Lymphoma Cancer Treatments – Spiritual Support

Spiritual Support for Lymphoma

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) cancer experts address how the cancer experience affects people not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. In addition to providing leading-edge conventional lymphoma cancer treatments, CTCA also offers a variety of complementary medicine therapies, including spiritual support.

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. Recent 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 lymphoma patients and their family members. We work to create a supportive environment in which patients from any faith can use spirituality to strengthen, motivate and inspire them during the lymphoma treatment process.

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 lymphoma 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 lymphoma 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 lymphoma 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 lymphoma 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 lymphoma treatment is complete, we will continue to provide spiritual support by phone and through our spiritual outreach program and website, Our Journey of Hope^SM.

CTCA serves a significant population of non-local lymphoma 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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