About
Spiritual health is an important part of people-centred care that includes all dimensions of a person: spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and social.
Watch our video to better understand spiritual health care and learn how to access this service if you are a BC Cancer patient, family member, or caregiver.
You may have spiritual health needs in the context of cancer. You may start looking for ways to:
- Have more meaning and purpose in your life
- Cope with suffering
- Explore your core values, beliefs and/or faith
- Connect to your Higher Power or Higher Self
- Find greater peace through spiritual practices or rituals
We support patients and families during their cancer care. We help you explore your spirituality in the context of cancer. We connect you to spiritual resources and practices.
We offer virtual or phone service options:
- Individual sessions
- Family or caregiver sessions
- Joint Sessions (Patient and Family member)
Group Online Offerings
- Cultivating Your Spiritual Garden Workshop (Fall & Spring)
- SOUL FOOD Spiritual Health Group (Monthly)
You may benefit from our spiritual care services if you:
- Are looking for emotional and culturally sensitive support
- Are experiencing stress, worry, fear, sadness, or anger
- Want support for spiritual or existential distress
- Feel isolated and want to connect with someone who understands your cultural context, beliefs or faith
- Want to talk about end of life from a spiritual/existential lens
Watch our new video to better understand how Spiritual Health Practitioners can support patients and their family members.
Spiritual distress is a conflict between your belief system and your current reality. It is when your core spirituality is challenged and you do not have spiritual well-being.
Spiritual distress can happen when:
- You are waiting for a diagnosis.
- You have a major setback or complications.
- You are in pain or are suffering.
- Your beliefs do not support the treatment your health care team has recommended.
- You are wishing for a ritual of faith, such as prayer or having Communion.
Spiritual distress can also affect family members and caregivers of people with cancer. It can often happen if you are:
- Responsible for making hard or life-changing decisions for your loved one.
- Experiencing compassion or caregiver fatigue.
Spiritual Care is a holistic approach to healthcare. It values and affirms spirituality and/or faith as part of healing. Spirituality encompasses your sense of meaning, purpose, and transcendence (being able to go beyond normal limits or boundaries). It is not limited to religion, but religion can be included in one’s spirituality. You may experience spirituality through your relationship to yourself, family, , community, society, nature, your higher power or higher self, or that which you find significant or sacred.
At BC Cancer we recognize Indigenous spirituality and cultural backgrounds, traditional ceremonies, practices and traditions, are integral parts of holistic healing. Our Indigenous Patient Navigators can connect our Indigenous Patients (Métis, First Nations and Inuit) to Elders in various regions throughout the province, and you can also request traditional healing, practices, and medicines. To speak with an Indigenous Patient Navigator please fill out the referral form, or ask a member of the Health Care Team to refer you.
Indigenous Patient Navigator Referral Form
Visit Indigenous Cancer Control for more information.
Ask your BC Cancer health care provider to refer you or contact Spiritual Health at spiritualcare1@bccancer.bc.ca.
