A retreat for families of children recently diagnosed with cancer

The authors describe a clinical intervention program designed for children recently diagnosed with cancer and their families. The rationale for a family weekend retreat, the planning process, and its implementation are outlined.

Staff members (nurses, social workers, child life specialists, and physicians) at the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders of the Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, conducted a comprehensive needs assessment of the families of children recently diagnosed with cancer. Subsequently, staff members planned and implemented the Family Weekend Retreat for these patients and their families. The program was designed to provide education to patients and parents, to reduce isolation within the family and among family systems, and to reduce individual and family stress.

Using a 19-item evaluative questionnaire, the participating families indicated that the Family Weekend Retreat met their needs for education, recreation, and mutual support. The families expressed an interest in, and subsequently held, a retreat reunion.

This program may be useful to other clinicians and/or cancer treatment facilities that wish to provide a network of support among families of recently diagnosed children who are struggling through the cancer experience.