Talk to Someone Who Can Help. "You have breast cancer." In those four words my whole life changed, from the inside out. I sat there stunned. My doctor’s words flew past me. He said something about seeing another doctor, a psychologist, to help me through this. He handed me a little white card. I numbly put it in my wallet, never realizing it held the key to my full recovery. The next few weeks were agony. The pain, the fear, the anger. I was lucky. They got all the cancer. But to get better physically, I had to get better emotionally. Then I remembered the card. I pulled it out and called. What a relief to have someone to talk with, someone who is trained to do more than just listen sympathetically. My psychologist helped me to understand and cope with my feelings. I was surprised to find how much better that made me feel– stronger, able to start living again. I also learned ways to help my husband and kids talk about how scared they were. I lost a breast. But my psychologist helped me gain a stronger sense of what’s really important in my life. If you’ve been recently diagnosed with breast cancer you may feel overcome with worry and fear. Perhaps you are unsure of how and where to obtain information about your illness or feel confused by contradictory medical information and treatment advice. Psychologists are doctoral trained health care providers who specialize in emotional health and the connections between emotional and physical health. Psychologists are trained to provide comfort and support during a time of crisis. Working with other health care professionals as part of your treatment team, a psychologist can help you gather and understand medical information, identify and ask relevant questions and arrive at a treatment plan that works best for you. A psychologist can help deal with guilt, fear, and self-doubt and help you develop a more positive, optimistic outlook – qualities that foster good physical and psychological health. If you are undergoing treatment for breast cancer, psychological help can be useful in managing the "fear factor." Like many women, you are probably worried about your ability to "get through" treatment. Psychologists are specially trained to help manage the stress, anxiety and depression that often accompany treatment for breast cancer. Psychological techniques have proven to be effective in reducing nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy treatments and in increasing coping skills that deal with the impact of illness on self-esteem. Psychologists are trained to use non-medicinal techniques to decrease your discomfort and pain. A psychologist can also help those around you through the stress of your treatment, fostering a good support network for you and for them. Talk to Someone Who Can Help. If you are like many women with breast cancer, you worry about the impact that this illness has on your family. Some women notice that their partner is depressed or is having difficulty communicating. Other women wonder about talking to their children – "if" they should tell, "how" they should tell and "how much" they should tell. Still other women have aging parents who will need to hear about and cope with the illness. Psychologists know that breast cancer happens to an entire family. Working with the members of your family, a psychologist can help each of you to identify concerns and make all of the necessary adjustments to effectively cope with this illness. Conventional wisdom and the people in your life may have led you to expect that the completion of your cancer treatment would be a joyous event. However, if you are like many women, you may notice that recovery is not so simple. You may experience worry about the lack of medical monitoring or feel disappointed at a delay in "returning to normal." Psychologists are trained to know that emotional adjustment often takes longer than physical adjustment. The Brochure Project A Joint Venture of the Divisions of Psychotherapy and Independent Practice American Psychological Association Co-Directors: Alice Rubenstein, Ed.D. and Sandra Haber, Ph.D. Publication Coordinators: Abraham Wolf, Ph.D. and Peter Sheras, Ph.D. © The Brochure Project, 1998 (602) 854-8950
Breast Cancer...
"We’ll need to operate, then you’ll have radiation."
Making Medical Decisions
Coping With Treatments
Breast Cancer...
Helping the Entire Family
Long Term Recovery
Psychologists often work with recovering cancer patients on their readjustment to life. A psychologist can help you use this medical crisis as an opportunity to make healthy changes in your personal and family life.
Prepared By: Sandra B. Haber, Ph.D., Alice F. Chang, Ph.D., Lynne M. Hornyak, Ph.D. and Louise B. Lubin, Ph.D.
