Department of Supportive CarePrincess Margaret Cancer Centre

Carmine Malfitano, MSW, RSW

Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM)

Simulation #1

Introduction

CALM therapy

Q&A

Simulation #2

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Parts of therapy

• First session

o Assessment (based on theoretical framework)

o Therapeutic Alliance

• Middle sessions

o Intervention (based on theoretical framework)

• Termination

o Review of therapy

o Good byes

In a psychotherapy session…

• Structure (from theoretical framework)

• Understand/validate/normalize experience

• Emotional empathy

• Affect regulation

• Attention to content and to process

• Attention to transference and counter-transference

• Case formulation and hypotheses

• Shared agenda

• Intervention (questions/reflections/psychoeducation)

The most effective intervention

• The therapeutic relationship is the most effective intervention

in fostering changes in clients (Lambert and Barley, 2001).

• 45% of the outcome variance is accounted for by the

therapeutic alliance (Bogo, 2006; Sprenkle, Davis, &

Lebow, 2009)

• Alliance (Bogo, 2006; Sprenkle et al., 2009):

o goals (to agree upon)

o tasks (that make sense to the client)

o bond

CALM therapy

Brief semi-structured supportive-expressive intervention (Designed

by Gary Rodin, Sarah Hales, and Christopher Lo)

• 6-8 individual sessions

• Primary caregiver attends one or more sessions

• Delivered over 6 months

• Semi-structured, with attention to four domains

• Delivered by specially trained mental health professionals

Symptom Management and Communication with Health

Care Providers

Future, Hope and Mortality

Changes in Self-Concept

and Relations with Close

Others

Spirituality, Sense of Meaning

and Purpose

The Essential Ingredients

• Reflective Space

• Attachment Security

• Mentalization

• Double awareness

Simulation #2

carmine.malfitano@uhnresearch.ca

Thank you