Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Families And Childhood Cancer: An Exploration Of The Observations Of A Pediatric Oncology Treatment Team, Amanda Douglas Harrington, Thomas G. Kimball, Roy A. Bean

Faculty Publications

The authors propose that families facing childhood cancer inadvertently become part of a distinct cultural group. To better train clinicians working with these families, this study was conducted as a phenomenological exploration of the common experiences of those who work with, and participate in, this "culture of cancer" (i.e., members of a pediatric oncology treatment team that includes medical family therapists). Two primary themes emerged from the data: culture of change and relationships. A qualitative description of medical family therapists as part of the treatment team was also developed. Insight into this culture and recommendations for family therapists working in …