CELEBRATING      


PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

Pre-conference workshops will be held on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Workshops will be 3.5 hours in length. This includes one coffee break. Workshops will start at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 12:00 p.m.  

Therapeutic communication in Medical Assistance in Dying

Facilitators: Madeline Li and Rinat Nissim, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Despite its normalization in Canada, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) remains a highly polarized topic, particularly as the population who can legally access it has expanded. Beyond the technicalities of assessing for MAiD eligibility and providing this intervention, healthcare providers require training in how to therapeutically respond to MAiD requests. Patients with cancer and their family members require assistance in understanding the desire for death, therapeutic conversations focused on exploring whether MAiD is the right decision, and guidance through the end-of-life process about the optimal timing and procedures for MAiD.

Cancer is the underlying medical condition in 63% of MAiD deaths and 10% of cancer deaths are through MAiD. A MAiD request should start with a clinical discussion about goals of care and expectations at end-of-life before a referral for MAID. Patients with cancer can also experience depression, dignity-related distress, spiritual distress, death anxiety, demoralization, self-perceived burden, and other interpersonal and social stressors. Such psychosocial vulnerabilities have been little appreciated, but require careful intervention in patients requesting MAiD because of psychological suffering.

The MAiD process can also have profound impacts on family members, both those who support MAiD and those who do not. Navigating communication with family members of patients requesting MAiD carries unique challenges in supporting caregiver needs, facilitating communication between the couple, preparing the caregiver through to the day of MAiD, and managing bereavement.

Through case examples and video illustrations, this workshop will provide experiential training in how healthcare providers of any discipline can therapeutically work with patients who are requesting MAiD to ensure that the optimal care is provided to patients and their families. 

Learning objectives:

  1. Demonstrate how to have initial conversations with patients about MAiD        
  2. Enhance skills in having therapeutic conversations about psychological suffering in MAiD       
  3. Describe strategies for supporting family members through the MAiD process 


Integrative Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Approach to Managing Pain during Cancer Survivorship

Facilitators: Karen Zhang, PhD, C.Psych and Greg Tippin, PhD, C.Psych

Learn integrative cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) skills to address post treatment cancer pain symptoms, such as neuropathy. This workshop will review evidence from the recent interdisciplinary ICM-PAC cancer pain management trial. Assessment and measurement approaches for assessing pain symptoms during cancer survivorship will be reviewed. Intervention skills introduced will include psychoeducation, relaxation and mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, energy conservation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness to improve coping with and management of post-treatment symptoms. Workshop will include group discussions, in-session practices and handouts.

Learning objectives:

  1. To understand common pain concerns associated with cancer survivorship.
  2. To learn assessment skills and case formulation approaches for addressing pain symptoms.
  3. To apply integrative CBT skills for addressing pain symptoms during cancer survivorship.


Cancer and Sexuality from A to Z

Facilitator: Anne Katz PhD RN (Private practice)

Sexuality is a concern for oncology patients across all disease sites and along the disease and survivorship trajectory. Care providers do not routinely ask about this and are often uncertain of how to deal with sexual problems when they are raised by patients and/or their partners. While social workers and psychosocial support persons have a solid understanding of relationship problems, they are often not well versed in the anatomical, physiological and medication-related aspects of treatment that profoundly affect sexuality.

This workshop will address sexual consequences of cancer and its treatments across the lifespan for both men and women including young adults, gender- and sexual minorities. Attention will be paid to those receiving palliative care including those at or near the end of life.

A focus will be on evidence-based interventions including biomedical and psychosocial methods.

Learning objectives:

At the end of this presentation, attendees will:

  1. Recognize the unique characteristics of cancers that influence sexuality in both men and women across the lifespan, including at or near the end of life
  2. Describe the sexual impacts of cancer treatments
  3. Be able to use one of three models that assess sexual functioning in persons with cancer


It Takes Two…Helping Couples Find their Footing through Cancer

Facilitators: Karen Fergus PhD, C.Psych, Kimberley Thibodeau MSW, CFT

When couples present for psychosocial oncology services, they arrive bearing rich and complex relationship histories that predate the cancer diagnosis. The focus of this workshop is on how clinicians may work with each couple’s unique relational culture and shared identity in supporting intimate partners through cancer diagnosis and treatment. Notwithstanding the significance of role shifts from ‘partner’ to ‘patient’ or ‘caregiver,’ the emphasis of the workshop will be on how such role changes unfold against a pre-existing backdrop of relationship dynamics, shared life experiences, past coping successes, and belief systems that need to be explored and revisited in order to best support couples through cancer. Toward this end, we will 1) review research and theory on the interaction between ‘we-ness’ and optimal dyadic coping, 2) discuss couple assessment practices and tools, and 3) explore evidence-based approaches and techniques for intervening with couples within the cancer context. Together, presenters and workshop participants will engage in a theoretically informed, case-based, interactive learning process geared to sharpening practical skills for supporting couples in clinical practice. 

