Meaning Centered Psychotherapy for Patients with Cancer

June 28, 2021

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Angela Khairallah, LCSW and Brian Jin, LCSW, discuss meaning centered psychotherapy (MCPT) in honor of Cancer Survivors Month. MCPT focuses on creating, experiencing, and keeping a sense of meaning in life.

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00:00Hello everybody and welcome to
00:03mini centered psychotherapy for
00:05patients with cancer for Yale.
00:07New Haven Hospital's 2021
00:08cancer survivorship day.
00:09My name is Angela Corral and
00:12I'm a clinical social worker.
00:14I work in the Yale Cancer Center,
00:16Smilow Cancer Hospital,
00:17survivorship clinic,
00:18and I'm here today with my colleague Brian.
00:22Hello everyone, I'm Brian Jenn.
00:24I'm the clinical social worker with Smilow,
00:26Greenwich and Smilow Trumbull.
00:30And thank you for having us today.
00:33So meaning centered psychotherapy
00:34for patients with cancer so bright,
00:36and I thought it would make sense
00:39just to review some background
00:40information for those of you who
00:42may not be familiar with what many
00:45center psychotherapy is all about.
00:47So really, it's about aiming to
00:49decrease feelings of sadness and
00:51hopelessness by teaching patients how
00:53to focus on the importance of creating,
00:55experiencing and keeping a
00:57sense of meaning in life.
00:59It was developed by Doctor
01:00William Bright Bar.
01:02I think approximately 20 years ago.
01:04With this colleagues at Memorial
01:05Sloan Kettering and they created and
01:07designed this treatment to be used
01:09with cancer patients facing illness,
01:11it can be utilized in both with both
01:14individuals as well as in a group setting.
01:16It's based on the work of Doctor Viktor
01:19Frankel's man's search for meaning,
01:20and there's a lot of research
01:22to show that meaning centered
01:24psychotherapy is very helpful to
01:26those who have cancer but also for
01:28family members and for those who
01:30are caring for someone with cancer.
01:34So what will you learn?
01:35So you learn to cope better by
01:37finding and creating a sense of
01:40meaning and purpose in your life.
01:42It's really not uncommon in the cancer
01:44survivorship clinic that I meet with
01:46patients and you're not only dealing
01:48with the fact that she had cancer,
01:49but also the impact that cancer
01:51and cancer treatment may even
01:53still be having on your life.
01:55You'll also learn about different
01:56sources of meaning that can be used
01:58to help you during your illness,
02:00and Brian will be reviewing that
02:02with you in just a few moments,
02:04as well as learn new ways to face
02:06and overcome the challenges that may
02:08have been caused by your illness.
02:10And it's important to point out that.
02:12Survivorship really begins the
02:14day that you're diagnosed,
02:15and it's really about living with
02:17through an beyond your cancer
02:19diagnosis and treatment.
02:21And really,
02:22we can explore meaning and purpose
02:25in our life at any point in time.
02:29So how does it work?
02:30Well meaning centered psychotherapy
02:32is meant to help patients look
02:34for meaning in their past,
02:36their present, as well as their
02:38future in their everyday life.
02:40By teaching,
02:40answering questions together
02:41through homework assignments,
02:42as well as discussions with your
02:45clinician and group members.
02:46If you're participating in a group,
02:48it helps you to use meaning in
02:50life in order to gain a greater
02:53sense of purpose and meaning.
02:55Centered psychotherapy is usually
02:56done over 7 to 8 sessions.
02:59But it may change based on what
03:01your needs are as well as what the
03:03clinician thinks might be best for you.
03:05There are some forms of meaning
03:08centered psychotherapy that can be
03:10done in just a very brief session
03:12or over just a couple of days.
03:15So what will we talk about?
03:16Well,
03:17with the curriculum of meaning
03:18centered psychotherapy,
03:19we talk about different ways that you
03:21can find meaning through what does meaning,
03:24why does meaning matter to you?
03:25Why is it even important to talk about this?
03:28What are the sources of meaning?
03:30Who are you not?
03:32Just who are you now in today?
03:34But who were you before
03:36your cancer diagnosis,
03:36and who are you now after learning
03:39and living through cancer,
03:40what is your story looking at your past,
03:43your present, and your future?
