Counselling
Professional counseling services to help patients and their families cope with the challenges of cancer.
We offer counselling as an ‘Interaction Therapy’. It allows patients and families to talk about any fears, worries or conflicting emotions they may be experiencing, in a safe and confidential environment.
Our counsellors encourage patients or family members to talk about what’s bothering them in order to uncover any root causes and identify their specific ways of thinking. They assist them with relationship issues and help resolve problems. They teach strategies to handle anxiety and may share meditation or relaxation exercise to help ease physical and emotional pain. They also help reconcile issues or find ways of coping. Each session is generally tailored to the individual.
Rashmi had become anxious and depressed and sought help after her husband passed away. A conversation with the counselor revealed that she had been the only caregiver for her husband who had been ill for years and required near full-time assistance. She was the only one earning in the family. She realized she had never had the time or emotional energy to mourn her husband’s death that had just occurred within the past month, and for which Rashmi felt terribly guilty.
This conversation allowed her to face the great feelings of sadness and loss she was experiencing and slowly dissolved her anxiety. After a time of rest which allowed her to fully grieve, Rashmi could return to work. With the constant support of a counselor at CanSupport and a close friend, she found the strength to rebuild her life.
Face to Face Counselling
People can make an appointment with a counsellor to see them in person at our head office.
Telephone Counselling
This involves talking to someone over the phone instead of in person. It can be particularly useful for those too busy to attend face-to-face sessions and can be done in the comfort of their own home.
Online Counselling
A few people prefer not to physically speak to a counsellor and email us instead. This form of counselling allows them time to think through what they wish to discuss, and many find the act of physically writing their issues down cathartic.
Bereavement Counselling
Often, people who have experienced the death of someone who was very important in their lives, find it very difficult to adjust to the immense life changes that occur with bereavement. Grief can shake everything up – your beliefs, your personality, and even your sense of reality.
Bereavement is the time one spends adjusting to loss. There is no standard time limit and there is no right or wrong way to feel during the bereavement period – everyone must learn to cope in their own way. Grief, although normal, can manifest in a huge range of unexpected ways. Some people get angry, some people withdraw further into themselves and some people become completely numb. Sometimes, grief can turn into something more serious – like depression.
Talking about the loss often allows a person to adjust to their new life and eventually find acceptance. Bereavement counselling may be able to provide support during these very difficult times.
