Hear How I Feel

Abstract

In an effort to heighten the awareness of the high school population, a support group program for young people whose parents were diagnosed with cancer received funding to produce an educational video titled Hear How I Feel. This article reports on the evaluation of the video by 146 high school teachers, guidance counselors, and students; elementary school teachers; university undergraduate social work students; and health care and social service providers. A qualitative analysis of the evaluations indicated that high school teachers and guidance counselors were reluctant to use the video in the high school setting because they could not respond expertly to emotions that might be elicited. The findings suggest that youths desire a forum in which difficult issues can be addressed, teachers and guidance counselors need training that would enhance their skill in responding to students' emotional responses, and cancer patients and their families have psychosocial needs that must be met.