Meet Senior Psychologist, Chloe
As a senior psychologist in Cancer Care at Royal Darwin Hospital, Chloe says people are the most rewarding part of her job.
“The patients and their loved ones are always what I like best about my role,” she said.
“There is a bit of a misconception that this is a sad or difficult area to work in and the one thing I hear the most when I tell people what I do is ‘I don’t know how you do it, I just wouldn’t be able to’. But I can honestly say that I’ve never felt that way. It is such a privilege to work with this group of people and hear their stories and support them in whatever way I can.”
Chloe has been a psychologist for almost 12 years and spends her days running outpatients clinics at the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre, inpatient visits at RDH and supervising 2 clinical masters psychology students on placement from Charles Darwin University, and provides in-services to staff as needed.
The Cancer Care psychology service provides psychological support to patients and their families at any stage, regardless of treatment pathway, from diagnosis onwards.
“We see patients who have just been diagnosed, those who are under active treatment, those under surveillance, people with ongoing treatment due to having a metastatic diagnosis, in survivorship or in palliative care pathways. We work to support the patients and their families in whatever their needs are,” she said.
“A cancer diagnosis is one of the most significant stressors that can occur in a person’s life. They are facing potential difficulties around adjustment, identity, change in their everyday life and role in the family, body image changes, anxiety, mood disturbances and alterations to their core values and beliefs. A cancer diagnosis, regardless of prognosis can bring up thoughts and fears around mortality. These can be hard conversations to have with friends and family initially and we can support people to talk through these concerns openly. We aim to be able to form a part of patient’s support structure.”
Chloe recently presented at the Breast Cancer Network Australia forum in Darwin. She spoke about 2 patients, an early diagnosis and metastatic diagnoses, and the emotional challenges. The presentation provided attendees evidence-based information on why language matters and practical strategies to manage difficulties.
A challenge in Chloe’s role is attracting other psychologists to the area of psycho-oncology.
“There is a pervasive belief that this is a difficult area of work emotionally as a clinician, but I hope that I’m able to show that just the opposite is true,” she says.
If you wish to join Chloe’s team, Cancer Care psychology services are currently recruiting and welcome all enquires about the position.
To find more information about recruitment, go to the Careers in Government website and search ‘psychologist'.
