“Transition is the emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual process that people go through when they are confronted with change.” ~ Jakob van Wielink
Cancer Patient Support Program
Our Care Approach: Supporting through Transitions
At Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, you have access to a wide range of supportive care services, including our dedicated Cancer Patient Support Program (CPSP).
As behavioral health providers in the CPSP, we recognize that transitioning into living with cancer can be challenging—not only for the person diagnosed but for caregivers and loved ones. Anxiety, fear, and sadness can impact the whole family in many ways.
You may be experiencing persistent, troubling thoughts, or the things you used to do may be more difficult because of physical limitations. During this life transition, you may find yourself seeking answers to life’s greatest existential and spiritual questions: Who am I? What are my values and beliefs? Who and what are meaningful to me?
Our licensed counselors and psychologists are here to support you and your loved ones during this transition.
For over 40 years, CPSP and our sister program, Psychosocial Oncology, have been a pillar of support in the Comprehensive Cancer Center. We believe that everyone has coping skills to assist in navigating life’s challenges. We are here to help you access and refine your strengths during this life-changing event.
Our team guides you and your loved ones on your cancer journey through a variety of therapeutic offerings to reduce suffering and improve your quality of life across the lifespan, throughout survivorship and beyond.
To meet your needs and keep you safe during the pandemic, we have expanded our services to include virtual telehealth appointments and support groups via video. For those unable to engage in virtual services, our team provides in-person services when safe and appropriate.
Care and Treatment
Counseling Services
Our team offers a variety of counseling services and approaches, including:
- Supportive Psychotherapy for Individuals, Couples, and Families (“talk therapy”)
- Mindfulness-based Practices
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive and Behavioral Interventions
- Narrative Therapy
- Existential and Spiritual Counseling
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Art Therapy
- Grief and Bereavement Counseling
- Support Groups
Clinician Specializations
- Art Therapy
- Existential Concerns
- Geriatrics
- Long-term Survivorship
- Mood & Adjustment Concerns
- Spirituality
- Thanatology – Grief and Bereavement
- Transitions
- Trauma & EMDR
- Men's and Women's Mindfulness and Well-being
- Young Adults
Whether you are interested in supportive counseling, joining a support group, or expressing yourself through expressive art making, music or physical movement, we invite you to learn more about our services, by calling 336-713-6954.
How is talking to a mental health provider different than talking with my family and friends?
Our providers differ from the support of family and friends, because we are skillfully trained to assist with adjusting to life stressors. You can talk with us privately in a safe space to explore existential concerns or feelings of depression or anxiety—topics you may not feel comfortable discussing with family or friends.
During your initial phone intake, one of our clinicians will get to know you and identify what services best fit your needs. These services may include individual counseling, couples counseling, support groups, or other specialized care. Rest assured, you will be placed with a provider who specializes in your areas of concern.
What are the benefits of a support group?
Some patients and caregivers may prefer to meet with others who are walking a similar journey rather than meet individually with a mental health provider. We offer virtual support groups for both patients and caregivers. This is a unique opportunity to join with others across North Carolina to discuss similar issues.
Being a part of a support group has many benefits! They include increased empowerment and hope; a reduction in anxiety, distress, and feelings of loneliness; new coping skills; improved communications with loved ones; and tips on navigating cancer care.
Take Good Care, Attend CPSP Fall Virtual Cancer Wellness Workshops Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- October 2: Reducing Uncertainty & Scanxiety
This workshop provides insights into how to live with the uncertainty of cancer recurrence and to manage scanxiety. You will gain an understanding of your responses to triggers and threats and how to respond through mindfulness practices and intellectual wellness activities to improve quality of life. - October 17: Fostering Relational & Emotional Wellness
This workshop provides insights into how relationships can change and grow between loved ones on a cancer journey. You will gain an understanding of how to feel and express human emotions, cope with stress, be aware of personal feelings and others’ feelings, think positively of self and others and improve flexibility & adaptability. - November 14: Engaging in Whole Body Wellness
This workshop provides insights into how the eight areas of wellness — physical, emotional, spiritual, vocational, intellectual, financial, environmental, and relational — can serve as a roadmap for reducing a variety of cancer journey challenges, including distress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, fatigue, “chemo / radiation fog” and caregiver burnout. You will gain an understanding of how to track progress and adapt to challenges with a variety of evidence-based techniques that can improve your quality of life. - December 12: Facing Our Existential Fears
This workshop provides insights into the four existential concerns of being human: Isolation, Freedom, Meaninglessness and Death Anxiety. You will gain an understanding of how these concerns can arise on your cancer journey, how to face them with curiosity and dignity, and find support amongst fellow workshop attendees who experience similar concerns.
