Healing Body, Mind and Spirit

When the new Oncology Clinic is built it will have three dedicated counselling rooms, a first or the clinic.

As well as providing specialized treatments including transfusions, infusions, immunotherapy, customized chemotherapy, and the latest biologic and bi-specific antibody therapies, the Oncology Team at LGH provides emotional and psychological support. The addition of the new counselling rooms will give staff and patients a comfortable, private space to have sensitive conversations.

Social worker Virginia McConchie knows first-hand that health concerns aren’t the only thing that stresses cancer patients. From difficult conversations with family members and work or financial concerns to paperwork for medical or insurance claims and navigating the health system can all be a burden.

Which is why she goes out of her way to meet every new patient who walks in the door of the clinic. “During a person’s treatment, there can be a lot of unknown and uncertainties, which can be scary,” she explains. “Part of the anxiety comes from people feeling like they don’t have a lot of control over their body and the process itself.”

Virginia works with patients and families to validate their feelings around loss of control and help them recognize ways to find “small pockets of joy” throughout the process.

“The spirit and resiliency that people show during this process is amazing,” says Virginia. “There’s an amazing amount of laughter in the clinic every day.”