Sydney Voelbel, M.S.W. ’25, watched multiple people close to her – including her father – undergo cancer treatment, all before she completed her undergraduate education. As she bore witness, she noticed that psychosocial support was the missing piece in all treatment experiences. The observation inspired her to pursue a career in oncology social work to be part of the solution to what she sees as a dearth of mental health support in that arena.
“I always felt that people who are diagnosed with cancer or with a terminal illness, they have all this physical health support but not enough emotional and mental support,” she said. “If people had mental health resources at the beginning of their diagnoses, conversations and treatment planning would be different.” Patients need support navigating conversations around everything from finances to mortality and advanced care planning, she said.
After considering a Ph.D. in health psychology, the New Jersey native began to research social work at the suggestion of her father, a cognitive neuroscience professor at NYU.
“My dad was like, have you thought about doing social work?” she said. “I talked to some social workers who were family friends and they had such great things to say about it.”
She entered Smith – which she applied to both because of its stellar reputation and her desire to live in New England – planning to pursue oncology social work.
After her first summer on campus, Voelbel completed her first year internship at the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. Working remotely, she led support groups, completed biopsychosocial assessments, conducted one-on-one patient support and crisis intervention, and provided supportive resources.
“I really loved it,” she said. She also continued in her pre-Smith role as a research assistant at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, where she has worked on two studies looking at the values cancer patients hold toward their final days.
This year, Voelbel is interning with Baystate Health’s Pediatric Palliative Care unit, where she conducts home visits throughout Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties in Massachusetts, providing mental health support to patients and their families collaboratively alongside nurses, music therapists, massage therapists, and child life specialists.
The experience is broadening her perspective on future career possibilities.
“This internship has helped me broaden the scope from oncology social work to medical social work” more generally, Voelbel said, because working with palliative care and hospice patients with many types of illnesses “is making me realize that helping people with any life-altering illness is very important.” And, she added, “Social workers can make such a positive difference in such a shitty situation.”
Through it all, Voelbel is grateful that, after selecting a school based on the fall foliage factor, she found herself in an invigorating yet nurturing environment.
“I love my experience at Smith,” she said, citing “amazing” professors and the benefits of fully focusing on job experience during the academic year. “The people I have met through this program have made such a big difference to me. Having each other to lean on really makes the intensity of the program feel more manageable.”