To register, contact Emily LaFontaine, LCSWA at elafonta@wakehealth.edu or 336-716-2394.
Take Good Care, Join a CPSP Fall Virtual Support Group
Men’s Support Group: Second and fourth Wednesdays at 4 p.m.
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- Enter a safe, confidential space to connect with other men cancer survivors and learn skills to empower you along your journey and improve your quality of life.
Women's Survivorship Book Club Luncheon: First and third Fridays at noon
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- Grab your lunch and engage in a lunchtime discussion with other woman survivors! We read and discuss fiction & nonfiction representing strong women facing challenges in their lives to help find strength in ourselves.
Family & Friends Bereavement Support Group, Thursdays at 11 a.m.
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- This 10-week bereavement group is designed for anyone who has lost a loved one to cancer and is seeking help to walk through the storm.
Participants will reflect on their sense of identity, examine life goals and social and familial relationships and learn how to reorganize life in a meaningful and healing way.
Partner Bereavement Support Group: Fridays at 11:00 a.m.
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- This 10-week bereavement group is designed for spouses and partners who have lost a loved one to cancer. Participants will reflect on their sense of identity, examine life goals and social and familial relationships and learn how to reorganize life in a meaningful and healing way.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Support Group: First and third Thursdays
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- Move toward being your best self, regardless of where you are on your cancer journey. Connect with other survivors in a safe, confidential space to share experiences and learn tools to help manage difficult thoughts and feelings.
Caregivers Support Group: Second and fourth Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- Enter a safe, confidential space and connect with other caregivers to explore and make sense of your new role to a loved one with cancer. We focus on improving your quality of life. Topics include roles and relationships, time and stress management, body, mind and faith independence and loneliness and emotions and skills.
Survivors & Caregivers Writing Support Group: First and third Tuesdays at 11 a.m.
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- This 10-week writing support group will help you explore existential questions such as "What have I learned on this cancer journey? Who am I now? What is my purpose in life? How do I find comfort in self and others?" Different writing genres will help you find expression in safe space. Everyone touched by cancer, regardless of writing experience, is invited to attend.
Healing Arts Therapy Open Studio: Fridays from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
- Led by Lisa A. Rainwater, MA (couns), PhD, LCMHC, CCMHC, CT
- Individuals are invited to gather, connect and share with others on their wellness journey through art making and therapeutic conversation. No experience needed. All supplies included.
To register for a support group, contact Emily LaFontaine, LCSWA at elafonta@wakehealth.edu or 336-716-2394.
New: Healing Arts Therapy Specialty Clinic
The CPSP Healing Arts Specialty Clinic offers art therapy for patients and caregivers receiving inpatient and outpatient care to process physical, emotional, and psychological experiences when faced with cancer. CPSP strives to ensure that no one faces cancer alone and understands that everyone processes the impact of cancer in different ways. Art therapy requires no previous artistic skill and provides individuals with a unique opportunity to process experienced thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations while making art, and discover ways created art products can guide awareness, healing, growth, and connection on their personal journey. Healing arts therapy services are also made available for providers on their wellness journey to process grief, foster healing, and reduce compassion fatigue as they continue caring for others.
For dates and times for Healing Arts Therapy Clinic events, check the CPSP monthly calendar online. Questions or would like to register for a class, contact Erica Fox, MA, LCMHC, NCC, ATR, at efox@wakehealth.edu or 336-713-6952.
What other CPSP programing is available to me and my family?
We know that cancer impacts a person both emotionally and physically. We invite you to engage in our healing music program, where you can listen to live music in the Cancer Center atrium. To support your physical well-being, you can participate in tai chi and gentle chair yoga classes. These classes can be accessed virtually or in-person.
First and third Mondays of the month, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Provider Wellness Art Therapy Process Groups
Providers of various disciplines gather in small groups to engage in art therapy experientials and supportive conversation to support overall wellness, process grief, foster healing, reduce compassion fatigue, and enhance personal/professional development.
To register, contact Erica Fox, MA, LCMHC, NCC, ATR, at efox@wakehealth.edu or 336-713-6952.
Wednesdays, 10 to 11 a.m.
Art Therapy in the PODS - 3rd floor Comprehensive Cancer Center
Guided breathwork, art making, and therapeutic conversation made available to patients and caregivers present during infusion treatments.
