Vanderlan named manager of Siteman Psychology Service

Jessica Vanderlan, PhD, clinical instructor in psychiatry, has been named manager of psychological counseling at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She and her staff of fellow licensed clinical psychologists and psychology doctoral student therapists offer free, evidenced-based care to Siteman patients and their families.

“Cancer treatment should focus on caring for the whole person, including psychological and emotional functioning, and supporting patients and caregivers through all phases of cancer,” said Vanderlan. “In the psychology service, we can work toward improving quality of life and meeting more than our patients’ physical needs. We see patients at some of the most difficult points in their lives and we want them to find that their psychosocial support needs – throughout the cancer care trajectory – are met by specialized and caring providers.

Vanderlan also researches how best to meet the psychological needs of cancer patients, focusing on distress screening, psychological functioning in gynecologic oncology, clinical outcomes of patients who utilize counseling services, program development and integrated psychological care.

In addition to managing Siteman Psychology Service, Vanderlan has been the director of Siteman’s psychology training program, supervising doctoral students and interns. She earned her doctorate degree in 2015, completed her internship at UCLA, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Siteman. Vanderlan is a member of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Siteman Psychology  Service also offers education services, including teaching coping skills; helps with problem-solving; and connects patients with support groups, peer support and community resources. Care at Siteman Counseling Service is free, regardless of a person’s insurance status or ability to pay. Because there are no billing issues, a physician referral, while welcomed, is not required.

The service is based at Siteman’s main location, on the Washington University Medical Campus. Counseling and therapy services also are available on a limited basis at Siteman satellite facilities in west and south St. Louis County and in St. Charles County. For more information, call 314-747-5587.