A social worker plays a crucial role in a patient’s breast cancer journey. From the onset of diagnosis, through the course of treatment and beyond, accessibility to a social worker is crucial.
Whether it is helping you facilitate a conversation with your doctor, addressing concerns related to treatment options, or addressing potential barriers preventing you from getting the care that you need, a social worker can offer linkage to a number of resources that can assist you when you need it most.
At the beginning of a breast cancer journey, patients express a number of emotions, including worry, sadness, doubt, anger, as well as a persistent feeling of being overwhelmed. All of which is understandable as there is so much uncertainty as you go through this major shift in your life.
It can be scary and very isolating.
You start to question:
“Why me?”
“What is going to happen next?”
“If I have to undergo chemo will I lose my hair?”
“How can I undergo a mastectomy?”
“What will reconstruction look like?”
“Will I be able to work, if I have to pursue treatment?”
“How do I talk to my family about my diagnosis?”
All of these questions and so much more come up when I talk with patients. As a social worker, I’m available to offer emotional support, guidance, and advocate for them to obtain the resources they may need.
A huge part of my work with a client is addressing barriers to care.
Finances play a huge role in cancer treatment, and often certain medications may not be covered, linking someone to a program that can help them obtain their medication is helpful. There may be an instance where a person is uninsured or underinsured, and there may be resources we can explore that can facilitate a person getting the care that they need.
What if an individual has limited access to transportation? There may be a program I can connect them with to ensure they have the ability to get to and from all of their medical appointments, chemotherapy and radiation therapy included.
A huge concern patients voice is the inability to feel comfortable talking directly with their care providers. I help to empower them to facilitate a conversation with their doctor. This can even include me calling the doctor’s office directly and speaking with the provider and advocating that they spend the time necessary to have a one on one conversation to address a patient questions and or concerns.
My patients often express feeling isolated, as they may have limited access to an adequate support system to help them with this significant turning point in their life. Another issue a patient may encounter is while they have access to a supportive network of family and friends, there may be a hesitation in disclosing their diagnosis to them. With that in mind, it is important to talk to someone and referring someone to a support group, peer counseling, and/or a therapist who specializes in oncology is imperative.
In working with women of color it can be very difficult to find resources that cater to our unique needs. For a lot of us, the mindset is if you are struggling with something, we are taught to rely on our faith. But that can be extremely difficult when you are faced with the unthinkable.
For many, it is counter intuitive to feel comfortable disclosing your diagnosis to family as there can be a tendency for them to want to tell you all the things you should or shouldn’t be doing. And during a time where there are a lot of internal struggles, this may be the last thing someone needs to hear.
A major issue I struggle with as a Black clinician is finding resources that cater to us.
A lot of the cancer spaces are available through major cancer organizations are predominantly white and I often have to do what I call, “detective work” to locate resources that cater to the people of color that I work with. I’m willing to put in the work needed to locate the resources required for my patients to obtain the support they need.
I’m grateful to have the ability to use social media and other platforms to explore various resources that can help women of color get the support they need. Making these referrals can help someone during a time where they are filled with self-doubt, anxiety, and stress.
It is essential we ensure a patient is able to get access to the services they need, which will promote positive outcomes as they go through the ups and downs of their cancer journey.
