A GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH CANCER

Kingston Hospital provides a cancer counselling service as a means of support for you and your supporters because cancer brings about many changes in a person’s life and psychological distress is common.

The Hospital has three experienced, qualified counsellors in the field of cancer counselling who are available Monday to Friday.

Kingston Hospital Adult patients and their supporters are entitled to see  the counsellor free of charge for a set number of sessions.

We offer both an in- patient service where we can visit you on the ward and an out patients’ service based in the Sir William Rous Unit.

The service is for Adult patients/families/carers who are

• Having difficulty living with uncertainty
• Experiencing feelings of depression, anxiety and anger
• Having difficulty coming to terms with the changes brought about by their illness
• Experiencing problems within their relationships and/or sexual functioning
• Feeling a lack of esteem and confidence as a result of their diagnosis
• Worrying about children and talking to them about your diagnosis
• Facing end of life issues

If you are experiencing any of the above, and would like some counselling please raise your concerns with your clinical team. They will then liaise with one of us and ask you to call us on the telephone number on this leaflet. If you would like to see someone on our team but have NOT been referred, please feel free to speak to a member of your team or the Macmillan Information and support centre.

Appointments are available Mondays to Fridays, generally at the same time each week, lasting for about an hour.

• Your counsellor will encourage you to use the session for reflection, will not give you advice, interrupt you or tell you what is best for you. They offer you confidentiality and a safe space to make sense of your feelings and behaviour. As the relationship develops there is the possibility to discover new ways of coping and making sense of problems and feelings.  This is not always easy.
• Cancer brings many different feelings to the surface and some of them can be painful or difficult for yourself or those close to you.
• Talking about what is happening, your feelings and thoughts can be a relief and help you begin to untangle the confusion and uncertainties cancer brings.

Telephone – Sally Parr, Matthew Prevezer or Federica De Angelis

on – 0208 934 2114 – There is an answering machine available to leave any messages.