Art Therapy and Cancer Support: Patient and Family

Abstract

The Cancer Resource Center where I did my internship functions with the financial support of a local foundation and community donations. The center is open to the public. The terms of my practicum were that I spent three days per week at the clinic where the center is located with an average of twelve hours per week over Fall 2011 and Spring semesters 2012. My intent was to cover all aspects of client care with the Resource Center as my physical and philosophical base, including the Children?s Hospital, Oncology and Hospice Ward, the Fusion Center (Chemotherapy), Children?s Cancer Center, and the waiting rooms. The center is where I hung my coat, checked in with my supervisor, and adopted the attitude of assisting cancer survivors (the term used by the center for all cancer patients), and their families as they went through the experience of cancer, using art therapy as my way of doing so. Each area presented its own unique challenges in applying Art Therapy to cancer treatment.