Inter- and Intra-disciplinary care in a Pediatric Integrative Medicine Medical Setting: Combining Knowledge to Best Support Children, Adolescents, Young Adults and their Families
Date & Time:
Saturday, March 23, 2024
2:00 PM- 4:00 PM
Location:
Virtual lecture. Zoom link will be provided after registration.
Course Description:
This presentation exemplifies how a robust integrative medicine team is part of standardized care, providing vital support for children, adolescents and young adults, and their families in a pediatric oncology hospital. Using case study material and evidence-informed research, this panel presents the variety of ways a multidisciplinary team of creative arts therapies (dance and music), mindbody therapies (yoga, martial arts) and touch therapies (Reiki, massage) work collaboratively. This team approach is essential to meet the needs of the whole patient, incorporating all aspects of the individual’s experience by addressing the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of pediatric patients, their families and caregivers along their cancer journey. These modalities give oncology patients and their caregivers tools to help with reducing stress, create life balance, improve quality of life, help them face their fears, and cope with pain, both physically and psychically. The strengths, challenges and administrative organization necessary to successfully integrate services are highlighted. Creative arts therapies are a psychotherapeutic modality that utilizes arts-based methods. In a pediatric medical setting these therapies facilitate children, who inherently don’t have the tools to verbalize their experiences, to express emotions and thoughts that are felt but are difficult to share through words. This is an especially salient need due to the vast and complex concerns a pediatric cancer diagnosis and treatment creates. Caregiver involvement is often an important aspect of these therapies, fostering a unique bonding experience unlike other services in the medical setting. Mind-body and touch therapies are a group of healing techniques that focus on strengthening the mind-body connection and improving overall health. These therapists incorporate breathwork, various movement forms and practices, meditation, Reiki, massage, and guided imagery to strengthen and coordinate a person’s mind, body, and spirit. This presentation combines lectures, experiential activities, and audience involvement, featuring the hospital's current research.
Learning Objectives
1. Learn how professionals working in a variety of disciplines both uniquely support the patient and family members, and work together as an integrated team.
2. Learn core elements of medical creative arts, mind-body and touch therapies for pediatric oncology patients and their families.
3. Learn the administrative organizational structure needed to implement collaboration among the integrative medicine multi-disciplinary team within the structure of standard interdisciplinary medical care.
CONTINUING EDUCATION 2.0 ADTA CE; 2.0 NBCC CE; 2.0 NY LCAT
About the Instructors
Dr. Suzi Tortora, Ed.D, LCAT, BC-DMT, CMA, NCC, LMHC has a private practice in Cold Spring, NY and NYC, specializing in parentinfant/child/ family therapy; trauma; medical illness; International Medical Creative Arts Spokesperson for the Andréa Rizzo Foundation; 2003 created and currently senior DMT for pediatric patients at Integrative Medicine Service, MSKCC, NYC; received 2010 Marian Chace Distinguished DMT award; holds faculty positions nationally and internationally; offers an International Webinar Training Program; published author: The Dancing Dialogue: Using the communicative Power of Movement with Young Children used extensively in DMT training; and Keren & Tortora-Dance/Movement Therapy for Infants and Young Children with Medical Illness: Treating Somatic and Psychic Distress (2023).
Jennifer Whitley, MS, BC-DMT, LCAT, CMA is a board-certified DMT and LCAT in NY, graduating from Pratt Institute in 2012. She is trained in: Ways of Seeing, Level II Reiki, LMA from LIMS, and authentic movement. Jenn works at MSKCC in NYC with a focus on medical DMT in pediatric oncology (MSK Kids), offers dance wellness classes, and leads workshops for adult patients through Integrative Medicine. She provides dance therapy in the school setting and works in private practice at Dancing Dialogue using Suzi Tortora’s Ways of Seeing approach. Jenn is on the Board of the Andréa Rizzo Foundation and the ADTA Standards and Ethics Committee.
Malik Cadwell, BA Grandmaster of Martial Arts, Mind/Body Therapist, MSKCC, Integrative Medicine, MSK Kids, AYA will present on the use of various Martial Arts, such as Karate, Aikido, Tai Chi, and the complementary practice of Qigong, to support oncology patients of all ages and their caregivers. He will provide an experiential to help demystify the practices and terminology of Qigong, Tai Chi, and Martial Arts.
Karen Popkin, MA, MT-BC, LCAT is a music therapist. As part of the Integrative Medicine Service, music therapy is available to hospitalized patients of all ages for management of symptoms such as anxiety, pain, depressed mood and low motivation. After a patient is referred for music therapy, I come to the bedside to assess, treat and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Patients are seen 1-2 times per week.
Clare Patterson, E-RYT 500 is a Yoga Instructor Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and yoga4cancer senior teacher.
Registration:
https://www.adta.org/spring-virtual-summit