Spiritual Support for Melanoma

Melanoma Treatment: Spiritual Support

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we recognize that spiritual care and support is essential to many melanoma patients. That is why we work to create an open, supportive and uplifting environment that embraces the beliefs of all patients, their families and our staff. We provide a universal umbrella of support that strengthens, motivates and inspires you to explore how faith and spirituality can help strengthen you in your fight against melanoma.

Spirituality has shown to help reduce fear, anxiety, loneliness, or other emotional issues that can affect how well you are able to adjust and respond to melanoma treatment.

At CTCA, our spiritual support programs are a natural extension of our compassionate, integrative and whole-person approach to treatment for melanoma. Foundational aspects of spirituality include 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.

Our cancer hospitals provide you with the opportunity to explore the spiritual component of coping with melanoma. We offer a variety of programs and services for you and your family members. These include:

• New patient orientation
• Individual and group prayer
• Prayer chains facilitated by hospital staff
• Counseling by a faith representative of your choice
• Weekly interfaith worship and communion services
• Patient growth and support groups that focus on healing, faith and life
• Pastoral comfort and support
• Assistance with the development of advanced directives and/or living wills
• Family consultations
• Grief and bereavement counseling and referral
• Taped ministry
• Communication with your local pastor and church
• Telephone consultations with patients/family members

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