Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer Treatments – Spiritual Support

Spiritual Support for Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we understand that extrahepatic bile duct cancer can impact your physical, emotional and spiritual well being.  Therefore, we provide spiritual support alongside your conventional cancer treatments to help you cope better and improve your quality of life throughout your care.

Spirituality and Health

The foundation of spirituality includes prayer, a sense of meaning in life, reading and contemplation, a sense of closeness to a higher being, interactions with others, and other experiences that reflect spiritual interaction or awareness. Some studies have indicated a strong correlation between good spiritual health and good physical health. Additionally, spirituality has been related to low discomfort, decreased loneliness, and better emotional adjustment among cancer patients.

Spiritual Support Services

The pastoral care team at CTCA strives to provide a universal umbrella of spiritual support for extrahepatic bile duct cancer patients and their family members. We work to create an uplifting environment where patients from any faith can be strengthened, motivated and inspired to use their faith, in conjunction with conventional treatment modalities, to combat extrahepatic bile duct cancer.

The pastoral care team at CTCA offers voluntary programs and services to both you and your family, including:

• New patient orientation
• Individual and group prayer
• Prayer chains facilitated by hospital staff
• Counseling by a faith representative of your choice
• Weekly interfaith worship services
• Patient support groups that focus on healing, faith and life
• Family consultations (including telephone consultations)
• Interface and communication with your local pastor and church

Spiritual Assessment

At your request, a member of the pastoral care staff will visit you within the first 48 hours of your initial admission to CTCA. The purpose of this visit is to develop a relationship and rapport with you (and your family as appropriate), and to address your spiritual needs and issues.

All spiritual assessments will be person-centered, respecting your religion, culture and age. Ongoing assessment of your spiritual needs is driven by you and/or your family members’ willingness to talk and share.

Spiritual Care

New extrahepatic bile duct cancer patients (first time admissions) at CTCA can also take part in a voluntary group orientation session, which reviews the role of spiritual care in your extrahepatic bile duct cancer treatment.

Based on your choices and identified needs, our pastoral care team will work with you to develop a personalized spiritual care plan, which will be part of your overall extrahepatic bile duct cancer treatment plan.

Spiritual care at CTCA is divided into the following main categories:

1. Assessment:  This consists of an initial assessment of your physical health and medical needs at the beginning of your extrahepatic bile duct cancer treatment. Throughout your care, our chaplains will interact regularly with you and other members of your care team to find ways to support you.

2. Direct Care:  Our chaplains are available for visitation, counsel, prayer, and patient rights issues. They can help you work through such issues as life values, suffering, healing, grief/loss, despair/hope, guilt/forgiveness, fear/peace, and anger/acceptance.

3. Extended Care:  After your extrahepatic bile duct cancer treatment is complete, we will continue to provide spiritual support by phone and through our spiritual outreach program and website, Our Journey of Hope^®.

CTCA serves a significant population of non-local extrahepatic bile duct cancer patients. As a result, your CTCA chaplain becomes your primary spiritual care provider during the in-patient treatment period. Their goal is to develop and maintain a relationship with you based on trust and rapport.

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