2025 Vicarious Blessing: Recognizing the Spiritual Gifts of Oncology Social Work Practice

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 LCSW-R, LCSW, Dmin, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Melissa Stewart earned her MSSW from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Social Work (1992). She has specialized in Oncology Social Work, primarily working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (1994-2000, 2008-2024) and the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics Comprehensive Cancer Center (2000-2005). Additionally, Melissa is an Interfaith/Interspiritual minister and educator (One Spirit Seminary). She has expertise in the role of spirituality in the cancer experience and the impact of spirituality on the Oncology Social Worker’s approach to life and work. She recently earned her Doctorate in Ministry (DMin) from the Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School. Her dissertation is entitled, “Living Into the Questions: Augmenting Oncology Social Work Practice Through Spiritual Location and Deeper Inquiry.” Her IRB-approved research revolved around ‘spiritual location,’ a term she coined. In addition, Melissa identified another novel psychospiritual concept called ‘vicarious blessing.’

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. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 11/11/22 – 11/11/25. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 clinical/general 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.

*This course is not approved for NJ social workers, as ACE approval is not accepted by all Boards. Please check the ACE jurisdiction map for a list of jurisdictions that currently accept ACE.