At SVCCC, a licensed social worker is dedicated exclusively to working with myeloma patients and their loved ones, bringing a unique knowledge of the challenges they face. With compassion and understanding, patients are helped with the emotional, psychological and practical needs related to myeloma diagnosis and treatment. This includes individual and family counseling, assistance with lodging and transportation, financial issues, home care, and referrals to other support team members and support groups. Throughout the course of treatment, the social worker is available to patients and their caregivers for consultation, support and guidance.

Q&A with Dixie Beckham, LCSW, ACSW, Myeloma Social Worker

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Q: How to do you help patients deal with the anxiety that often goes along with having a disease like myeloma?

A: Certainly, people are very anxious, overwhelmed, and upset when they get this diagnosis. I don't assume I know what they're anxious about. I ask them. Usually, though, it's a result of the uncertainty of the prognosis, or the fact that they've heard that there's not really a cure, which is a frightening thing.

If it's anxiety that we're dealing with, I educate patients on ways to effectively manage it. For example, I often teach them relaxation and meditation techniques, or even the very simple act of taking three significant breaths, meaning: you breathe in through your nose, hold the breath, and then blow it slowly out of your mouth. This is something that can be done many times a day. It can be very helpful when you're flooded with feelings. I also talk to people about dealing with one problem at a time—not trying to solve everything all at once.

Q: What is typically discussed during a counseling session?

A: I offer patients talk therapy sessions, which patients and their families often find helpful. They come in to talk to me for various reasons. Maybe they need to make a decision, or the treatment plan has changed, or the disease has progressed. Basically, they talk about anything that's on their mind. For example, sometimes they're offered different treatment options and they're trying to decide the best way to go. I usually don't give them any answers, but rather try to help them to arrive at their own decisions. Often the simple act of talking about their problems, allows patients to work through to a decision.

Q: In addition to counseling, what other services do you offer to myeloma patients?

A: Counseling is the core of what I do. Social Workers at SVCCC also screen patients to see if a referral to psychiatry is necessary. I also guide and assist people with financial issues, transportation, homecare, pain management, hospice, really, whatever the patient needs. We have various team members who deal with these issues, so I will often make referrals to our psychiatrist, financial aid counselor, pain management specialist, support group leaders or contacts from outside agencies or services. For example, some people with myeloma have a hard time walking, so having to climb the stairs to the subway or bus can be difficult. Access-A-Ride, a bus service for people with medical issues, can alleviate these challenges. So I help the patient and their family with the application process. I often make referrals to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Cancer Care, and The American Cancer Society for financial assistance or counseling.

Q: Are you automatically a part of the process, or does the doctor or patient have to request your services?

A: I am currently trying to meet all of the new myeloma patients. This way, I meet them right from the beginning, so I can build a relationship with them and see them through the whole process. I am exclusively assigned to work with myeloma patients, which is a really good idea when you consider the ups and downs of the disease and the emotional needs of the patients who are going through it. I also meet with patients before they undergo stem cell transplantation to conduct a psychosocial evaluation prior to the procedure.

Q: Do you normally meet with family members as well?

A: Yes. Patients usually have a friend or spouse with them. I think it's important to build a relationship with the caregiver as well as the patient. How much care can he or she provide? What kind of emotional relationship exists between the patient and the caregivers? If someone has a partner who's very supportive, the whole process is so much easier. If not, we might try to facilitate a more productive or helpful relationship.