AOSW Connections

The word “connection” has been coming up quite a bit in my life lately. One of the most frequent ways is through my volunteer work with this newsletter. In crafting this article, I started thinking about where the title – AOSW Connections –– came from. Then I remembered it was suggested by a member when we were preparing to relaunch the newsletter about four years ago.

Happy Spring to everyone! We are just about a month away from meeting in Atlanta.   

I hope you’re as excited as I am about the upcoming AOSW Annual Conference! The program is shaping up to be an incredible event. Our theme Let’s Unite to Ignite: Cultivating Connections, really captures the spirit of the oncology social work community.  

Spring has arrived, and that means it is time to get ready for another annual conference. Last year was a significant milestone; we celebrated 40 years of AOSW. However, as we go into year 41, I am mindful that each conference is an achievement. The first AOSW conference, held in 1984, was an opportunity to unite a group of social workers.

If you don’t already know, SIG is the acronym for Special Interest Group, and as an AOSW member, you have an added member benefit of access to any and all of our seventeen special interest groups (SIGs). These groups provide opportunities for increasing networking, knowledge and connecting with other oncology social workers who share similar interests or work.   

Cancer threatens not only one’s health and life, but also one’s sense of self. As Cohler (1982) aptly described, “a traumatic illness such as cancer threatens a person’s cohesive sense of past, present, and future – otherwise known as the personal narrative.” Cancer and its treatment effects can interrupt life plans, alter social roles and functioning, and create acute uncertainty, often leading to hopelessness and cancer-related distress (Bhattacharjee, 2013; Curbow et al., 1990).

Social workers serve a unique role on the cancer care team. We are knowledgeable about cancer and the psychosocial effects of disease, treatment, and survivorship.

For most of us working in the sphere of being present with individuals as they contend with their cancer, it’s clear that a significant part of our work is helping individuals make meaning out of their experiences.

New England Cancer Specialists (NECS) is a private, physician-owned hematology/oncology practice founded more than 50 years ago, serving nearly 15,000 patients throughout Maine and New Hampshire annually.

As oncology social workers, we stand alongside our patients and bear witness to the suffering caused by cancer. We often use phrases such as “give yourself grace” or “take things one day at a time,” which offer little guidance on exactly what that means.

Today, there are more individuals living with cancer and struggling with increased risk of emotional distress, mood disorders and suicide. Current research has shown that suicide risk among individuals with cancer is twice that of the general population.

As a social worker, I have spent my career guiding patients and families through some of the most challenging moments of their lives. Over the years, I have worked in hospice agencies where registered nurses served as my supervisors.