Question? Contact Erica Fox, MA, LCMHC, NCC, ATR, at efox@wakehealth.edu or 336-713-6952.
Third Wednesday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m.
Inpatient Art Therapy Group - 6th floor inpatient resource room, Comprehensive Cancer Center Patients and caregivers are invited to participate in a mixture of guided breathwork, art making, and therapeutic conversation with others faced with similar experiences during inpatient hospital care.
To register, contact Erica Fox, MA, LCMHC, NCC, ATR, at efox@wakehealth.edu or 336-713-6952.
Fridays, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Open Art Therapy Studio - 3rd floor hospitality room, Comprehensive Cancer Center
Individuals are invited to gather, connect, and share with others on their wellness journey through art making and therapeutic conversation. All supplies included.
To register, contact Erica Fox, MA, LCMHC, NCC, ATR, at efox@wakehealth.edu or 336-713-6952.
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Inpatient Art Therapy Assessments
Art therapy is offered to patients and caregivers receiving inpatient hospital care to help process the emotional, psychological, and physical effects of cancer and treatment side effects. Formal art therapy and psychosocial counseling consultations and assessments are completed within 24 - 48 hours during CPSP clinic hours.
Contact Erica Fox, MA, LCMHC, NCC, ATR, at efox@wakehealth.edu or 336-713-6952.
Please check the CPSP monthly calendar online for special healing music:
- Guitar music by Phillip Craft
- Piano music by Rose Jackson
- Harp music by Linda Gitter and May Merlau
Listen to music from around the globe on the Cancer Patient Support Program’s Music for Healing channel on YouTube.
The Hospitality Rooms, staffed by dedicated volunteers, offer a relaxed setting with snacks and drinks for patients and families awaiting treatments. We have two Hospitality Rooms – one on the 1st floor in the Radiation Oncology department and another one on the 3rd floor in the Hematology and Oncology clinic lobby area.
Our volunteers serve coffee and snacks each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They will be taking a coffee/snack cart to the waiting room areas on the 1st, 3rd, & 4th floors of the Comprehensive Cancer Center between 9 - 11 a.m. and 1 - 4 p.m.
Find a haven from the hectic pace of the hospital. Quiet rest has the power to rejuvenate you. In these brief guided sessions, led by David Harold, M.Div., LCSW, you will have the opportunity to relieve stress through breathing, gentile movement and seated rest. Sponsored by the Cancer Patient Support Program.
Available by appointment only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Sessions can be group or individual. Location is either in the patient’s room, 6th floor Recreation Therapy Room or 2nd floor Meditation Room in the Cancer Center.
To set up an appointment, email David at david.harold@gmail.com. You can also call 336-716-6801 or 336-713-6954 and a staff member will contact David for you.
The participates move gently, learning to regulate their breathing and paying attention to how that feels, almost instantly cutting through the stress response that many cancer survivors experience. Classes are held every Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Classes are led by Sue Evans, MBA/MHA, RYT500. If you would like to join the class, contact Sue at 336-406-7082 or email suevans002@gmail.com and she will send you an email invite to join the class.
Other Services
The Comprehensive Cancer Center offers a number of services that work hand-in-hand with the Cancer Patient Support Program to help patients through what can be a very difficult time. These include:
With our Cancer Patient Support Program (CPSP), our team guides you and your loved ones on your cancer journey through a variety of therapeutic offerings to reduce suffering and improve your quality of life.
With services like individual counseling, support groups and assistance from social workers, we can help you explore your feelings, cope with challenges, connect with peers and manage day-to-day activities.
To learn more about services offered by the CPSP, call 336-713-6954
FaithHealth Chaplaincy and Clinical Ministries are available 24 hours a day to provide spiritual aid and other support to patients, their family members and employees at Wake Forest Baptist. Chaplains can be contacted 8 am - 5 pm, Monday through Friday, at 336-716-4745. After normal business hours you may call the hospital operator or ask your nurse to page the on-call chaplain.
The Davis Memorial Chapel is located on the first floor of Watlington Hall and is open 24 hours a day for prayer and meditation. Services are offered at the following times for patients, families, and staff:
- Worship service: Wednesdays at noon
- Prayer service: Mondays and Fridays at noon
Conversations of Love (Advance Directive Education)
In an informal setting, one of our chaplains can lead discussions about how our individual values shape our goals for medical care during times of illness and how advance care planning can assist in insuring that these goals are honored during moments of serious illness. Through proactive conversations with our loved ones, we can provide them with a gift of love through knowing our goals of care.