03:45What is the attitude that you have
03:47and how has that shaped your cancer
03:49story and where you're at how you
03:51live your life through creativity,
03:53courage, responsibility and also
03:54how you can connect in your life,
03:57not only through love and nature,
03:59but also humor as well.
04:00And what are some of the hopes
04:02that you have for your future?
04:08So we're gonna talk base about Viktor
04:11Frankel's basic concept of meaning,
04:13and Viktor Frankel was an existential.
04:16Guys, psychiatrist,
04:17and what he came for believing about
04:20human existence is that all life has
04:23meaning that we apply the meaning
04:25at any given time that we are the
04:28creators and progenitors of meeting
04:30that we as human beings are motivated,
04:33motivated by this and that's the will
04:35to meaning that for him this was the
04:38fundamental concept of being human,
04:40that we were motivated by our purpose,
04:43our values and our answers to
04:45life's difficult questions.
04:47And with this capacity there is the
04:49freedom of will that we always have
04:52the chance to choose our response,
04:54no matter how dire the situation,
04:57how difficult the circumstances and
04:58how little control we might have
05:01over those external circumstances.
05:02We have the ability to choose internally
05:06how we live and how we find purpose
05:09and how we respond next please.
05:12So the definition of meaning what meaning
05:15can be a lot of different things,
05:17and it's unique to each person person.
05:19But what we look for is what pulls us
05:22through the difficult times that when
05:24we have purpose when we have meaning,
05:27we can endure anything we can.
05:30Overcome any obstacle and challenge
05:32by having a purpose that we are driven
05:35by and there is a responsibility.
05:37There is a responsibility to ourselves,
05:39to the people we care about.
05:41There is a concept of existential
05:43guilt of are we living the life we're
05:46supposed to be living and this is
05:48an intervention that allows us to
05:50examine our life and something like
05:53a cancer diagnosis might change how
05:55we look at the world and how we feel.
05:58And it's an opportunity for change.
06:00It's a it's a.
06:01Catalyst for growth,
06:02and so this is intervention.
06:04Builds off of that that we are the
06:07authors of our meeting and we can find
06:10what makes it worth living next weeks.
06:13So there are four basic sources of meaning
06:15that are defined in this intervention.
06:18One is 6 historical is Angela mention
06:20you know that's the continual,
06:22it's the past.
06:23It's the present and it's what we
06:26are giving to the future.
06:27It's an alive concept.
06:29Sometimes it's referred to as a legacy.
06:32Sometimes it's referred to our
06:34store and we have it throughout
06:36our our our stories that we share
06:39with other people like our fathers.
06:41Resiliency in a time of struggle or
06:44traditions that our family upholds
06:46every Christmas or you know Sunday
06:49dinners there are the things that
06:51make our life have.
06:53Sort of a coherent narrative and
06:55belief throughout it,
06:56and it's one of the sources we tap into,
06:59and we reflect.
07:00Attitudinal is a very important one.
07:03That's the ability to choose our
07:05response that we can choose how
07:07we respond to difficulty,
07:08how we respond to obstacles
07:10whenever we hit something,
07:12there is suffering.
07:13There's loss,
07:14there's difficulty,
07:14but we can choose how we now want
07:18to live our life and what new
07:20purpose we gain
07:21from.
07:23There's creative,
07:24creative isn't just painting,
07:26it isn't just creating great
07:27works of art. It's whatever.
07:29We invest our life's energy.
07:31It can be volunteering.
07:32It can be cultivating a garden.
07:35It can be our hobbies that can be
07:37playing with our grandchildren.
07:39It's very fluid, it's very open.
07:41It's whatever makes our heart feel happy.
07:44Whatever resonates with our creative
07:46energy is our energy in the world.
07:49Experiential is something we
07:50have access to all the time.
07:52It's really about being
07:54alive and feeling alive.
07:55It's about sitting with your best
07:57friend and joking and laughing.
07:59It's about sitting at the seaside and
08:01watching the waves coming and being
08:04over overwhelmed by the beauty of a
08:06sunset and the majesty that's out there.
08:08It's about anytime in moment where
08:11we feel connected and alive and
08:13it's something we have access
08:15just by sitting looking out the
08:17window and seeing a plant.
08:19Or flower next please. So.
