By Tania – CBT Therapist at Cancer Relief
As we mark Mental Health Week, it’s a valuable moment to talk about the emotional impact of cancer and how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help.
A cancer diagnosis often brings a mix of intense emotions: fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, and uncertainty. These feelings are completely natural, but when they begin to affect your day-to-day life, emotional support becomes just as important as physical treatment.
As a CBT therapist at Cancer Relief, I work with individuals at all stages of their cancer journey—whether newly diagnosed, in treatment, adjusting after treatment, or living with longer-term effects. My goal is to offer a safe space and practical tools to help you manage the emotional challenges that can come with a cancer diagnosis.
What is CBT?
CBT is a structured, evidence-based approach that looks at how our thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviours are connected. During times of stress or illness, it’s easy to get stuck in unhelpful thought patterns—such as assuming the worst, feeling hopeless, or blaming yourself. CBT helps to identify these patterns and gently challenge them, so you can respond to your situation in a calmer, more balanced way.
How CBT Can Help
Some of the common areas I support include:
- Managing anxiety, worry, and fear of recurrence
- Coping with the uncertainty of diagnosis or treatment
- Addressing low mood and feelings of depression
- Improving sleep and managing fatigue
- Rebuilding confidence, identity, and self-compassion
- Navigating body image concerns or physical changes
- Supporting family members who may also feel overwhelmed
CBT doesn’t aim to erase difficult emotions, but instead helps you respond to them with more awareness, kindness and control. It gives you practical strategies to use in daily life, helping you feel more emotionally equipped to deal with what you’re facing.
If you’re living with cancer and finding it difficult to manage emotionally, please know that support is available. You don’t have to carry it all by yourself. CBT offers tools that can make a real difference—and I’m here to guide you through them.
