Talking to Kids About a Parent’s Cancer Diagnosis
Talking to children about cancer is never easy, whether they’re kids, teens, or even young adults. Mass General psychologist Cindy Moore, PhD shares her advice for starting the conversation.
Cindy Moore, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry, and the Director of the Marjorie E. Korff Parenting At a Challenging Time (PACT) Program. She is also an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Moore specializes in helping adults with a serious medical illness support their children’s adjustment and coping. She also provides psychotherapy to adults and children and has a particular interest in working with people who are grieving a loss. She teaches locally and nationally about how parents and healthcare professionals can support children living with a chronically ill parent, and conducts research on the specific challenges faced by parents who are managing cancer.
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Mass General Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
55 Fruit St.
Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care
Suite 6A
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-724-5600
Medical Education
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Moore CW, Mankey V. When a patient's parent has cancer: The pediatrician's role. Contemporary Pediatrics, February 1, 2010.
Moore CW, Pengelly M, Rauch PK. Communicating with children when a parent is dying. In: Handbook of Communication in Cancer and Palliative Care. Eds: Kissane D, Bultz B, Butow P, Finlay I. New York: Oxford University Press; 2010. p. 557-572.
Moore CW, Rauch, PK. Addressing the needs of children when a parent has cancer. In: Psycho-oncology. Eds: Holland JC, et al. New York: Oxford University Press; 2010. p. 527-531.
Moore CW, Rauch PK, Ing JL, Babcock R, Muriel AC. The Parenting Concerns Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties of a New Scale for Adults with Cancer. Psycho-Oncology. 2010: 19(S1):S50.
Fasciano KM, Berman H, Moore C, Defrino B, Jameson R, Kennedy V, Golant M. When a parent has cancer: A community based program for school personnel. Psycho-oncology. 2007;16(2):158-167.
Wittman C, Moore C, Sayres van Niel M, Noam G. Prolonged mourning in a fifteen year old girl . Harvard Review of Psychiatry. 2007; 15(6):301-311.
Moore CW, Muriel AC, Beiser ME, Pirl WF, Rauch PK. Parenting concerns among adult cancer patients: A pilot study. Psycho-Oncology. 2006;15(S1):S47.
Moore CW, Rauch PK. Addressing parenting concerns of bone marrow transplant patients: opening (and closing) Pandora's box. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2006; 38(12):775-82.
Moore CW, Rauch P. The child and the death of a loved one. In: Current Pediatric Therapy. Eds: Burg F, Ingelfinger J, Polin R, Gershon A. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 2006. p. 404-406.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/cynthia.moore.1/bibliography/public/
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Talking to children about cancer is never easy, whether they’re kids, teens, or even young adults. Mass General psychologist Cindy Moore, PhD shares her advice for starting the conversation.