Rocky Mountain
Blood and Marrow Transplant Program

Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers (RMCC) and Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center (PSLMC)  treats adult oncology patients with a variety of cancers including multiple myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia.  RMCC is an outpatient oncology clinic that serves a large population of general oncology patients as well as patients who require a stem cell transplant.  Across the street, the Bone Marrow Transplant Units at PSLMC provide inpatient services to transplant patients who require more intensive treatment or monitoring.

Goals of the training program:

1.    Introduce trainees to the field of psycho-oncology.

2.    Teach trainees to identify and treat psychological, social and behavioral issues that arise during the transplant process.

3.    Teach trainees about the role of a psychologist on a medical team.

4.    Teach trainees to function as part of a multidisciplinary medical team.

Objectives of the training program:

1.    The psychology trainee will learn to conduct intake assessments with transplant candidates and their family members, highlighting relevant psychosocial issues that may influence the patient’s ability to cope with the transplant process.

2.    The psychology intern will work with members of a multidisciplinary team, including nurses, doctors, social workers, nurse coordinators, nutritionists, and pharmacists.  They will relay pertinent psychosocial information about transplant patients and their family members to members of the team.

3.    The psychology trainee will learn behavioral and cognitive-behavioral strategies to use with transplant patients to help with transplant-related problems such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain control and anticipatory nausea/vomiting.

4.    The psychology intern will develop a better understanding of their own beliefs and values regarding health and illness.

5.    The psychology trainee will learn to identify legal and ethical issues that arise in a medical setting

Specific Training Activities:

Required Activities:

     Psychological assessments:  The intern will conduct psychosocial assessments with transplant candidates referred to the Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program.

     Psychotherapy:  During the course of the rotation, the intern will conduct psychotherapy with oncology patients undergoing bone marrow transplant for cancers at different stages of severity.  The intern will also provide support to family members and caregivers and co-lead family care conferences as appropriate.

     Educational activities:  The intern will participate in weekly inpatient or outpatient multidisciplinary meetings. The intern will attend weekly supervision sessions.  During the rotation, the intern can present an inservice to the medical staff on a topic of interest.

Theoretical Approaches:

The range of issues and problems that arise for patients and their family members when faced with a serious, life-threatening illness often requires eclectic therapeutic approaches. In general, the goal is to promote healthy adaptation to the illness and optimal functioning of the patient and family.  Psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, existential and family systems theoretical approaches are commonly used to understand and intervene with patients.

Types of Clinical Approaches:

·       Adult individual psychotherapy
·       Supportive psychotherapy
·       Psychoeducation
·       Multidisciplinary

Population of Clients:

Adults referred to the Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program all have a diagnosis of cancer, but vary in the type and stage (severity) of disease.  The transplant program treats patients from a range of ethnic and racial backgrounds, income levels, and from rural and urban settings in Colorado and surrounding states.

Supervision:

Weekly supervision is provided to the intern for psychosocial assessments and psychotherapy cases.  A developmental approach is used:  initially the intern will be given reading material about the transplant process and will follow the BMT psychologist to promote understanding of the transplant process and the medical environment.  Then, the intern will be assigned their own patients to follow with at least 1 hour of scheduled supervision provided per week to discuss cases and process their experiences.

Supervisor:

Teri Simoneau, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology, University of Colorado-Boulder, 1995).  Areas of expertise/interest:  psycho-oncology, quality of life following diagnosis and treatment of cancer, family coping and illness.