Counseling FAQ

Do I really need counseling? Shouldn’t I be able to handle this by myself?

Cancer affects everyone who touches your life. Trying to manage cancer alone makes a difficult situation much harder to manage. Counseling adds an additional person to help you. Cancer presents a whole new set of problems. You can surely work through some of these problems on your own, but you can also have the advantage of learning from professionals and others who have been through these experiences.

Isn't counseling only for people with serious emotional problems?

No. Cancer turns your life upside down. Many people have feelings and emotions they’ve never had before. Counseling is for anyone who wants to sort out what they’re feeling. Most often, people finish counseling not only with much more knowledge about the practical side of managing cancer, but also a sense of hopefulness and being more in control.

If I go for counseling, will it make me look weak?

Actually, it takes courage to explore sensitive feelings and painful experiences. And, counseling can often make you better able to cope with these issues.

Don't I need to be in counseling for years to "get better"?

No. The goal of counseling is to help you feel more in control. Even though cancer is an ongoing experience, the way you cope with it will change over time. The professional’s job is to help you cope with cancer better at this particular time.

What makes a social worker qualified to do counseling?

Social workers, like the oncology social workers on CancerCare’s staff, are trained in counseling techniques in their Master’s degree programs. Oncology social workers have extra training in cancer issues, like treatments and side effects.

What is the difference between professional and peer-to-peer support?

Just because you and another person are both caregivers to someone with a similar cancer, doesn’t mean that your experience will be exactly the same. In peer-to-peer support, you listen to other people’s experiences and share your own. Professional counseling concentrates on your individual situation, taking into account your whole life. In a way, professionally moderated support groups, like those that CancerCare offers, are the “best of both worlds” because you can still learn from others in a similar situation, while the professional helps you apply what you have learned to your particular situation.

Find out more about CancerCare Counseling™ services.