Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: Expert Interviews & an Advocacy Guide

How Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychiatrists Work with Childhood Cancer Patients and Their Families

“Counselors work with children diagnosed with cancer by providing psychosocial support,” Chatalian says. “This may include coping with the initial diagnosis and extending throughout treatment as well as post-treatment (and long-term side effect) concerns. Counselors may focus on the practical concerns related to one’s diagnosis, as well as the emotional impact a cancer diagnosis can have on a child.”

Common adult cancers, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer, are rare in children. But childhood cancer can still come in many forms, including osteosarcoma, hepatoblastoma, and neuroblastoma. Childhood cancers also tend to be more aggressive, and require a multidisciplinary team of specialist staff. The most common childhood cancer is leukemia, accounting for nearly 28 percent off all pediatric cancer. 

Counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals working with childhood cancer patients need to consider different factors than those working with adult cancer patients. 

“Children with cancer are a unique group, as they come with several clients, including the patient, siblings, parents, and extended family,” Fritsch says. “When counseling a child you must take into account the entire family dynamics, the age of the child, and a host of other factors. Oftentimes you will need to counsel via games, and have discussions that are not a ‘typical’ counseling scenario.”

Both Fritsch and Chatalian emphasize the importance of understanding the psychological, social, and emotional impacts a cancer diagnosis can have on a child and their family. The side effects of medical treatment can stretch beyond the physical to include long hospital stays and separation from peers. For some children, a cancer diagnosis and the resulting treatment can represent their first encounter with the hospital setting; counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists can help them manage feelings of fear and uncertainty. 

“Working through traumatic events and loss, establishing beneficial coping mechanisms and relaxation techniques, identifying feelings and determining ways to express those feelings, and dealing with self-esteem and body image all can be areas of focus throughout counseling,” Chatalian says. 

Confronting the Challenges of Childhood Cancer

The challenges of childhood cancer are many. Obtaining adequate federal and state funding for research and treatment is always an issue, and comprehensive insurance coverage is a major point of advocacy. Organizations like ACCO are pushing for more acknowledgment and support for childhood cancer patients, their families, and the mental health and medical communities that serve them.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP) mandates each state to publish a Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, which identifies how each state addresses the burden of cancer in its geographic area. 

But the plan lacks a requirement for childhood cancer to be included within that framework, which often leads to it being overlooked; only 29 state plans specifically mention childhood cancer. The ACCO and other advocacy organizations believe each state plan should include specific language regarding childhood cancer, research, treatment, psychosocial standards of care, and issues related to adult survivors of childhood cancer.

Counseling childhood cancer patients and their families can, at times, take its own mental toll. Counselors, social workers, and other mental health professionals working in this area may need to create their own supportive network, both inside and outside of work. To balance the heavy workload that takes place throughout the day, focusing on self-care and emotional outlets can help reset oneself. But for social workers like Chatalian and Fritsch, their job isn’t a burden—it’s a source of inspiration.

“Ultimately, children diagnosed with cancer are some of the most inspirational people I have met,” Chatalian says. “These children may face challenges every day, but the way they cope and manage those challenges as they arise is incredible.”

For many people, childhood cancer is something that they’d simply rather not think about. Fortunately, there are counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, and other professionals working toward the goal of no child dealing with cancer alone. 

“I know this may sound hokey, but I get so much out of working with these families,” Fritsch says. “Walking alongside a family that has no other choice than to step up and deal with this lemon that life has thrown them is awe-inspiring. Families bond together, communities provide support, and kids still ride big wheels down the halls of the hospital. Kids are kids no matter the circumstance. Yes, I get sad sometimes and question why things happen. But at the end of the day, I feel pride in getting to work with these amazing families.”