Week Two: CPSP/POP Programs and Psychosocial Oncology

1. Readings:
   1. “Why your own therapy is so important as a counselor?” https://ct.counseling.org/2022/02/why-your-own-therapy-is-so-important-as-a-counselor/
2. Journal Entry: Reflections on the Wellness Wheel
   1. What does wellness mean to you?
   2. What does wellness look like in your personal, academic, and professional life?
   3. Do you have a Wellness Wheel model you use?

Week Three: Your Choice to Work in Psychosocial Oncology & Reactions to a Cancer Diagnosis

1. Readings:
   1. 1 The Crisis of Discovery: Psychological and Psychopathological Reaction to the Disease Psycho-Oncology, by Thomas N. Wise, Massimo Biondi, and Anna Costantini. American Psychiatric Publishing, 2013.
2. Videos:
   1. Tips for Working through the Emotions of Cancer
   2. How to Manage Chemotherapy Symptoms Through Food | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
3. Journal Entry: What brought you to intern in the Cancer Patient Support Program?
   1. What am I curious about?
   2. What am I afraid of?
   3. What emotions do I anticipate experiencing when working with people with cancer? 

Week Four: Background and Historical Information, i.e., Biopsychosocial Assessments

1. Readings: 3 Communicating With Cancer Patients and Their Families. Psycho-Oncology, by Thomas N. Wise, Massimo Biondi, and Anna Costantini. American Psychiatric Publishing, 2013.
2. Videos:
   1. Psycho-oncology: measuring levels of emotional distress in cancer patients and their families https://youtu.be/D1UOEuhyEhs
3. Journal Entry: Communication Style
   1. What have I learned in coursework that will help me talk with patients?
   2. What are the most important things to consider when seeking background information such as family/social support and coping mechanisms?
   3. What might I need to be aware of in my communication style?

Week Five: Counseling Theories/Modalities

1. Readings: “Chapter 7: Dealing with Dying.” Spiegel, D., & Classen, C. (2000). Group Therapy for Cancer Patients. A Research-Based Handbook of Psychosocial Care. New York: NY, Basic Books. *Only one user can access this resource at a time.
2. Videos: Viktor Frankl: Why Meaning Matters https://youtu.be/BB8X-Go7lgw
3. Journal Entry: Existential Concerns  
   1. Examine how you could imagine a person with cancer presents for therapy in relation to Yalom’s four concerns: Death anxiety, isolation, freedom, and meaninglessness

How does Frankl describe helping his client endure his pain?

Week Six: Group Therapy

1. Readings: “Chapter 2: Goals and Effects of Group Support.” Spiegel, D., & Classen, C. (2000). Group Therapy for Cancer Patients. A Research-Based Handbook of Psychosocial Care. New York: NY, Basic Books. *Only one user can access this resource at a time.
2. Videos: My Advice to Early Career Group Therapists: Irvin Yalom, MD, DLFAGPA https://youtu.be/3ZIewKnZdeE
3. Journal Entry: Benefits of Group
   1. How do you see support groups helping people with cancer?
   2. How is a support group different from individual therapy?
   3. What does detoxifying death and dying mean to you?

Week Seven: Multicultural Considerations

1. Readings: Perry, Laura M et al. “Racial Disparities in End-of-Life Care Between Black and White Adults with Metastatic Cancer.” Journal of pain and symptom management 61.2 (2021): 342–349.e1. Web.
2. Videos: Creating a Safe Space in Therapy to Talk About Racial Trauma: https://youtu.be/wh-s7Gbcz6k
3. Journal Entry: Self-Reflection
   1. Do you feel comfortable addressing racial trauma with a Black client?
   2. What personal experiences have you had that would influence my work with people of color?
   3. What take aways from the video will inform your work with people of color?

Week Eight: Presenting Problems or Concerns

1. Readings: 11 Support of the Dying Patient: Psychological Issues and Communication

Psycho-Oncology, by Thomas N. Wise, Massimo Biondi, and Anna Costantini. American     Psychiatric Publishing, 2013.

2. Videos: Full Interview: A patient discusses her decision to seek Medical Assistance In Dying. (2016). GIPPEC. https://youtu.be/Mg-EHDvZ8Z4
3. Journal Entry: Talking about End-of-Life with a Patient
   1. What do Wise et al. Identify as the main psychological problems for a dying patient?
   2. Write a brief fictitious Case Study in which you use containing and mentalization to work with a patient fearful of death.
   3. What is the main difference between supportive psychotherapy and insight-oriented psychotherapy?

Week Nine: Testing & Assessments

1. Readings: Mehnert et al., (2018). “One in two cancer patients is significantly distressed: Prevalence and indicators of distress.” Psycho-social Oncology, 75-82.
2. Journal Entry: Distress Thermometer
   1. Describe how you have used the DT with your patients. What presenting problems have you found prominent?
   2. How can the answers to the DT inform your biopsychosocial assessment?
3. Videos: Psychosocial Distress Screening in CoC Hospitals, 2014, American Cancer Society (start at 23:00 – 47:00) https://youtu.be/UyMfSc1K4qg

Week Ten: Systems, e.g., family, couple, community, etc.  

1. Readings: 2 Cancer: A Family Affair. Psycho-Oncology, by Thomas N. Wise, Massimo Biondi, and Anna Costantini. American Psychiatric Publishing, 2013.
2. Journal Entry: Family Functioning
   1. Describe how families can help or hinder a cancer patient’s adjustment to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
   2. What types of care tasks does Katy’s husband describe in the video? What stresses did he experience? Her mother?

Videos: Caring for someone with advanced cancer - Macmillan Cancer Support (2012). https://youtu.be/KZaGDVqr8vE

Week Eleven: Lifespan Development

1. Readings: Hoverman, J.R. “A Life and a Death Haiku.” (2022). Journal of Clinical Oncology.
2. Journal Entry: Write a few Haikus about your experiences as a practicum student in the POP/CPSP Program.
3. Video: Haiku Poetry: https://youtu.be/qnXY5-DJdd0

Week Ten: DSM-V-r: Diagnosis & Treatment Planning

1. Readings: 
   1. Schuyler D. (2004). Cognitive therapy for adjustment disorder in cancer patients. Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa.: Township)), 1(1), 20–23.
   2. Tang, Hai-yan et al. “Adjustment Disorder in Female Breast Cancer Patients: Prevalence and Its Accessory Symptoms.” Current Medical Science 40.3 (2020): 510–517. Web.
      
2.   Journal Entry: Differential Diagnosis
   1. Describe the similarities and differences between Major Depressive Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder, and Adjustment Disorder.

3. Videos: Adjustment Disorder | DSM-5 Diagnosis and Treatment (2018). JJ Med. https://youtu.be/B9_HVnTRflc

Week Thirteen: Program Evaluation

1. Journal Entry: Reflections
   1. Provide a brief evaluation of your practicum experience at POP/CPSP, including things you benefited from and things you would like to see addressed in the first semester of your internship.

Week Fourteen: Student Skills Review

1. Journal Entry: Review
   1. Identify counseling skills that you have improved this semester.
   2. Identify counseling skills that you would like to improve next semester.