Meaning-Centered Counseling for Chinese Patients Who Are Being Treated for Advanced Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

Phases 1 and 2:

Interview Inclusion Criteria (per self-report):

• Non-US born;

• Of Chinese descent;

• Age 21 years through 80 years;

• Language spoken: Mandarin and/or English

• Diagnosis of Stage IV cancer (any type).

Phase 3:

• Stage III or IV cancer (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR). If traditional stagingdoes not apply (i.e. for leukemia), we can allow patient deemed by provider to havepoor prognosis/roughly equivalent to Stage III or IV to be referred.

• Age 18 or older

• Of Chinese descent

• Mandarin-speaking

• Have an estimated life expectancy of at least 6 months (per self-report or on theMSKCC EMR)

• Resides in New York State or New Jersey

Phase 4:

• Stage III or IV cancer (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR). If traditional stagingdoes not apply (i.e. for leukemia), we can allow patient deemed by provider to havepoor prognosis/roughly equivalent to Stage III or IV to be referred.

• Age 18 or older

• Of Chinese descent

• Mandarin-speaking

• Have an estimated life expectancy of at least 6 months (per referring physicianassessment or on the MSKCC EMR)

• Resides in New York State or New Jersey

Exclusion Criteria:

Phases 1 and 2:

• Presence of cognitive impairment disorder (e.g., delirium or dementia) sufficient topreclude meaningful informed consent and/or data collection. The Chinese version ofthe Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (46) will be used as a cognitive screeningtool. Patients with MMSE scores below 20 will be excluded. For English speakingpatients we will use the English version of the MMSE.

• Has a household member who has already participated (or agreed to participate).

Phase 3:

• Previous participation in Phases 1 or 2 of the study

• Unable/unwilling to use or no access to a telehealth platform (i.e., telephone orvideoconference)

• For participants who express interest in RSMI, unable/unwilling to use Zoomvideoconferencing platform

• Unable or unwilling to commit to up to 16 weeks to complete 6-session interventionand follow-up assessments

• Major psychiatric illness or cognitive impairment that in the judgment of studyinvestigators or study staff would preclude study participation

• Patients diagnosed with primary brain tumors (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR),as they may have difficulty completing the intervention and answering questionnaires

• Undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (per self-report or on theMSKCC EMR)

• Currently in psychotherapeutic treatment (patients being treated with psychotropicmedications will not be excluded, as long as they are not in psychotherapy; per selfreport)

Phase 4:

• Previous participation in Phases 1, 2, or 3 of the study

• Unable/unwilling to use or no access to the Zoom videoconferencing platform (required for RSMI)

• Unable or unwilling to commit to up to 16 weeks to complete 6-session interventionand follow-up assessments

• Major psychiatric illness or cognitive impairment that in the judgment of studyinvestigators or study staff would preclude study participation

• Patients diagnosed with primary brain tumors (per self-report or on the MSKCC EMR),as they may have difficulty completing the intervention and answering questionnaires

• Undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (per self-report or on theMSKCC EMR)

• Currently in psychotherapeutic treatment (patients being treated with psychotropicmedications will not be excluded, as long as they are not in psychotherapy; per selfreport)