Loved-ones and Carers
Cancer and chronic illness do not only affect an individual. They impact everyone who cares for or relies on that individual – partners, children, friends, colleagues.
When you are caring for someone with cancer or chronic illness, or simply close to someone who is unwell, you can get overlooked. Yet you are also living with uncertainty, fear, shock and sadness.
In addition, you may be expected to be supportive, patient and loving at a time when you are also struggling.
This can be an enormous burden to carry.
A space just for you
Getting the right support while also supporting a loved-one is important. That vital caring role cannot be underestimated, but for the carer to be able to perform it, they in turn need support.
Speaking with a counsellor, who is outside your friendship group or family can help.
You can air difficult feelings in confidence. Together, we can begin to understand all the ways a loved-one’s illness has impacted you. You can ‘let off steam’ and give voice to what are often complex, contradictory emotions. Through steady support, you can feel lighter, calmer and more resourced.
Perhaps no one else has noticed you are struggling. If caring for another and yourself at the same time is feeling difficult, I invite you to get in touch.
You might be feeling...
Angry or resentful
Guilty about your own health
Reluctant to seek support, believing your difficulties cannot match those of the unwell person
Exhausted and unequal to the task of caring
Overlooked
Frightened about the future
Anxious or depressed
How I will support you
Together, we will explore what you are going through in a way that is both supportive and practical. I will invite you to share what specifically brings you to therapy. I’ll listen carefully, and together we will begin to understand how illness is impacting you and what you would like to get from therapy.
Short-term therapy (10–15 sessions):
A focused space where you can talk freely, build back some resilience and feel supported.
Longer-term therapy:
A deeper, ongoing exploration of patterns and behaviours that may have been brought into sharp relief by caring for someone with an illness. Ongoing support and the opportunity to make sense of deeper questions around meaning, life, death and endings.
Session Cost
To begin with, I offer a free 15-minute call (phone or Zoom).
This is a relaxed, no-obligation space for you to see whether working together feels right.
Sessions are priced at £60 and last 50 minutes at a regular time each week. This consistency provides a supportive and containing space.
I understand it’s not always easy to commit – we can talk through what works best for you.
Being seriously ill or supporting a loved one can feel isolating and you may be unsure who to talk to about your experience, not wanting to burden others or unleash a tide of difficult emotions.