Promoting a Fighting Spirit: Psychotherapy for Cancer Patients, Survivors, and Their Families » (1st ed)

LINDA SELIGMAN is full professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she is in charge of the graduate program in community agency counseling. She also is director of the Center for Counseling and Consultation with offices in Fairfax, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland.

Emotions and Cancer

Helps readers understand the important connection between emotions and cancer—and develop the skills needed to provide effective care to cancer patients and their families. With wisdom and compassion, psychologist and cancer survivor Linda Seligman provides practical strategies for helping patients through their trials.

She describes successful treatment techniques such as visualization, meditation, hypnosis, and affirmations. The author also outlines ways to lessen the shock of diagnosis, and temper negative reactions to aversive medical procedures.

Booknews

Helps psychotherapists understand the connection between emotions and cancer and details techniques for working with cancer patients and families, offering practical suggestions for changing attitudes to promote emotional and physical health. Details the use of techniques including visualization, meditation, and hypnosis, as well as behavioral interventions such as stress management, biofeedback, and exercise. Includes a model for short-term psychotherapy, worksheets for patient use, recommended reading for therapists and clients, and useful groups and publications. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

1. Emotions and Cancer
2. Understanding the Cancer Survivor
3. Using Standardized Assessment
4. Effective Psychotherapy for Cancer Survivors
5. Cognitive Psychotherapy
6. Behavioral and Other Approaches to Psychotherapy
7. Helping Cancer Survivors
8. Therapy and Support Groups
9. Relationships and Cancer
10. Relationships with Treatment Providers
11. Helping People Cope with Recurrence, Death, and Loss
12. Life as a Cancer Survivor
Resources: A. Six Session Counseling Framework
B. Worksheets to Facilitate Psychotherapy
C. RecommAnded Readings
D. Additional Sources of Help and Information