To set up an appointment, contact FaithHealth Ministries at 336-716-4745.
The Financial Counseling Department recognizes the financial burden that medical bills may cause, so if you are having difficulties paying your bill, please let us know. It is part of our mission at Wake Forest Baptist to help the communities we serve.
We aim to provide emergent and critical care to those in need, regardless of one’s ability to pay, and we can assist in providing financial assistance for those who have limited financial resources and do not qualify for outside assistance or have insurance or additional funding.
The Financial Counseling Department is located on the Main Floor, Reynolds Tower in the Discharge Office. They can be reached at 336-716-0681.
We aim to provide emergent and critical care to those in need, regardless of one’s ability to pay, and we can assist in providing financial assistance for those who have limited financial resources and do not qualify for outside assistance or have insurance or additional funding.
Financial Counselors
- Molly Wall: Call 336-716-3107 between 8:30 am - 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Office is located on the 1st floor in Radiation Oncology.
- Olivia Howard (General Surgery): Call 336-713-9017 between 9:30am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday. Office is located on the 4th floor behind Mammography.
Integrative care can aid in the management of treatment side effects such as pain, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, and hot flashes, as well as help optimize health and well-being following treatment. Care and Services offered are: integrative medicine consultations, traditional chinese medicine (including acupuncture), nonpharmacologic ADHD therapies, mind/body therapies, pain management, nutrition consultations, healing touch and neurology consultations.
For appointments, call 336-713-6100.
The Office of Cancer Health Equity’s mission is to facilitate clinical care and research focused on improving outcomes for under-served populations in our community.
Learn more about the Office of Cancer Health Equity.
- Adolscent and Young Adult (AYA) Patient Navigator: Caleb Evington, MSW, LCSWA; (336) 713-3183
- African-American Patient Navigator: Alexis Daniels, MS, OPN-CG; (336) 716-4575
- Financial Navigator: Ashley Gonzalez, AAS: (336)716-8246 (Habla español)
- Hispanic Patient Navigator / Navegadora de Pacientes Hispanos: Gilda Cowan, BS: (336) 716-5571 (Habla español)
- Manager, Population Health Navigation: Emily Copus, MSW, OPN-CG; (336) 716-2940
- Rural Patient Navigator: Carrie Galloway, MSW; (336) 716-4203
Navigators
- African-American Patient Navigator: Alexis Daniels, MS 336-716-4575
- Hispanic Patient Navigator/Orientadora de Pacientes Hispanos (Se habla Español)
- Rural Patient Navigator: Emily Copus, MSW 336-716-2940
- Financial Navigator: Ashley Gonzalez, AAS 336-716-8246
Our financial navigation team works with patients and their families to help them reduce stress or hardship related to the cost of their cancer treatment. Financial navigators help patients understand their out-of-pocket expenses and what their health insurance plans may cover, as well as connecting patients to the appropriate resources as needed. For new patient appointments in the Comprehensive Cancer Center, you can contact Chuck Scruggs at 336-713-3143 or Kaylyn Parson at 336-716-2688 to check your insurance coverage.
- Melinda Smith, MSSW 336-713-2688 located on 3rd floor near the CPSP area.
- Petra Benjamin, BS 336-713-6657 located on 4th floor near the elevators.
- Vincent Brinkley, BMT/CAR-T Financial Coordinator 336-716-0937 located on the 8th floor.
At Hayworth Cancer Center in High Point
- Sabrina Hauser, BS 336-781-4856.
Oncology navigators assist patients, and their families and caregivers, in understanding cancer, treatment options, and research studies. They also help coordinate patients’ care throughout the Cancer Center. Navigators offer emotional support, and they connect patients and loved ones with services and resources for transportation, financial difficulty, emotional distress, and other barriers to patients’ treatment and well being.
To ensure a timely response to your calls, please call our “Navigator of the Week” number 336-713-3209. This navigator will connect you with the appropriate oncology nurse navigator.
