A transformative orientation into oncology social work – bridging theory, compassion and real-world clinical practice.

Format: Virtual training session
Duration: 7 sessions over 7 weeks
Course Dates: 18 September – 30 October 2025
Facilitator: Linda Greeff (082 551 3310)
Target Group: Social workers across hospital, community, EAP, retirement, psychiatric, voluntary and private practice settings

Executive Summary

The Oncology Social Work Orientation Programme was delivered over seven weeks in 2025 and received consistently positive feedback.
A total of 33 participants attended the programme, with strong requests for more in-depth future sessions focusing on therapeutic techniques.

The programme was evaluated as high-impact, practical, and transformative, strengthening both clinical competence and professional identity among participants.

Purpose of the Programme

The Oncology Social Work Orientation Programme was designed to strengthen clinical competence, professional identity, and applied psychosocial skills among social workers working with cancer patients and their families across diverse care settings.

The programme responds to a growing need for specialised oncology social work capacity within South Africa.

Participants

Participants included social workers from the following contexts:

• Hospital and clinic-based settings
• Community and voluntary sector
• Psychiatric services
• Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP)
• Retirement villages
• Private practice

Total attendance in 2025: 33 participants

Key Outcomes Achieved

Participants consistently demonstrated:

• Improved oncology-specific clinical knowledge
• Enhanced psychosocial and distress assessment skills
• Increased confidence in multidisciplinary team engagement
• Effective application of patient-centred and patient-active models
• Strengthened capacity for therapeutic presence, meaning-making, and reasonable hope
• Heightened ethical and culturally responsive practice

Core Competency Areas Developed

• Holistic biopsychosocial assessment and intervention
• Distress screening and symptom-related psychosocial care
• Patient-centred and patient-active oncology practice
• Therapeutic presence and emotional containment
• Meaning-making, resilience, and hope facilitation
• Discharge planning and continuity of care
• Ethical practice, cultural sensitivity, and advocacy

Evidence of Impact

Impact was evidenced through reflective assessments, applied case examples, and clear theory-to-practice integration.
Participants reported immediate application of tools and frameworks within their practice settings, alongside increased confidence and professional motivation.

Overall Evaluation

The programme was consistently evaluated as high-impact, practical, and transformative.
Participants described the training as empowering, clinically relevant, and essential for delivering holistic, ethical, and patient-centred oncology care.

Conclusion

The Oncology Social Work Orientation Programme contributes meaningfully to professional capacity-building in oncology and palliative care social work.
It equips practitioners with foundational and applied competencies required to support patients and families across the cancer trajectory, while strengthening advocacy, leadership, and professional identity within multidisciplinary healthcare environments.

1. Overview of the Evaluation Data

This analysis is based on formal reflective assessments and written feedback submitted by participants following completion of the 7-week programme.

Participants represented diverse professional contexts, including:

• Hospital and clinic-based social workers
• Retirement village social workers
• Psychiatric and EAP practitioners
• Community and voluntary sector practitioners
• Social workers considering or entering private practice

Despite this diversity, there was remarkable consistency in learning outcomes, perceived value, and professional impact.

2. Core Learning Themes Identified

2.1 Oncology Social Work as an Essential Service

• A core component of holistic cancer care
• An essential MDT role, not an add-on or crisis-only service
• Central to patient advocacy, continuity of care, and psychosocial outcomes

2.2 Patient-Centred Practice & the Patient Active Model

• Actively positioning patients as participants
• Supporting agency, dignity, and informed decision-making
• Immediate application across oncology, psychiatric, EAP and community settings

2.3 Distress Assessment & Practical Clinical Tools

• Distress Thermometer
• Wheel of Life
• ECOG and functional awareness
• Genograms, timelines, COPE framework
• Intake structuring and care planning

2.4 Meaning-Making, Hope & Resilience

• Meaning-making and reasonable hope
• Living with uncertainty
• Resilience building

2.5 “Holding Space” as a Core Therapeutic Skill

• Deep listening
• Tolerance of silence and emotion
• Enhanced therapeutic presence

2.6 Discharge Planning & Continuity of Care

• Understanding emotional and systemic complexity
• Family distress during transitions
• Preparing and supporting post-hospital care

2.7 Ethics, Culture & Systemic Awareness

• Ethical decision-making
• Cultural sensitivity
• Consent and information-sharing
• Systemic barriers and inequities in cancer care

3. Demonstrated Value and Impact of the Training

✔ Increased Clinical Confidence

• Improved medical literacy
• Greater confidence engaging MDTs
• Enhanced ability to explain diagnoses

✔ Immediate Practice Integration

• Direct application of tools and models
• Improved patient engagement
• Enhanced care planning

✔ Advocacy & Leadership Development

• Empowerment to advocate
• Motivation to improve services
• Development of new resources

✔ Professional Identity Affirmation

• Renewed purpose
• Reaffirmation of oncology social work value
• Increased motivation and meaning

4. Reported Strengths of the Programme

• Facilitator’s experience and authenticity
• Strong theory-to-practice integration
• Practical examples and case material
• Safe, reflective learning environment
• Rich peer discussions
• Comprehensive reading resources

Participant description: “Deeply enriching, empowering, practical, and transformative.”

5. Areas for Improvement

5.1 Timing of Sessions

• Late afternoon or evening fatigue
• Preference for daytime sessions
• Shorter sessions over longer periods

5.2 Additional Practical Components

• Structured oncology care plans
• Shadowing or mentorship opportunities
• More case-based practice

5.3 Additional Content Requests

• Death, dying and bereavement counselling
• Survivorship care
• Advanced clinical skills

6. Overall Evaluation Summary

The Oncology Social Work Orientation Programme (Sept–Oct 2025) was experienced as a high-impact, practice-changing training that strengthened clinical competence, deepened ethical practice, and reinforced the essential role of oncology social work.

Participants consistently reported leaving the programme more confident, more skilled, more motivated, and better equipped to support patients and families across the cancer journey.