Helping Cancer Patients Cope: A Problem-Solving Approach

by Arthur M. Nezu, Christine Maguth Nezu, Stephanie H. Friedman, Shirley Faddis, and Peter S. Houts

• ISBN13: 9781557985330
• ISBN10: 1557985332
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIACTION

Summary

Good problem-solving skills are what make people flourish and succeed in coping with major life events such as cancer. These skills are also the hallmarks of optimism, courage, and self-confidence. Working with cancer patients for over 20 years, Nezu and his co-authors have crafted a time-limited program to teach patients these problem-solving skills. This model has been empirically shown to relieve suffering and aid cancer patients in constructing effective plans for dealing with the physical, financial, social, and spiritual challenges of cancer. The volume outlines a 10-session program that can be adapted to group, family, and individual settings. How to teach specific skills, such as problem formulation, decision making, and solution implementation covered in detail. Throughout, the authors provide numerous case examples, transcripts from sessions, and sample introductions that show how to teach new skills. Also included are homework assignments and handouts that will help relieve patients' sense of helplessness and despair and instill a sense of control and hope. This book will be a helpful adjunct to on-going treatment groups or in individual therapy for psychologists, psychiatrists, nurse specialists, counselors, and social workers.

Table of Contents

LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, AND EXHIBITS	ix	(4)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	xiii
I THE NATURE OF CANCER AND COPING	3	(68)
Chapter 1. Cancer and Its Consequences	3	(26)
Chapter 2. A Problem-Solving Conceptualization of Coping: Theory, Research, and Relevance to Cancer	29	(42)
II AN OVERVIEW OF TRAINING	71	(50)
Chapter 3. Problem-Solving Therapy for Cancer Patients: Overview, Process, and Related Clinical Issues	71	(30)
Chapter 4. Critical Elements of Training	101	(20)
III PROBLEM-SOLVING COPING SKILLS TRAINING	121	(158)
Chapter 5. Problem Orientation	121	(36)
Chapter 6. Problem Definition and Formulation	157	(34)
Chapter 7. Generation of Alternatives	191	(20)
Chapter 8. Decision Making	211	(28)
Chapter 9. Solution Implementation and Verification	239	(28)
Chapter 10. Practice, Practice, Practice	267	(12)
IV ADAPTATION OF PROBLEM-SOLVING THERAPY FOR CAREGIVER TRAINING	279	(10)
Chapter 11. Problem-Solving Education for Family Caregivers of Cancer Patients	279	(10)
REFERENCES	289	(12)
INDEX	301	(12)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS	313