08:24How is this helpful for cancer survivors?
08:27Angela is gonna share a few of her thoughts.
08:32So in meeting patients like you
08:34and the cancer survivorship clinic,
08:36it's really not uncommon.
08:40That cancer survivors expressed
08:42to me that they feel lost,
08:44that their perspective has changed,
08:46that the priorities have changed,
08:48that they're really,
08:49truly wanting to be a part of
08:52something bigger than themselves.
08:54After going through something
08:56like cancer and cancer treatment,
08:58and you know this curriculum.
09:01Can be utilized again at any point in
09:04time throughout your cancer journey.
09:06You know at the beginning at the middle,
09:08in survivorship or even at the
09:10end of life at any point in time
09:13you can be examining what brings
09:15purpose and meaning to your life.
09:17You know just some examples I've had.
09:20Patients come to me who've participated
09:22in meaning centered psychotherapy,
09:23and they decide that they want
09:25to change jobs that they want to
09:27akarere a career change because the
09:29current job that they're working in.
09:32Isn't bringing in purpose and meaning,
09:34and they want to do something else?
09:37I've had patience and some negative
09:39relationships that they were involved
09:41with and wanting to cultivate
09:43more positive relationships as
09:45they move forward in the future.
09:47Another patient of mine created
09:49a lending library at her church.
09:51Somebody else went ahead and
09:53cataloged all of their family
09:55photographs to be able to pass that
09:57down to to their grandchildren.
10:00So again, there's lots of.
10:02Wonderful inspirational.
10:05Things that come out of somebody
10:07participating in this form of psychotherapy?
10:09Ryan,
10:09do you have any experiences to share?
10:12Yeah, I mean just what you said.
10:14I mean it's it's beautiful.
10:15It's really sort of the unsought gifts
10:17of cancer is that people suddenly
10:19find out what is most significant
10:21and what is most meaningful and they
10:23live their life according Lee Ann.
10:25It's really empowering and it
10:27feels good and similar things of a
10:29person quitting their job and it
10:31being the happiest day of their
10:32life and other people of you know,
10:34described it as sort of a rebirth
10:36for themselves and the recognition
10:38that maybe they didn't stand up for
10:41themselves before and now they do because.
10:43They know how valuable they are and
10:44and in this it's it's worth while.
10:47They have their reasons to do
10:48it so you know it's it's it's.
10:50It's very unique to each individual and
10:52you get to shape it the way you want to.
10:58So we wanted to end with meaningful moments.
11:01This is the type of exercise
11:02that you do in the intervention.
11:05This is really looking at your
11:06life and running down one or two
11:09significant moments in your life.
11:10Something that felt good,
11:12something that just comes to mind.
11:13It can be something that was really,
11:16truly significant,
11:16or it could be something very simple.
11:18Whatever comes to your heart
11:20right down the jot down and think
11:23about what it moment that was and
11:25why it felt so special to you.
11:27And we felt alive or just connected
11:29and we want you to take this experience
11:32and share it with someone you love.
11:34Take this moment and give it to
11:36them and and just explore because
11:38this is really those things that
11:40we don't really always take time
11:42to reflect on and think about.
11:44But it's the pure goal that we're all.
11:46We all have inside.
11:48So if you take this moment and
11:50then some of the examples is,
11:52you know,
11:53spending time with your grandkids or
11:55playing catch with a family member or.
11:57One group everyone was talking about
11:59trees and someone mentioned this
12:01beautiful red tree and the whole
12:03group went and drove past this red
12:05treat and it was all inspiring and
12:07so these are things we can share
12:09with each other and and you know,
12:11we thank you for this opportunity
12:13and thank you, Angela.
12:15Yes, thank you, Brian and thank
12:17you to all of you who took a few
12:20minutes out of your day to listen
12:22to us present and if any of you are
12:25interested in learning more about
12:26meeting centered psychotherapy or
12:28would like to speak to any one of us,
12:30please feel free to contact myself again.
12:32My name is Angela Corolla and I'm
12:34through the Yale Cancer Center
12:36survivorship program at Smilow and Brian.
12:39I'm in a I'm Brian General Jin,
12:41and I'm in trouble in Greenwich. Alright
12:44buddy, have a great day bye bye thank you.