We put you first, then cancer.
A cancer diagnosis can impact you physically, emotionally, and mentally. This may leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed. It is natural for you to feel anxious, afraid, angry, or a range of other emotions. Your cancer diagnosis can also have a significant impact on your family.
Here at Cancer Council WA, our counsellors are available to provide emotional support to those who need it. Our counselling services are available in both metropolitan and regional Western Australia.
What is counselling?
Our counsellors are trained, objective professionals who provide you with confidential support in a safe and secure space. Counselling gives you the opportunity to talk and work through your concerns with the counsellor. These sessions can help you to identify issues, explore options and develop strategies. The process of talking to a counsellor, and being listened to, can be helpful.
During 2021, Nan Samy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer during a routine health check. She found support through our counselling services. Read on to hear Nan’s experience.
How counselling helped Nan Samy through her cancer diagnosis
“The counselling session was good to further reflect on myself. With the questions the counsellor asked, it made me think and that gave me more clarity”, Nan said.
“I feel some people being diagnosed with cancer, will find it useful because they can have someone to speak to not only to share their grief but also to get them thinking about what is next and how to accept the situation through self-reflection”, she said.
“I would encourage them to speak with a counsellor. In fact, I am trying to work my way to become a counsellor myself, as I want to help people with cancer to divert their mind to a more positive approach in life.”
I would highly recommend Cancer Council WA’s 13 11 20 Cancer Information and Support Line to anyone affected by cancer, so they know what support services are available.
How can counsellors help me?
When you are ready, expressing strong feelings like anger or sadness, will help you to work through your emotions. Talking to a counsellor, who is objective, can help you on this journey.
Those we have supported, who have used the counselling service, found it met their needs, was easy to access and a service that they would recommend to others.
How do I access counselling?
We are here for you. If you would like to access our counselling services, please phone our 13 11 20 Cancer Information and Support Line to speak with our trained nurses, or with your local Regional Cancer Support Coordinator.
Family members may also wish to access our counselling service by calling 13 11 20.
Parents can request counselling on behalf of children under 16 years of age (with consent from children over 13 years of age).
If you are a health professional and have someone who would like to access our counselling services, please direct them to call 13 11 20 or email questions@cancerwa.asn.au.
Our counsellors are not employees of Cancer Council WA and provide counselling services at their premises. Counselling sessions can be provided as face-to-face, telehealth or telephone appointments.
The generosity of our donors, supporters and counselling providers in the last financial year enabled us to provide this critical support to over 700 cancer patients, their carers and family members, with a total of 1397 counselling sessions.
For more information:
- Find out more about our Cancer Counselling Services.
- We recognise that some people with cancer find talking to others who have been through similar experiences both reassuring and encouraging. Our Cancer Connect program can provide vital one-to-one phone support from someone who understands what you’re going through and knows what it’s like to have cancer.
- Find out what other cancer information and support services are available.