Holly Barron Supports Patients With Advance Care Planning

Meet Holly Barron, LICSW , a clinical social worker at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Barron plays a crucial role in equipping patients and their loved ones with the emotional support they need to make informed decisions about future medical care.

What do you do at Dana-Farber? I am a senior clinical social worker in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center. We provide emotional support and counseling to patients and their loved ones at every phase of their cancer process, exploring all aspects of how they are coping with — and adjusting to — their diagnosis and treatment. Every patient at Dana-Farber has access to social work, and are usually referred to us by someone on their care team or through self-referral. 

How do you help patients reach decisions about their care? We talk with patients and their loved ones to learn about what is most important and meaningful to them, how they define quality of life, and how they can continue to live with as much normalcy as possible through their treatment. Through these conversations together, we can think through what they want their treatment process to look like. Patients are a part of their own care team. Their voice and what they want matters. Social work partners with patients on how to advocate for themselves with their providers, so that they can communicate what is important, and be sure they are being heard. 

Why is advance care planning important? It’s important for several reasons. As part of your care team, we want to know what is most important to you and what you want your care to look like so we can take the best care of you. When living with cancer, having conversations with your loved ones about what is most meaningful to you and end-of-life planning can be difficult, and it is also so very important. I encourage my patients to have these conversations far before they need it. Social work can help open the door to these conversations, as I often find that patients and their loved ones may be thinking about these delicate topics, but do not know where to start. I emphasize with my patients that although these conversations can be emotional and painful, people often feel a sense of relief after having discussed it and feel more comfortable knowing it is something they can come back to and revisit. For patients to share with their loved ones what they want their care to look like and what is most meaningful to them at end-of-life is a gift. That way, loved ones can have a sense of peace knowing they carried wishes out exactly as discussed, and no one is left wondering whether they did the right thing

What are you most proud of during your time at Dana-Farber? I have been a social worker at Dana-Farber for 8 years, and I came into this work thinking of what an honor it would be to join people through what may be one of the most difficult times in their lives. I continue to feel honored, humbled, grateful, and proud every day that people invite me into this space with them, and allow me to be a part of their worlds through this time. I have learned so much from my patients, their resilience, strength, and grace in living with cancer, and I carry these lessons with me every day.  

What do you like to do in your free time? I have a two-and-a-half-year-old who is a lot of fun and keeps us very busy and makes for little free time! I try to find moments of joy in my every day-to-day. I love spending time with my amazing family and friends, seeing live music, exploring in the city, and adventuring out of it when we can.