Body Image Care for Cancer Patients

Abstract

This book is the first and only academic textbook of principles and practices of body image care for cancer patients and is designed to target a multidisciplinary audience of healthcare care professionals engaged in the science and/or practice of psychosocial oncology internationally. Content is primarily geared toward mental health professionals or those involved in supportive care of cancer patients but is broadly applicable to all members of the oncologic healthcare team. Best practices and models of body image care are reviewed and presented in such a manner as to be directly relevant to oncologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, rehabilitation specialists, speech and language pathologists, and other allied healthcare professionals. This book provides a comprehensive overview of available literature on body image outcomes with cancer populations and integrates scientific findings from the general body image literature that can be applied to the oncology setting. Readers are provided with a comprehensive theoretical foundation along with practical recommendations for assessment tools and intervention approaches that can be utilized by a range of healthcare professionals. Case examples are incorporated throughout the textbook considering different aspects of disease and treatment and are written from the perspective of different professional disciplines. This book will be relevant for emerging as well as established healthcare professionals internationally and can be used in training and other educational settings.