"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Samantha Burns Artherholt, PhD

Provider

Samantha Burns Artherholt, PhD

Clinical Psychologist, Fred Hutch
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington

Specialty:

Psychology

South Lake Union Clinic

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“Cancer and its treatment can be unlike other medical situations. It can be intense. It is my goal to help lighten the load and make things a bit easier for patients.”

— Dr. Artherholt

What makes cancer unique from a psychological perspective?

A lot of times, the emotional impact of cancer can take some time to hit. For many people, it takes place when they have completed physical treatment. While you’re going through it, it can be one foot in front of the other, and it’s not until later that the real emotional processing starts. Although it’s good to have friends and family around during the hard parts, sometimes they don’t want to hear about a bad day or they won’t have the right words. I feel privileged to be able to offer support.

What do you hope it’s like for a patient to work with you?

I hope I'm easy to talk to and that I can help them understand more about their treatment and its impact from a psychosocial perspective. There’s this task for survivors to try to figure everything out afterwards and determine how to feel normal, if normal is different; although I don’t really like the phrase “new normal,” it’s really the best we’ve got. What even is “normal?” Where am I now, and what has happened?

It's also my job to help people figure out the guideposts along the way and how to go back out into the world after such a big thing has happened. Most people have never had an experience like this.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Clinical psychology, health rehabilitation psychology

I am a clinical psychologist who sees patients at the South Lake Union Clinic.

I currently work with patients who have various serious to chronic medical conditions, including cancer.

Languages

English

Education, Experience and Certifications

Undergraduate Degree
University of Washington

Medical Degree
Seattle Pacific University School of Nursing

Fellowship
University of Washington, Biobehavioral Psychology, Cancer Prevention & Control

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