Phone therapy aims to lift spirits of elderly cancer patients

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * As per self-report or medical record, ≥ 70 years of age * As per self-report or medical record, has a diagnosis of cancer * As per self-report or medical record, receiving active treatment (e.g., radiation, chemotherapy, hormone); OR received active treatment in the past 6 months (N/A for training case participants); OR are currently on active surveillance with follow-ups at least approximately every 6 months * Received a HADS-D score of ≥ 6 or HADS-A score of ≥ 6 or a score of ≥ 4 on the distress thermometer. (N/A for training case participants) * Received a Karnofsky Performance Rating Scale (KPRS) score of ≥ 60 (N/A for training case participants) * Received a Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Scale (BOMC) score of ≤ 11 (N/A for training case participants) * Fluent in English, as per self-reported fluency of "well" or "very well"\* Exclusion Criteria: * As per self-report, currently taking antidepressant medication for \< 3 months * As per self-report, currently receiving hospice care * In the judgment of the consenting professional is unable to provide informed consent and complete study sessions and assessment * As per self-report or as documented in the medical record, current untreated (e.g., no medication, no therapy) major psychotic disorder (schizotypal personality disorder, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder). Patients diagnosed with a major psychiatric disorder will be reviewed by the study PI to determine eligibility prior to consent. * Language verification: Prior to enrollment, patients will be asked the following two questions by research staff to verify English fluency necessary for participation in the study: 1. How well do you speak English? (must respond "Well" or "Very well" when given the choices of Very well, Well, Not well, Not at all, Don't know, or Refused) 2. What is your preferred language for healthcare? (must respond English)