We see patients, family members and carers at various points of the care journey; this may be around the time of a diagnosis, during treatment, or after the completion of treatment as people adjust to the impact of the disease on their life. Common concerns that clients seek assistance with include:

• Changes to health and lifestyle (eg. How do I cope with this news? How do I manage work and/or other responsibilities?)
• Anxiety, stress and fear of recurrence (eg. How do I minimise stress through treatment? How do I control my worries about possible symptoms?)
• Depression, fatigue and sleep difficulties (eg. How do I get a good night’s sleep? What can I do if I find myself getting low?)
• The impact on relationships and communication (eg. What to tell children? How can I deal with others’ comments? As a carer, how can I best provide support?)
• Intimacy and body image (eg. How do I manage this area of my life? What about future relationships?)
• Living with loss and grief (eg. How can I best adjust to these changes? What about future plans?); and
• After cancer (eg. What does life look like now? How do I live the life I want to?)

Research evidence supports the effectiveness of psychological interventions on the quality of life and well-being of those dealing with cancer (see ref.* below), and the provision of emotional support in addition to the delivery of medical interventions is now considered “best practice care”.

*Ref: National Breast Cancer Centre and National Cancer Control Initiative. 2003, Clinical practice guidelines for the psychosocial care of adults with cancer, NBCC, Camperdown.