The conference was organised by a team of our clinicians, including Conference Lead and Senior Clinical Psychologist, Sophia Wooldridge, and staff members from Calvary Mater Newcastle.

It was a chance for health care workers to come together to learn, share knowledge and work through case studies to provide the very best cancer care for our patients.

Trauma Informed Cancer Care enables us to provide help and care to people in a way that understands and responds to the impact of trauma on people’s lives. It involves mitigating the effects of pre-existing psychological trauma and ensuring that the care we give, and the health setting itself, do not cause or exacerbate psychological trauma but instead promote healing.

Close to 70 people from across NSW attended the conference, hosted onsite in the Mater Lecture Theatre. We were fortunate to welcome and learn from well-respected speakers Dr Tamara Blakemore, Dr Finbar Hopkins, Scott Walsberger, Amy Fletcher, Jess Cain-Westaway, and Canadian presenter Cara Davidson.

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented and facilitated. The conference was an enriching and thought provoking day, with great energy and enthusiasm displayed throughout.

A special thank you to the conference’s organising committee, who worked so hard to ensure the event was such a success.