Coping With Illness

Coping with illness, whether chronic or acute, can be emotionally and psychologically demanding. And often, it can be lonely. You may be trying to protect those you love by not sharing with them the worst of how you feel. Or you may find that, however hard they try, they don’t quite understand exactly what you’re going through.

Or, perhaps there just isn’t anybody close to you with whom you can talk.

This may be true whether it is you who is ill, or whether you are caring for a loved one who is ill.

Over and over again, in her work with cancer patients and their families, Sarah has been told how enormously healing it can feel simply to talk openly and honestly with someone who is not otherwise involved in your life. And feeling better emotionally can have a significant impact on your physical state, positively effecting your immune system and your perception of pain.

But counselling isn’t just about listening. It’s also about providing you with the techniques you need to manage effectively your thoughts and feelings at this very difficult time. It’s about helping you to move beyond the trauma of diagnosis, to cope successfully with treatment and perhaps surgery, to re-build your life and your relationships.