- Breast Navigator: Elizabeth Outlaw, BSN, RN, OCN
- Breast Navigator: Jennifer Maclean BS, RN, OCN
- Colorectal/Gastrointestinal (GI) Navigator: Rebecca Harmon, BSN, RN
- Gastrointestinal navigator: Scarlett Hutchens, BSN, RN, OCN
- Genitourinary Navigator: Katina Hayes, BSN, RN
- Gynecology Navigator: Faye Ellen Martin, BSN, RN, CCM
- Head & Neck Navigator: Brittany Edathil, BSN, RN
- Leukemia & Multiple Myeloma Navigator: Teresa Brady, RN, BSN
- Lymphoma/Melanoma Navigator: Sunshine Poerio, MSN, RN
- Neuro Oncologyt Navigator: Annette Carter, MSN, RN, CNRN
- Precision Medicine Navigator: Robin M. Petro, BSN, RN, CCRN, OCN, ONN-CG
- Thoracic Navigator: Lisa Flowers, BSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG
Our nutritionists, Wendy Watson, RD, CSO, LDN and Emily Henderson, MPH, RD, LDN, CNSC are available to help manage treatment related nutrition side effects such as:
- Weight loss due to treatment
- Nausea
- Sore or dry mouth
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Taste changes
- Difficult/painful swallowing and/or need for feeding tube
Feel free to call for an appointment before symptoms become a problem as dietary changes can help to minimize them. Please call for an appointment or ask your doctor for a referral.
Wendy and Emily’s offices are located on the second floor of the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
For general questions or to schedule an appointment:
Wendy Watson: 336-713-6919, wwatson@wakehealth.edu.
Emily Henderson: 336-713-2114, ekhender@wakehealth.edu.
Melissa Lyle-Nipper, with Cancer Services, Inc., assists patients and families in addressing the financial and social challenges that people with cancer often encounter.
Cancer Services, Inc.: 3175 Maplewood Ave, Winston-Salem NC
336-760-9983 or Toll Free in NC 1-800-228-7421.
Recreation Therapy
Recreation Therapy can offer a variety of services & recreational opportunities to assist with an individual’s daily structure and coping ability during their hospitalization. Treatment services restore, remediate or rehabilitate in order to improve functioning and independence, as well as reduce or eliminate the effects of illness or disability. Recreation services provide opportunities for self-expression, independence, stimulation, control, security and creativity. Together these services provide individuals with other positive outcomes such as adjustment to medical procedures, fitness, relaxation, changes in lifestyle, release from stress and satisfying social interaction.
Aquatic Programs
Aquatic Programs, such as warm water pool classes for adults (arthritis, low impact, moderate and cardio) are offered in the Sticht Center. Ai Chi, a form of aquatic exercise, is also open to everyone at Salemtowne Retirement Community on Mondays and Wednesdays at 1 pm. Pre-registration is required for all classes. To register or to receive more information, contact Debbie Drayton at 336-713-8082 or email ddrayton@wakehealth.edu.
Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy offers many different kinds of massages, including chair massages which are available in the Comprehensive Cancer Center. Their other locations include the Sticht Center, Medical Plaza - Miller, and Integrative Medicine - Highland Oaks. For more details, contact Suzanne Melcher-Thompson at 336-713-3088 or 336-713-3076, you can also email her at sthompso@wakehealth.edu.
Cancer Patient Support Program sponsors free chair massages outside the Hospitality Room on the 3rd floor of the Comprehensive Cancer Center. For dates and times, check the CPSP monthly calendar.
Sally Benfield can assist with finding financial resources, coping with illness, caregiver stress, working with the medical team to set up and coordinate home care, ordering medical equipment, as well as general information and referral.
Our dedicated social worker is located on the 2nd floor of the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
For an appointment, call Sally Benfield: Call 336-713-5419 or email Sbenfiel@akehealth.edu.
Located on the 4th floor of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Supportive Care Outpatient Oncology Clinic can help manage symptoms you may have related to side effects such as: fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, nerve pain, anxiety, depression, etc. The goal of the clinic is to provide a safe haven for patients and to improve overall quality of life and function.
Our dedicated providers include Jennifer Gabbard, MD, and Carl R. Grey, MD. The supportive care team is available by request to inpatients. Please call 336-713-5440 if you have questions or would like an appointment.
