If you’re living with cancer, at any stage from diagnosis onwards, you may find yourself sparing others the real story of your cancer treatment, the side effects and the impact it has on your life.

Are you thoroughly fed up with being told how strong and brave you are, when it doesn’t feel like you have any choice, you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and doing what you have to do that day, and getting through it.

Does it feel like cancer has become your full time job, what with appointments to get to, medication to remember and chasing round to get the services and support you need?

Maybe cancer leaves you feeling isolated, like life is going on around you but you’re stuck on the sidelines looking on.

As if you don’t have the same purpose or control in your life now, it’s become dominated by being a patient, like that’s now a bigger part of who you are then being the person, parent, partner, worker you were before your diagnosis.

If any of that sounds familiar, you don’t have to deal with it alone. Clients find that having a neutral person to walk alongside them on that journey is a huge relief. I’ve worked with many clients referred by Macmillan at different stages in their cancer journey from diagnosis to surgery to chemo and radio to finding a new normal afterwards. I have also worked with clients during end of life care.

Many people are offered counselling through different services, these can be invaluable but are usually for a limited number of sessions. Private counselling gives you more control over how many sessions and when, for example we can work around chemo appointments so we meet on the best days of your cycle. I get that 50 minutes can be too long to talk, so shorter sessions are fine. If you have to dash off for a last minute appointment or to take the call from the GP, that’s fine too, as are last minute cancellations for health reasons.

Because I’m experienced in hearing cancer stories, I ‘get it’. Because I’m a neutral person and not part of your life in any other way, you don’t have to edit yourself as you won’t worry, or burden or upset me. You can say the un-sayable things and you can swear if you want to, that’s quite normal. Sessions quite often include humour, sometimes black humour, too.

You can find out more about me and how I work, or you can book your first session.