Grief Counseling for Cancer Patients and their Families

With the holidays in full swing it may seem like an odd time for me to address grief counseling. However the holidays are not always a happy time for all families, especially those fighting the war against cancer. With current statistics stating that 18.6 million adults have been diagnosed with cancer (faststats.com) it is a disease that affects almost everyone in one way or another.

I want to thank Barbara O'Brien at the MAA Center who was kind enough to send me this article so I could share it with you all:

Anyone who has been faced with a cancer diagnosis knows that grief and despair can set in shortly after the patient learns he or she is dealing with a potentially terminal illness, like mesothelioma. Sometimes, grief is anticipatory as the patient and his loved ones await what they believe to be the inevitable outcome of their diagnosis, especially with cancers like mesothelioma, which carries a traditionally grim prognosis. Once death occurs, grief takes on a different form and can often be overwhelming for those who are left behind to lament the loss of a loved one.
When grief becomes too much to bear – either during an illness or after the victim has passed – it often becomes necessary to seek professional grief counseling. This can help the patient come to grips with his disease and the emotions that accompany it and may assist family members in getting on with their lives after a death from cancer occurs.

What is Grief Counseling?

Everyone grieves. Grief counseling, however, helps individuals make their way through the tasks of grieving and the normal emotions that occur along with it, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying, 1969).
These days, there are many counselors/psychologists that specialize in bereavement counseling, making this a field that has seen many advances in the last decade or so. Nevertheless, each counselor or therapist generally has his own techniques for dealing with grief, which might include things like meditation, role playing, art or music therapy, or simply talking about the problems at hand.

Grief therapy or counseling can occur in a number of settings. For the patient, it may happen in-hospital. As a matter of fact, many cancer centers and other hospitals have counselors on staff that can help with grief-related issues. This is a great supplemental effort in addition to the more traditional health centered mesothelioma treatment. If the patient is having difficulties dealing with “anticipatory grief” – the anticipation of what is to come, he can participate in individual sessions or perhaps group counseling with those also dealing with the issues caused by a cancer diagnosis.

In many instances, family members or friends of the cancer patient can also take advantage of hospital-based counseling – sometimes free of charge – also available individually, in small groups that include other loved ones, or with support groups of others in similar predicaments. Private counselors outside of a hospital setting are readily available and sessions may or may not be covered by insurance. (Check with your provider for details.)

Who Needs Grief Counseling?

Most experts agree that many individuals – both terminal patients and loved ones of the patient - can benefit from grief counseling during the pre-loss period when the potential of a fatal outcome becomes difficult to bear. Pre-loss counseling can result in a more peaceful death.
Family members can also benefit from therapy administered post-loss, when – in some cases – the emotional wounds of losing a loved one become too severe and may manifest themselves in issues like prolonged depression, panic disorder, anxiety attacks, or alcohol or drug use.
Regardless of when counseling is sought, it’s important to remember that the grief counselor is trained to listen with an open mind and heart and to lead the grieving individual from the depths of depression or anxiety back to as normal a life as possible.

To visit the site for the MAA Center please click here.