Spiritual Support for Cervical Cancer

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), spiritual support is an important part of the care we provide to our patients. Our experienced pastors work with experts in oncology, nutrition, naturopathy, mind-body medicine, physical therapy and more to develop and implement a cervical cancer treatment plan tailored to you.

The CTCA integrative care team strives to provide a universal umbrella of spiritual support for patients, family members and staff. No matter what your religious background or faith, we work to create an open and uplifting environment where all patients can discover the benefits of spiritual support and healing.

Spirituality is an integral part of life. Medical research suggests a close relationship between spirituality and healing. In fact, recent studies have found a striking correlation between good spiritual health and good physical health. Additionally, spirituality has been linked to low discomfort, decreased loneliness and emotional adjustment among cancer patients. As part of our unique whole-person approach to cervical cancer treatment, CTCA focuses on how cervical cancer affects people physically, emotionally and spiritually—and also how spiritual support can also help facilitate the healing process.

Spirituality is identified by common foundational aspects that include prayer, a sense of meaning in life, reading and inner-reflection, awareness of a higher being, meaningful interactions with others, as well as a variety of other experiences that facilitate spiritual interaction. Through programs and services available to both you and your family members, CTCA attempts to provide you with the opportunity to explore the benefits of enhancing your cervical cancer treatment with spiritual support. These programs include

• Orientation for new patients
• Individual and group prayer
• Prayer chains organized by hospital staff
• Personal counseling by your preferred faith representative
• Weekly interfaith worship and communion services
• Spiritual support groups for patients that focus on healing, faith and life
• Pastoral comfort and support
• Assistance with the development of advanced directives and/or living wills
• Family support sessions and consultations
• Counseling and referral for grief and bereavement-related issues
• Taped ministry
• Support with end-of-life issues and decisions
• Connection with your local pastor and church
• Baptisms and other sacraments
• Phone consultations also available for patients and family members

Spiritual assessment

If requested, a patient can be visited by a member of the spiritual care staff within the first 48 hours of their initial admission. This allows CTCA staff to develop a comfortable relationship and rapport with you (and your family, as appropriate). This visitation allows us to understand and address your spiritual needs and issues from the very beginning as we accompany you on your journey through cervical cancer treatment with CTCA. All assessments will be person-centered to your unique needs and preferences, taking care to respect your personal religion, culture and age. Any ongoing assessment of your spiritual needs is driven by you and/or family members’ willingness to talk and share.

Patients who are brand-new to the CTCA family are offered a voluntary group orientation session, which reviews the role of spiritual care available at our facilities. This voluntary orientation includes helpful handouts that describe available services. And if you so choose, then based upon your choice and identified needs, a customized care plan for spiritual support will be integrated into the Master Care Plan for your cervical cancer treatment. Spiritual care at CTCA is divided into three main categories:

1. Contact: Initial patient contact consists of initial assessment, physician referral, nursing/other referral, sacramental service, pre-surgical counseling, post-surgical counseling, crisis intervention, family visits and consultation, group interaction, and determining your religious preference, if any.

2. Spiritual issues: Our examination of spiritual issues relating to your cervical cancer treatment deals with a wide range of topics, including your: body image, coping system, thought process, socialization, comfort level, ability to sleep, sense of well-being, support system and spiritual patterns.

3. Spiritual care intervention: This encourages and values personal exploration of spiritual issues throughout your cervical cancer treatment, such as symbolic language, socialization issues, suffering issues, healing issues, death/dying, grief/loss, God/church, guilt/forgiveness, life values and prayer support.

Please note that because we serve a significant population of non-local patients at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), our CTCA chaplain becomes the primary spiritual care provider during the inpatient treatment period. A relationship based on mutual trust, rapport and respect is crucial to the success of the treatment plan.