The Pediatric Psychosocial Support Team acts as a complement to the pediatric clinical team by addressing the needs of patients and their family members and offering support as they deal with a cancer diagnosis. The team consists of social workers, child life specialists, teachers, chaplains, support staff, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, and patient representatives.
The primary focus of the team is to provide support on many levels, but especially to integrate individual psychosocial needs of children, young adults, and family members into the continuum of care. Pediatric psychosocial support services include an initial evaluation, ongoing assessment, individual counseling, and group therapy.
To ensure that no patient issue is overlooked and to take into perspective patients' ongoing treatment issues, team members often attend hospital rounds. Smaller group meetings, as well as one-on-one consults between team members and nonmembers alike, provide opportunities to discuss and address specific patient-related concerns. Members of the team strive to stay well-informed of each patient and their individual issues. The goal is to be able to respond quickly, if need be, and implement strategies to support and maintain the general well-being of patients and their family members through diagnosis and treatment.
