Behavioral Health

Coping with Cancer

Psychological Services for Cancer Patients

Cancer. It is the one word no one wants to hear.   According to the American Cancer Society, close to 1.3 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year and must face medical issues ranging from biopsy to surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and other challenges.

For many patients, the process can be emotionally overwhelming. Early on, questions abound.  What will happen to me? Will I be in pain?  Will the cancer spread or recur? How will I tell my children?  Later, patients must stand strong amid the physical and emotional fallout from surgery and treatment, coping with the potential of a changed appearance and dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy.

It is at this time that professional support from a licensed psychologist can make a difference, not only emotionally, but in the patient’s physical recovery from cancer. According to the American Psychological Association, 20 to 60 percent of cancer patients experience depressive symptoms.  These symptoms can often become so debilitating that patients miss treatments or simply refuse to participate in treatment altogether − a critical mistake when you consider that missing as few as 15 percent of chemotherapy appointments can result in significantly poorer outcomes.  On the other hand, studies show that those who participate in therapy and are informed and assertive about their own care have better health outcomes than patients who do not.

How The  Saint Vincent Cancer Care Center Can Help

• Counseling from Gay Lipchik, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist to help cope with physical, emotional and lifestyle changes

• Assistance in adjusting to major life stressors
(including illness and treatment)

• Help in controlling stress, anxiety, exhaustion or depression

• Relaxation techniques, self-hypnosis, imagery and other skills to
help ease pain and side-effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea
and vomiting

• Problem-solving strategies for coping with grief, fear and
other emotions

• Help with anxiety or distress specific to a procedure
(e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, radiation)

• Help with health related behavior change
(e.g., smoking cessation, weight management, exercise)

• Treatment for family members to help them cope with your diagnosis and the challenges of surgery and treatment

• Tools to help explain the illness, surgery and treatment to
family members

• Individual therapy

• Group therapy

• Breast cancer support group




[Photo of Dr. Lipchik]
Gay Lipchik, Ph.D.

Dr. Lipchik, of Saint Vincent Health Psychology Services, provides specialized cancer counseling for Saint Vincent Cancer Care Center patients.  Gay Lipchik, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist specializing in the behavioral treatment of medical illness, such as cancer, as well as headache and other pain disorders. She also provides treatment for psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. She is a graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and earned her masters and doctoral degrees in clinical health psychology from Ohio University.

Insurance
Most insurances are accepted.  To verify your coverage, please call Saint Vincent Health Psychology Services at 814/454-4885. 

Appointments
Begin your emotional recovery from cancer today by asking your physician for a referral to:

Gay Lipchik, Ph.D
Saint Vincent Health Psychology Services
145 West 23 Street, Suite 202, Erie, PA 16502
Phone: 814/454-4885    Fax: 814/456-1528