Before I started counselling cancer patients on their chemotherapy protocols in the Outpatient Oncology Clinic at my hospital, I had never heard of a cancer coach. Yes, I knew that coaches existed, and I had heard of:
✔life coaches
✔career coaches
✔sports team coaches
✔leadership coaches…
but not cancer coaches. 🤷♀️
When I started researching integrative oncology and other ways in which people with cancer could be supported, I came across the field of cancer coaching… and it made a lot of sense to me that someone with cancer would want or need one!
A cancer diagnosis can bring your life to a screeching halt, and change your goals, future plans and priorities. It can also put many people with cancer into information seeking mode where they are spending endless hours looking for options that will help them with treatment side effects, cancer symptoms and recovery in general…
Unfortunately, this involves sifting through a lot of information… and It’s hard to know what information is trustworthy and what may not be 😒
To add to this, when you’re dealing with a cancer diagnosis, you may not have the time or energy to dive deeply into resources to support you in your journey.
This is where having a cancer coach can be a huge benefit. So, HOW can cancer coaches help you in your cancer journey?
1) Cancer coaches can help you identify the supports that you need to get through your cancer journey, and can provide you with resources you need to cope with your cancer diagnosis
2) Cancer coaches can assist you in setting goals by helping you become clear on your challenges.
3) Cancer coaches can help you understand your treatment and organize your treatment schedule.
4) Cancer coaches with a background in psychotherapy can help you put your emotions in perspective and come to terms with these feelings in order to reduce your anxiety. If some of these issues are outside the scope of their practice, cancer coaches can refer you to a good therapist that can help you deal with these issues.
5) Cancer coaches can educate you on safe, evidence-based, complementary therapies to incorporate into your cancer healing journey.
Different cancer coaches will have different areas of expertise. Some may specialize in mind-body therapies such as meditation, journaling and acupuncture… whereas, others may have a background in nutrition and offer guidance on food choices for cancer prevention, treatment and beyond. Yet other cancer coaches may be experts in detoxification methods such as coffee enemas.
Although all cancer coaches may overlap in their knowledge and experience, it is important to have a consultation call so you and the cancer coach can get to know each other, and determine if you are a good fit to work together.
If you would like to see if a cancer coach can help you with your cancer recovery plan, let me know. I would be happy to set up a 30 minute no-obligation consultation call to see if we are the right fit to work together!
I’ve taken all my research on diet, environment, lifestyle and mind-body and put it into a very comprehensive program which will help you create your own cancer recovery plan. If you want to take your recovery from cancer to the next level, click on the image below.
Also, if you want to join a free community of people with cancer looking for holistic and integrative strategies to encourage cancer recovery CLICK THIS LINK to join the Holistic Strategies for Cancer Recovery Facebook group to help support your journey and connect you with like-minded people.
