Psychological support during cancer
You are fighting with everything you have. But a sick body also needs a person strong enough to keep going. Psychological support helps you be that person.
It is about more than your body
When you receive a cancer diagnosis, everything shifts. Your attention goes almost automatically to your body: the treatments, the scans, the side effects. That is understandable and logical. But at the same time your mind is going through a heavy journey of its own.
Fear. Anger. Sadness. The feeling that you can no longer trust your body. Questions that have no answer. Many people notice that they try to push those feelings away in order to stay strong for the people around them. That is exactly when a psychologist can help.
Scientific basis: several large meta-analyses show that psychological support during cancer leads to significantly less anxiety, depression and fatigue, and to a better quality of life. The WHO and the Dutch Association for Psycho-oncology (NVPO) recognise psychological care as an essential part of cancer care.
Your life is turned upside down, and that leaves traces
People naturally look for something to hold on to. In uncertain times we cling to patterns, even patterns that do not help us. During a serious illness, new habits form without you noticing, offering an appearance of safety. Think of:
Getting stuck in those patterns is understandable. But they can hold back your progress. A psychologist helps you recognise them and move through them.
What does a psychologist do for you?
The well-meant words of people who love you can sometimes weigh heavier than intended. A psychologist offers something else: a calm, neutral space in which you are at the centre. Not the illness. You.
Room for everything you feel
You do not have to be strong here. What you feel is allowed to be there, however confusing or painful. A psychologist listens without judgement.
A grip on unhelpful patterns
Together you explore which thoughts and habits work against you, and how you can break them.
Finding again what matters to you
During illness people can lose themselves. Psychological support helps you find your way back to what is good, beautiful and important to you.
Building resilience
You learn to handle uncertainty, loss and change, without losing yourself in it.
The illness forms the setting of the support, but it is not the subject. The subject is you. Who you are, what you want, and how you can find strength, also now.
Who is this support for?
Psychological support during cancer is for anyone who notices that a serious illness takes an emotional toll as well. That includes people who:
Related complaints
Related treatments
Frequently asked questions
You do not have to carry this alone
Ask for help when you are ready.
You decide when the right moment is. During the intake you can calmly discuss what you need, and find the right provider together.
Sources: NVPO, Dutch Association for Psycho-oncology · WHO Cancer Care Guidelines · Faller et al. (2013), Journal of Clinical Oncology