Medical Social Workers Offer Emotional Support to Ovarian Cancer Patients

Most of us go about our daily lives, with a kind of vague awareness that life does not go on forever. “But there’s nothing like an oncology diagnosis to force the issue of confronting your own mortality,” says Laurie Ostacher, medical social worker at Sutter Bay Medical Foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area. “A social worker’s role is to [offer emotional support], and help you ‘metabolize’ that knowledge and that experience.” In a way, a medical social worker serves as a kind of guide and companion during your cancer treatment journey.

A Social Worker Can Help You Digest a Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer …

A cancer diagnosis can leave patients disoriented and in a state of shock, which may make it hard to focus on setting up the series of medical appointments they’ll need to move on to the next step for treatment.

…and Guide You On Your Path for Treatment

“There are a variety of specialists that patients will need to see, especially at the beginning—a medical oncologist, a surgeon, a radiation oncologist, a physician geneticist, depending on the type of cancer that you have. That can feel incredibly overwhelming on top of this overwhelming diagnosis. We’re there as a companion to help you navigate your way, help you manage your emotions as you go through [this experience and make sure] you’re getting through these appointments,” Ostacher says. “It’s completely normal to feel anxious, but if the anxiety gets in the way of you actually taking the steps you need to, to take care of your health, then we can support you with that.”

Mindfulness Techniques Can Help Manage Anxiety After a Cancer Diagnosis

Ostracher says that anxiety is completely normal after a cancer diagnosis or while in treatment. She helps patients try to ground themselves in the present moment. “It might sound like an oxymoron because the present is anxiety-provoking, but it’s really about letting the anxiety come and go, letting it wash over you, but still taking charge where you can. Taking control where you can. One of the ways you have some control is by going to that medical appointment.”

Ostacher introduces patients to mindfulness techniques that can help them stay grounded rather than letting their thoughts and worries spiral out of control. “I’ll often teach people some breathing techniques, something simple, like putting both of your feet on the floor, resting your arms on the chair, then taking a deep breath in, and breathing out slowly.”

Deep breathing has been shown to be one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message throughout your body. The things that happen when you’re stressed, such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and spiked blood pressure, all can decrease as you breathe deeply to relax.

Ostacher will also share some cognitive strategies for patients to use, to help them try not to get caught up in all-or-nothing thinking. “It’s so easy when we’re stressed to do that,” she says. “I really try to help folks be mindful of that [type of] thinking so they can come to more of a middle ground, to see the gray rather than just viewing their situation in stark black and white.”

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