Learning objectives:

  1. Explain the role of couple identity and shared meaning systems in coping with cancer
  2. Distinguish factors that account for good and poor dyadic coping processes in couples
  3. Recognize key relationship processes when assessing couple functioning vis a vis cancer diagnosis and treatment
  4. Identify trans-theoretical tools and techniques for working with and supporting couples through cancer






Child Life in Adult Oncology: Supporting families with minor children

Facilitators: Dave Lysecki, Laura Jin

As many as 25% of oncology patients have minor children at home. Cancer in the home has dramatic, life-long repercussions on a child and creates a unique dimension of impact for parents (both patient-parents and co-parents). Children require specialized support to help understand, process, and cope with the illness and potential loss of their family member; these needs often go unidentified and unaddressed. Patients who are parents or guardians to minor children need guidance in communication and support in balancing their parental role with their own health. Co-parents and other caregivers benefit from support in taking on new roles, maintaining normalcy and routines, and preparing for the future.

Child Life Specialists are uniquely trained health care professionals with expertise in communicating developmentally appropriate health information to children; helping children cope with associated emotions, stresses, and life changes; coaching parents in supporting these children; and helping families negotiate new routines, dynamics, and relationships. These services extend to preparing for the death of a family member, creating legacy and lasting memories, and into bereavement.

In 2019, we initiated a pilot Child Life program embedded within the Psychosocial Oncology team at Hamilton Health Sciences alongside a research grant for a 360-degree, mixed methods formative evaluation. The program established permanent funding and has been recognized as a leading practice by the Health Standards Organization and Runner up for the Innovation Award by the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario, and the research has led to several publications. 

After summarizing our experience and researching findings, this interactive workshop will cover program development from A-Z, including making the case, forming strategic partnerships, program planning, providing the care, challenges and obstacles, and evaluation and metrics.

Learning objectives:

  1. Understand the benefit of integrated, tailored, specialist support for oncology families with minor children at home.
  2. Describe key components of an effective family-centered program model for families with minor children at home.
  3. Learn the tools and strategies required to initiate a program tailored to serve the unique needs of these families.



















CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Program is subject to change

Wednesday, April 23

Pre-conference Workshops

0830-1200




  • Therapeutic communication in Medical Assistance in Dying (Dr. Madeline Li, Rinat Nissim)
  • Sexual health interventions in cancer (Dr. Ann Katz)
  • Psychological interventions for pain (Dr. Karen Zhang, Dr. Greg Tippin)
  • Couples and family therapy in cancer (Dr. Karen Fergus, Kimberley Thibodeau)
  • Supporting children of parents with cancer: Implementing child life specialist care in adult oncology settings (Co-Leads: Dr. Dave Lysecki, Dr. Bridget Veltri)

Wednesday, April 23

Conference Day One

1230-1315

1315-1430

1430-1445

1445-1600

1610-1740


1800-1930

Opening Address: Patient remarks: Belinda Smith

Keynote Address: Richard Sullivan "The Human Crisis in Cancer: A Lancet Oncology Commission"

Break

Concurrent Sessions

Invited Symposium: "Harnessing the Extraordinary Power of Nurses in the Provision of PSO Care"

  • Featuring: Doris Howell, Laura Gottlieb, Michele Danda, Catriona Buick

Poster Reception

Thursday, April 24
Conference Day Two

0830-0945

0945-1115


1115-1145

1145-1300

1300-1400

1400-1500

1500-1530

1530-1700

1800-2200

Keynote Address: Thomas Moore "Care for the Soul in Cancer"

Invited Symposium: "Aquifers of Meaning: Patient and Family Storytelling with Purpose in PSO"

  • Featuring: Mike Lang, Megan Easton

Break and posters

Concurrent Sessions

Lunch and posters 

Concurrent Sessions

Break and posters

Concurrent Sessions

Conference Dinner

Friday, April 25

Conference Day Three

0830-0945

1000-1100


1100-1115

1115-1215

1215-1315

1315-1415

1415-1545


1545-1600

1600-1700

Concurrent Sessions

Keynote Address: Hsien Seow, Sammy Winemaker "Innovative Strategies for Increasing PSO Capacity in the Health System"

Break and posters

Concurrent Sessions

Lunch and posters 

Concurrent Sessions

Fireside Chat: "The Next Decade of PSO"

  • Featuring: CAPO Founding Members

Break and posters

Awards and Closing Ceremony


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