Care and Treatment
Providers
Katie Duckworth, PhD is the Director of the Cancer Patient Support and Psychosocial Oncology Programs and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Hematology and Oncology. Katie received a BS in Cognitive Studies and Spanish Literature from Vanderbilt University, a MA in Community Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio as well as a MA in History from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Counseling and Counselor Education. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Psychosocial Oncology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Katie's clinical and research interests include adjustment to chronic health conditions, maternal health, including pregnancy in cancer care, young adult survivorship, sleep quality, fertility and end of life care. She works primarily with the stem cell transplant service and enjoys multidisciplinary care as well as long term relationship establishment with clients. Katie has a strong interest in both clinical and archival research. She is active in many committees throughout the medical center, including medical school admissions and faculty development, and teaches in numerous programs, including Genetic Counseling and the Addiction Research and Clinical Health Programs. |
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Erica joined the Cancer Patient Support Program in 2022 as a psychosocial oncology counselor and art therapist. She is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, national certified Counselor, registered art therapist, and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) practitioner. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and art therapy from Lesley University. Erica’s counseling approach is rooted mindfulness and somatic focused practices combined with humanistic (person-centered, gestalt, existential), cognitive-behavioral and expressive arts therapies. Her clinical and research interests include distress management due to impact of acute and chronic disease, healthy adaptation through significant transitions, navigating grief and loss, women’s wellness and empowerment, psychoeducation and the use of expressive arts therapies in medical settings to promote healing. Erica currently provides inpatient and outpatient counseling to individuals and families, is a clinical supervisor for graduate level counselors in training through practicum and internship learning experiences and manages the CPSP Healing Arts Therapy Clinic providing art therapy services to patients, caregivers and providers here at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. |
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Emily LaFontaine, LCSWA, graduated from Appalachian State University in 2012 with two bachelor’s degrees in education and communication. She then taught fourth, fifth and sixth grades for approximately five years before being diagnosed with leukemia and surviving two stem cells transplants. This prompted her to pursue a master’s degree in social work from the University of South Florida, leading to internships with the Mooresville Graded School District, as well as Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s Cancer Patient Support Program. Emily graduated in 2022 as a member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society. Emily’s clinical interests include anxiety, depression, grief, adjustment to diagnosis/treatment/survivorship, financial toxicity, accessibility/affordability of medical care and coverage, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Emily has worked with children and adolescents in the school setting and currently works with adults of all ages in the inpatient and outpatient medical settings. |
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Carrie Madsen rejoined the Cancer Patient Support Program in 2022 as a psychosocial oncology counselor, having previously served on staff with CPSP in 2015. She completed her MS in Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2012 and has provided individual and group therapy in medical, educational, and clinical mental health settings. Carrie also holds a BA in Music from the University of Oregon and an MA in Musicology from Cornell University. Carrie's clinical interests include chronic health conditions, anxiety, depression, spirituality, existential concerns, end-of-life issues, grief and loss, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and group therapy. She is particularly passionate about supporting clients as they navigate periods of adjustment, such as those initiated by cancer diagnosis, treatment, and/or survivorship. Carrie works with individuals, groups, and caregivers/families in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. |
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Lisa is the Integrated Clinical Programming Manager of the Cancer Patient Support and Psychosocial Oncology Programs. She joined the Cancer Patient Support Program in 2020 as a psychosocial oncology counselor after completing her year-long practicum and internship as a graduate student in counseling. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, German and sociology from Winona State University, a master’s degree in German studies from the University of Oregon, a PhD in German and Scandinavian studies, with an emphasis on existential and feminist theory and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and a master’s degree in counseling from Wake Forest University. She is a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, a national certified Counselor, a certified Grief Professional, and holds international certification in Thanatology from the Association of Death Education and Counseling. Her graduate work and research has focused on human concerns related to meaning and purpose in life, human suffering and death, freedom and responsibility, and isolation and loneliness. Her theoretical orientation is rooted in existential humanist philosophy with the belief that each individual has inherent strengths that enable one to grow and adapt through personal choices and responsibilities. The death of a loved one, the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, or the inability to speak due to cancer can be the force that catapults one into an existential crisis. Lisa recognizes that such crises can be debilitating but also views them as an opportunity for personal growth. She is committed to supporting her patients on their journey to identify and embrace the people, values and activities that matter most to them while facing life challenges. Lisa’s clinical and research interests include grief, anxiety, existential threats, caregiver distress, geriatrics and end of life decisions. She provides inpatient and outpatient counseling to individuals, couples, and families and leads virtual support groups for caregivers and cancer survivors. |
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Lindsay Seigenthaler joined the Cancer Patient Support Program in 2023 as a psychosocial oncology counselor. She completed her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from North Carolina State University in 2020 and has experience working within in-patient treatment programs and the private practice settings. Lindsay’s therapeutic approach is rooted in humanistic and person-centered methodologies that incorporate aspects of solution-focused brief therapy, as well as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Her clinical interests include anxiety, depression, grief and loss, identity development, life transitions and substance abuse. She currently provides counseling to individuals, caregivers and families in inpatient and outpatient settings. |
Further Support
View other oncology support services offered at the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
View other support groups in Winston-Salem and the surrounding counties.
View a full listing of the Cancer Support Groups by County.
View list of National Cancer Support Organizations.