Still, the decision to cease treatment is a difficult one, especially for parents. Part of their education is to learn to listen to the child. It can be very painful for the caregiving team when they see a child's had enough and the parents want to keep on trying. There's lots of overlap in the roles, so I'm not the only one doing this work. Nevertheless, Sourkes laments the fact that her work is called upon more often in times of crisis than as a preventive or normal part of the care of a child confronted with the pain, loss and disruption of his or her life imposed by illness.
Psychological support is considered a luxury item.
Still, it's work that satisfies and evolves, and she is pleased that pediatric palliative care is finally being given its due. Next September, the International Congress on Care of the Terminally Ill will include, for the first time, a stream on children. Her books in English, simply and directly written and free of jargon, have appeal for both the lay reader and professionals in Sourkes' field. Their eloquence bespeaks the psychologist's desire while an English major at McGill to work with both words and children. It was after taking a course on child psychology, given by the late Sam Rabinovitch, that Sourkes heard her calling and switched to psychology.