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Coping With CancerCancer is a challenge unlike any other. At Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, we’re committed to helping you live well with that challenge. In fact, our Cancer Center is one of the few to offer specialized psycho-oncology services.
For more than 15 years, Clinical Nurse Specialist Mary Jo Sims, APRN-BC, CS has helped patients and families address the psychological and emotional aspects of the cancer experience. Panic, dread, indecisiveness and “fuzzy” thinking can all occur as a result of distress related to a cancer diagnosis. Sims provides services ranging from individual therapy with medication to family counseling and relaxation training.
“Patients and families appreciate knowing they have a resource to help them adapt,” Sims said. Sims listens to patients’ and teaches meditation skills and coping strategies. She also prescribes medication to help with changes in mood, appetite, energy or sleep.
Sims also sees family members. “Often, I see the husband for the first 15 minutes of an assessment, the wife for the next 15 and I see them jointly for the last 15 minutes,” Sims said. “Together, we come up with a plan of treatment and a direction. Children are welcome as well.”
Because cancer affects all aspects of a patient’s life, it’s helpful to have a treatment plan that goes beyond surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin are proud to offer psycho-oncology services as a complement to expert medical care.
“I can’t change the fact that you have cancer. I can help you change the way you deal with it,” Sims said.
Source: Froedtert Today Date: June 2006 |