN A WHEEL.

TAKE TIME TO RELAX

• YOU DON’T HAVE TO FEEL THAT TIME JUST RUNS AWAY WITH YOU.

• SPEND TIME ON YOURSELF

WE ALL WORK HARD, VERY HARD

• WE NEED TO GIVE OUR BEST TO OUR WORK BUT NOT TO GET SWALLOWED UP BY IT.

• WE STILL NEED A GOOD SENSE OF SELF

LOVING YOUR WORK

• MAKES A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE TO YOU AND TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.

• WHATEVER WORK YOU DO IT IS IMPORTANT AND YOU CAN BE PROUD OF IT.

A PERSON REACHES FOR THE STARS NOT WHEN HE

IS• PUSHED, • PULLED OR• PUNISHED BUT• ONLY WHEN• HE IS • INSPIRED