This book uses current psychosocial literature in combination with empirical research and clinical accounts of family adaptation to help professionals and families cope with the impact of cancer. It is broad in scope and includes families in any life cycle (i.e. single adults, children, adolescents, and later life). This book, with its solid theoretical foundation, will be especially beneficial to any professional who is helping a family to adapt to cancer.

Not just a disease of the individual, cancer affects the entire family system. With three out of four families likely to experience some form of cancer, more and more families are in need of therapeutic assistance in dealing with long-term treatment regimens, treatment side effects, rehabilitation, loss, and survival concerns. Drawing perspectives from medical oncology, psychological oncology, and health psychology, Cancer and the Family Life Cycle is a practitioner's guide to assisting families of all stages through the clinical course of cancer.
The book explores diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, survivorship, recurrence, and the terminal phase, and for each phase, addresses concerns specific to families in each of the six stages of the family life cycle. Each chapter covers medical variables and current psychological literature and illustrates their clinical application through case studies that follow six families through their experience with cancer. Written and organised to be straightforward and accessible, Cancer and the Family Life Cycle is an essential resource for psychologists, therapists, counsellors, social workers, and all other professionals who seek to help families as they adapt to cancer.

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Increasing efficacy of biomedical treatments for cancer means that more and more people are living longer with the disease. The five-year relative survival rate for all cancers has increased considerably in the last three decades, with some survivors living for many years and thus facing increasingly complex psychosocial issues. As a result, the mental health subspecialty of psycho-oncology is growing and is responding to the many calls for increased availability of psychological services for cancer patients. Psychosocial Care of the Adult Cancer Patient introduces psychologists and other mental health professionals to the field of psycho-oncology, educates them about evidence-based interventions for individuals, groups, couples, and families, and describes how to successfully collaborate with oncologists and other cancer care professionals. Introductory in nature and providing ready access to a range of evidence-based interventions, this book briefs the reader on the field of psycho-oncology and the basics of cancer, explains screening and assessment for psychosocial distress, details the principles of evidence-based interventions, and concludes with case examples that illustrate the evidence-based practice competencies-ask, access, appraise, translate, integrate, and evaluate. In a unique writing style, the case examples reveal the decision-making process of an experienced clinician doing evidence-based practice. Practical strategies for addressing the psychological needs of cancer patients and their families are offered in an easy-to-use, quick reference format. Key points are highlighted and enhanced through the use of tables and figures designed to summarize and emphasize important information. This book will be of value to clinical and counseling psychologists and other mental health professionals, as well as graduate students in psychology, social work, mental health counseling, oncology nursing, and other cancer care professions.