Colleen Deatherage

Colleen Deatherage

Contributor

Colleen has worked for 20+ years as a social worker in a range of settings including emergency psychiatry, family services, acute care, private practice, clinical directing, and now, palliative care. Her MSW focused on maternal/child health and sexual health. She is currently working on a doctorate in looking the intersection of alternative spirituality and chronic illness. On the side, she loves to learn about domestic arts history, especially if there are textiles involved.

Culture

A Perspective on Patienthood

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“The patient.” I hate that term. I hate to write about “the patient,” I hate to talk about “the patient.” But before I proceed, let me take a moment to locate myself: I am a medical social worker, a therapist, and a chronic illness patient with SLE (lupus). A significant part of my job is… Read more →

The Deathbed

Reconsidering How We Die

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I arrived home ready to relax and watch The Crown after an intense work day, which included debriefing the family of a person in hospice who had died that night. Although we’d advised the family about the often brutal nature of dying from throat cancer, it can be difficult to imagine for anyone who hasn’t… Read more →