Resources for Clinicians

As oncology social work becomes a more prominent field, more CEUs, trainings, and organizations are available for support and education.

Self-Care Resources

Self-care is extremely important in the social work profession to ensure good mental health of clinicians and longevity in careers. These resources are helpful in learning about self care practices for social workers.

Virginia Commonwealth University "Self-Care for Social Workers: Tips and Strategies"

Cancer Support Community "Support Is Vital for Social Workers in Cancer Care"

Association of Oncology Social Work "The Importance of Self-care in the Oncology Work Setting"

Click here to learn more about Self-Care.

Continuing Education Programs

State licensing boards require social workers to take continuing education courses to maintain their licensure. Additionally, to maintain an Oncology Social Work Certification (OSW-C), an oncology social worker must have at least 10 credits in courses related to oncology. The following organizations provide oncology-specific courses for social workers.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Continuing Education Program

LLS offers various continuing education courses and programs on a variety of topics.

Cancer Support Community Learning and Training Program

Cancer Support Community offers trainings designed for nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals about topics involving cancer.

Rutgers School of Social Work Continuing Education

Rutgers University School of Social Work offers various continuing education programs and certificates.

Cancer Care Connect Education Workshops

Leading experts in oncology provide up-to-date information in one-hour educational cancer workshops over the telephone or online.

Association of Oncology Social Workers

AOSW offers various continuing education programs and have an annual conference for oncology social workers.

Trainings

There are various trainings specific for oncology social workers to enhance practice skills.

University of Pennsylvania Oncology Social Work Certification

The Advanced Certificate in Oncology Social Work Practice is designed for current healthcare social workers to gain superior knowledge and skills for work with individuals, families, and communities impacted by cancer.

Sensitive Practice Training

The primary goal of this education program is to evaluate the effectiveness of a course designed to train providers in how to work sensitively with sexual violence survivors undergoing cancer care. This program is free of charge for those accepted to the program.

Meaning Centered Therapy Memorial Sloan Kettering

Meaning-centered psychotherapy (MCP) is a manualized brief, structured psychotherapeutic intervention to help patients suffering with loss of meaning around illness. This training program will teach clinicians the techniques, concepts, and delivery of MCP, utilizing a combination of didactics, experiential exercises, and role-playing with actors. This training is free of charge to those accepted into the program.

Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (ESPEC)

ESPEC is an innovative training program designed for social workers, by social workers, to promote the integration of primary palliative care skills into clinical practice.

Organizations and Certifications

As with many professions, there are specific organizations and certifications available to oncology social workers.

Association of Oncology Social Workers (AOSW)

AOSW is a network of more than 1,300 professionals and students who practice in hospitals, cancer centers, home care agencies, hospice, community-based oncology practices, community programs, patient advocacy organizations, educational institutions and other settings. The offer a membership to their network and host an annual conference.

Oncology Social Work Certification (OSW-C)

Once a social worker has worked in an oncology setting and gained a certain amount of experience, you they can apply for the OSW-C.

Important Readings

Below are some important books and articles about oncology social work practice.

Books

Handbook of Oncology Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People with Cancer

by Grace Christ (Editor), Carolyn Messner (Editor), Lynn Behar (Editor)

Social Work in Oncology

By Naomi Stearns Elizabeth Clark Joan Hermann, et al.

Oncology and Palliative Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People Coping with Cancer

By Susan Hedlund (Editor), Bryan Miller (Editor), Grace Christ (Editor)

Articles

Cancer Facts & Figures 2025. (n.d.). American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/2025-cancer-facts-figures.html

Cancer statistics. (2024, May 9). Cancer.gov. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics

Carlson, L. E., Zelinski, E. L., Toivonen, K. I., Sundstrom, L., Jobin, C. T., Damaskos, P., & Zebrack, B. (2018). Prevalence of psychosocial distress in cancer patients across 55 North American cancer centers. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 37(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2018.1521490

Deshields, T., Kracen, A., Nanna, S., & Kimbro, L. (2016). Psychosocial staffing at National Comprehensive Cancer Network member institutions: Data from leading cancer centers. Psycho-Oncology, 25, 164-169.

Deshields, T., Zebrack, B. & Kennedy, V. (2013). The state of psychosocial services in cancer care in the United States. Psycho-Oncology, 22, 699-703.

FastStats. (n.d.). Leading Causes of Death. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm

Flanagan, M. W., Goltz, H., Henson, J., & Smith, M. L. (2022). Associations of practical, emotional, and physical problems with psychosocial distress among cancer patients. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 40(1), 98-114.

Hamilton, J., Kruse, H., Holcomb, L., & Freche, R. (2018). Distress and psychosocial needs: Demographic predictors of clinical distress after a cancer diagnosis. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 22(4), 390-397.

Lalliehorn, S., Isaksson J., & Salander, P. (2021). Two sides of the same coin: Oncology social workers’ experiences of their working life and its pros and cons. Nordic Social Work Research, 1-13.

Lawson, K., Werner-Lin, A., Fitzgerald, F., & Zabora, J. R. (2022). Defining self-disclosure of personal cancer coping experiences in oncology social workers’ helping relationships: When cancer “hits home.” Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 40(3).

Oktay, J., Rohan, E., Burruss, K., Callahan, C., Schapmire, T., Zebrack, B. (2021). Oncology social work intervention index (OSWii): An instrument to measure oncology social work interventions to advance research. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, (39)2, 143-160.

Ravalier, J. M., McFadden, P., Boichat, C., Clabburn, O., & Moriarty, J. (2021). Social worker well-being: A large mixed-methods study. British Journal of Social Work, 51, 297-317.

Rolland, J. S. (2019). Families, health, and illness. In S. Gehlert & T. A. Browne (Eds.), Handbook of Health Social Work (3rd edition), (pp. 331-357). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Simon, C. E., Pryce, J., Roff, L. R., & Klemmack, D. (2005). Secondary traumatic stress and oncology social work. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 23(4), 1-14.

Turnell, A., Rassmussen, V., Butow, P., Juraskova, I., Kirsten, L., Wiener, L., Patenaude, A., Hoekstra-Weebers, J., & Grassi, L. (2016). An exploration of the prevalence and predictors of work-related well-being among psychosocial oncology professionals: An application of the job demands-resources model. Palliative and Supportive Care, 14, 33-41.

Wells, K. J., Drizin, J. H., Ustjanauskas, A. E., Vazquez-Otero, C., Pan-Weisz, T. M., Ung, D., Carrizosa, C., Laronga, C., Roetzheim, R. G., Johnson, K., Norton, M., Aguilar, R. C., & Quinn, G. P. (2022). The psychosocial needs of underserved breast cancer survivors and perspectives of their clinicians and support providers. Supportive Care in Cancer 30, 105-116.

Yi, J., Ah Kim, M., Choi, K., Kim, S., & O’Connor, A. (2018). When does compassion fatigue hit social workers? Caring for oncology patients in Korea. Qualitative Social Work, 17(3), 337-354.

Zebrack, B., Schapmire, T., Otis-Green, S., Nelson, K., Miller, N., Donna, D., & Grignon, M. (2022). Establishing core competencies, opportunities, roles, and expertise for oncology social work. Journal of Social Work, 22(4), 1085-1104.