Adolescents & Young Adults SIG: The Role of the Social Worker in Onco-Fertility Care
Preservation of fertility is an integral component to providing comprehensive, supportive care to adolescents and young adults with cancer.
Preservation of fertility is an integral component to providing comprehensive, supportive care to adolescents and young adults with cancer.
Facilitating a support group specifically for patients with a brain tumor and their caregivers comes with many challenges and rewards. Our skills as facilitators for these types of support groups are often challenged as these patients may have unique cognitive, visual and attention deficits. Connecting patients to caregivers who understand the unique issues that come …
It was campfire night at Camp Kesem, and the campers were rowdy. The counselors were clearly prepared: some entertained the campers and some manned an impressive assembly line for S’more production. The August night was lit by the stars, and the air was filled with—well, smoke. But as I watched from the sidelines, it was …
Camp Kesem: A Safe Space for Kids of Cancer Patients (That is Also Lots of Fun) Read More »
As oncology social workers, one of our biggest roles is finding ways to support our patients. This can mean offering supportive counseling, providing access to financial resources and building support programs that allow patients to connect with their peers.
We are excited to introduce ourselves as the new co-chairs of what was previously called the Children and Cancer SIG. We thought an important first step was to define the SIG and rename it to clarify the population—kids and teens who have a loved one with cancer (as opposed to children and adolescents who have …
Youth, Families and Cancer SIG: New Co-Chairs, New SIG Name and New Directions Read More »
Hello! I came on board as the Radiation Therapy SIG Co-Chair in 2016 after attending a great AOSW conference in Tampa. I was very excited to find a group of fellow oncology social workers who practiced in the radiation therapy field. For those of you who do not know, the Radiation Therapy SIG provides specialized …
Radiation Therapy SIG: Specialized Networking & Education Read More »
Everyday there are new interventions to treat the myriad cancers that impact people around us. Targeted chemotherapy and radiation, robotic surgery and newly developed oral medications are just a few of these interventions. Innovation is a constant in the clinical world of treating patients with cancer and it does not end with just treating the …
Did you know that significant changes were made to the NASW Code of Ethics in 2018? For the first time, NASW has included significant language about the use of technology in social work practice. I would be remiss not to give credit to our profession for being the first to outline ethical recommendations for the …
Ethics SIG: New Updates to the NASW Code of Ethics Read More »
The Special Interest Groups or “SIGs,” as they are commonly called, are an integral part of the structure of AOSW. The SIGs’ purpose is to share information and resources related to their subspecialty areas in oncology social work with other SIG members.
Beginning in August, the Blood Cancer and Bone Marrow Transplant (BC/BMT) SIG will have a monthly online forum to discuss various psychosocial issues in our practice. Each month, we will explore a different topic such as survivorship, medical marijuana, working with young adults and mental health concerns. Even though our SIG is blood cancer and bone …
Blood Cancer/BMT SIG: Monthly Forum to Address Psychosocial Issues Read More »