Story Listening Workshop Supports Queer and Trans Cancer Patients
A study from the University of Vermont Cancer Center (UVMCC) is highlighting the power of storytelling to strengthen connection and support among queer and trans people navigating cancer.
Supported by a UVMCC pilot grant and developed by researchers from UVMCC, the UVM College of Education and Social Services, the Vermont Conversation Lab, and the Pride Center of Vermont, the study engaged 12 queer and trans Vermonters navigating cancer. After a day-long training in engaged neutrality, attentive and responsive listening, cultural humility, secondary traumatic stress, and self-sustenance, participants paired up to share and record their personal stories. Using pre- and post-workshop assessments, the research team evaluated shifts in participants’ feelings of distress, peace, and connectedness.
The results, recently published in the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, suggest the storytelling intervention had a measurable impact. “What we found in our qualitative data analysis is that this intervention promoted a greater understanding of self and greater appreciation of community after just one day,” said UVMCC member Jay Garvey, Ph.D., Executive Director for the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, and an author on the study. “It really underscores the power of listening and storytelling as part of the cancer journey for queer and trans folks.”
A uniquely Vermont context
The need for this approach is particularly pronounced in Vermont, where demographics and geography shape the cancer experience in distinctive ways.
Vermont is the most rural state in the country, and home to one of the highest percentages of queer and trans residents, and the highest percentage of trans adults 65 and older. The overlapping factors of identity, age, health status, and rurality can compound feelings of isolation and invisibility, researchers say.
“Being queer and/or trans, being older, having a cancer diagnosis, and living in a rural state create a really unique context for how these folks experience their cancer journeys,” Garvey said.
Participants’ stories also revealed challenges within a healthcare system that is not always equipped to meet their needs. Assumptions about partners, gender identity, or gender-affirming care can cumulatively contribute to a patient feeling unwelcomed in healthcare settings.
Beyond the workshop
While the initial study focused on whether the workshop could strengthen connection and self-awareness, the research is continuing to deepen.
“Our second study, which is already underway, seeks to analyze these stories to find themes about family and community connection, medical history, and experiences with healthcare providers,” Garvey said. “Whereas this first study asked, ‘Did this intervention help promote more community and understanding of self?’ the second will ask, ‘What can we learn from the narrative experiences these folks shared about their cancer journey?’”
The research team’s long-term vision is to expand the program statewide through a train-the-trainer model, bringing story listening skills into communities across Vermont.
“Our vision is to teach people from all Vermont counties what it means to be an empathetic listener, to receive stories with dignity, and to have cultural humility,” Garvey said. “Once trained, they would go back to their counties and host workshops to receive people’s stories.”
For the participants, the impact appears to extend well beyond the workshop itself: after a day of sharing and listening to deeply personal experiences, many had exchanged contact information and planned their next gathering.
