Webinar Details

Vicarious Blessing: Recognizing the Spiritual Gifts of Oncology Social Work Practice

Session Description:
Oncology social workers (OSWs) often report moments of profound connection in their work with patients that are deeply gratifying and life-affirming, despite the sorrow and grief that may be present in these circumstances. OSWs may describe these moments as having a special quality and may experience these remarkable interactions with patients as a gift. The OSW’s approach during these encounters is enhanced by their presence and self-awareness of their spiritual location (Stewart, 2024), which is an expansion of the anti-oppressive clinical concept of social location (Mathew, et al, 2022; Watts-Jones, 2016). An Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved study was designed to explore OSWs’ unique spiritual location and its impact on their clinical approach to the counseling with patients who express spiritual concerns. It was hypothesized that an aspect of spiritual location is vicarious blessing (Stewart, 2024), which is an explicit expansion of vicarious resilience into the spiritual domain. With enhanced self-awareness of spiritual location, OSWs can recognize and claim vicarious blessing as a regenerative and sustaining spiritual gift of the clinical work.

Speaker:
Melissa Stewart, DMin, MSSW, LCSW, Psychotherapist & Spiritual Director
Melissa Stewart, DMin, MSSW, LCSW is a clinical social worker and interfaith/interspiritual minister and educator. She has over 30 years of oncology experience at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and at the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics (UW-Health Carbone Cancer Center). Currently, she has a private psychotherapy practice (licensed in New York and Wisconsin) and is the Spiritual Director of The Thread Interfaith Seminary (www.followthethread.org). Melissa has expertise in the role of spirituality in the cancer experience and in oncology social workers’ approach to life and work. Her IRB-approved research revolved around ‘spiritual location,’ and a novel psychospiritual concept called ‘vicarious blessing.’ Melissa approaches life experiences as sacred opportunities for growth, healing, and transformation, and is committed to affirming and anti-oppressive practice in all of her endeavors. In addition to her private practice, Melissa is delighted to be a part-time support group facilitator for people with cancer for Gilda’s Club and Bright Spot Network.

Learning Objectives:
After attending the session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe two novel concepts; spiritual location and vicarious blessing.
2. Consider the outcomes of the research study and how enhanced self-awareness of spiritual location might impact their clinical relationship with patients. This will include noticing the potential for experiencing increased resilience and blessing in that context.
3. Explore their own spiritual location and identify new ways of engaging with previously missed opportunities for meaningful intervention related to patients’ spiritual concerns during the clinical encounter.

CE credits: 1.0 hours
Click here to view Continuing Education information.
Category: Clinical/General
Educational Level: Intermediate

ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORK BOARDS (ASWB):
This organization, Association of Oncology Social Workers, ACE Approval #1351, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 11/11/25 – 11/11/28.  Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 cultural competency continuing education credits.

NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT’S STATE BOARD FOR SOCIAL WORK:
Association of Oncology Social Work, Inc., SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0320.

Completion Requirements:
Social workers must successfully complete a quiz with a 75% passing grade and answer evaluation questions to earn credit for both live and recorded events.

*ACE approval is not accepted by all Boards. Please check the ACE jurisdiction map for a list of jurisdictions that currently accept ACE.