Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology Program

Psychosocial Support for the Whole Family

The experience of a serious illness can be challenging for the whole family, and it’s normal for children, parents, siblings, and other caregivers to feel a range of emotions and need support. Our experts in Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology are here to support you and your family’s emotional health as you manage cancer or another serious illness.

As a part of a child’s ongoing care, a clinical social worker or psychologist will meet with your family to get to know you and discuss what psychosocial services may be useful. You will be asked to complete a routine confidential online psychosocial questionnaire to gather additional information. You may also meet with a resource specialist regarding eligibility for resource assistance programs. Psychiatrists are available for consultation if needed.

Your family’s needs may change over time, and our team will work with you to make sure that you get the individual support you need throughout treatment.

We can help your family:

• Adjust to the illness
• Talk about the diagnosis
• Cope with treatment and its side effects
• Manage mood changes and behavioral challenges
• Learn to ease stress and anxiety
• Address school concerns
• Support siblings
• Make the transition off of active treatment
• Build connections with other parents who have a child with cancer 

View our Parents Together page to see downloadable tip sheets about psychosocial issues when your child has cancer.

Our social workers and psychologists are on the staff of Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund Clinic, where your child will receive outpatient care, and Boston Children's Hospital, where our pediatric cancer patients are hospitalized. These professionals work closely with your child's medical teams at both institutions, as well as with other staff members involved in caring for your child and family.

Our staff respects the privacy of your family and treats all communication with you as confidential.

In general, your written consent is required before information can be shared with anyone who is not part of your health care team. Only under certain very limited circumstances does the law require that confidential information be disclosed, including when someone is believed to be at serious risk of hurting himself/herself or another person, or when required during certain legal proceedings.