ABSTRACT
This chapter sets a rationale for very brief therapy encounters, using an integrative approach to Cognitive Behavior Therapy to spark acceptance and change processes. Patients in cancer centers are often referred in states of high distress, with limited time or energy for engagement in extensive therapy. Nezu et al. described the range of problem orientations that can impede or enhance the ability to effectively cope with cancer's challenges. Effective brief therapy for cancer requires the therapist to attune rapidly to the patient's adjustment and problem-solving stance, via attunement to his or her use of language, metaphor, and body language. In a sense, behavioral health clinicians working in a cancer center don't have to fish for a problem list facing their patients. While the surgery was deemed successful, in terms of cancer removal, she speaks with the aid of an electrical device placed against her throat. This leaves her with a mechanical, robotic speech pattern, of which she is ashamed.
