Guide
Cancer Emotional Support Guide
A plain-language guide to the emotional side of cancer, for patients, survivors, partners and caregivers: what is common, what helps, and when to get support.
Cancer brings medical decisions, and it also brings fear, grief, anger, uncertainty and strain on the people closest to it. This guide is about that emotional side. It is organized in three parts: understanding what you are feeling, coping day to day and with the people around you, and deciding whether and how to get professional support.
Everything here is psychological, not medical, information. Questions about symptoms, side effects, test results and treatment choices belong with your oncology or medical team. For help with the emotional impact, see cancer-related emotional support with Dr. Lehmann, a licensed clinical psychologist in Franklin, Michigan, who also offers telehealth sessions for clients located in Michigan.
You do not need to read this in order. If you are newly diagnosed, Coping With the Emotional Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis is a good place to begin. If you are caring for someone, start with Emotional Support for Cancer Caregivers. If loss is part of what you are carrying, grief counseling may also be relevant.
Part 1
Understanding what you feel
Fear, sadness, anger, guilt and worry are common reactions to cancer. These guides explain what is typical, what can make it harder, and the signs that it may be more than you should carry alone.
Coping With the Emotional Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis
Shock, fear, anger and numbness are common after a cancer diagnosis. Practical ways to cope, and when talking with a psychologist may help.
Read the guideScanxiety: Coping With Fear Before Follow-Up Tests
Scanxiety is the informal name for the fear many people feel before cancer scans and while waiting for results. Practical ways to manage the wait.
Read the guideWhat Is Cancer-Related Distress, and Why Do Care Teams Screen for It?
Distress is an expected part of living with cancer. What the term means, why care teams screen for it, and what happens after you answer the questions.
Read the guideAnxiety During Cancer Treatment: What Is Common and What Helps
Worry often rises with new treatments, side effects and decisions. What anxiety during cancer treatment can look like, what helps, and when to get support.
Read the guideSadness or Depression? Recognizing Depression During Cancer
Sadness is a normal response to cancer, and depression is something more. How to tell them apart, why the signs overlap with treatment, and what helps.
Read the guideFear of Cancer Recurrence: Why It Happens and How to Live With It
Worry that cancer will come back is among the most common fears after treatment. Why it happens, what sets it off, and how to keep it in proportion.
Read the guideWhy Am I So Angry? Anger After a Cancer Diagnosis
Anger is a common, normal reaction to cancer. Why it shows up, what it may be covering, and how to express it without letting it damage your relationships.
Read the guideGuilt and Cancer: "Did I Cause This?" and Other Heavy Thoughts
Many people with cancer feel guilty about causing it, burdening family, or not staying positive. Why guilt shows up, and ways to loosen its grip.
Read the guideBody Image After Cancer: Coming to Terms With a Changed Body
Hair loss, scars, weight changes or an ostomy can change how you see yourself. Why body image after cancer is hard, and how people come to terms.
Read the guideChemo Brain and Its Emotional Toll
Memory and focus changes during cancer can bring embarrassment, fear and frustration. The emotional side of chemo brain, and where to find help.
Read the guideWhy Finishing Cancer Treatment Can Feel Harder Than Expected
Relief at the end of cancer treatment often comes with worry, sadness or feeling lost. Why the transition is hard, and what can help you adjust.
Read the guideLoneliness and Isolation During Cancer
Feeling alone during cancer is common, even around caring people. Why loneliness happens, how it differs from isolation, and ways to reconnect.
Read the guideLiving With Advanced or Metastatic Cancer: The Emotional Side
Advanced or metastatic cancer brings uncertainty, grief, fear and hope. Common feelings, how palliative care helps, and where emotional support fits.
Read the guideCan Cancer Feel Traumatic? Understanding Cancer-Related Stress Reactions
A diagnosis, hard treatment or a hospital stay can leave lasting stress reactions. What cancer-related traumatic stress looks like and when to get help.
Read the guide
Part 2
Coping, relationships and kinds of support
Practical ways to get through treatment and its aftermath: talking with family, children, partners and coworkers, caring for someone else, and comparing the kinds of emotional support available.
Emotional Support for Cancer Caregivers
Caring for someone with cancer can bring fear, guilt and exhaustion. How caregivers can look after themselves, and where to find emotional support.
Read the guideHow to Tell Family, Friends, and Coworkers About a Cancer Diagnosis
Who to tell about a cancer diagnosis, what to say, and how to handle reactions from family, friends and coworkers, while keeping control of your own news.
Read the guideHow to Talk With Your Children About Your Cancer
A guide for parents with cancer: how to tell your children honestly, what kids of different ages need to hear, and where to find support for them and you.
Read the guideHow Cancer Can Affect a Marriage or Partnership
Cancer puts pressure on couples: shifting roles, different ways of coping, and fear neither partner says aloud. What commonly changes and what can help.
Read the guideIntimacy and Sexuality After Cancer: The Emotional Side
Cancer can change desire, body image and closeness. The emotional side of intimacy after cancer, how to talk with a partner, and what to ask your doctor.
Read the guideCancer Caregiver Burnout: Signs and Ways to Ease the Load
Caregiver burnout is physical and emotional exhaustion from caring for someone with cancer. Common signs, respite care options, and ways to share the load.
Read the guideWhen Your Parent Has Cancer: Support for Adult Children
A parent's cancer can reverse family roles, strain siblings and pull you between your own family, job and theirs. Ways adult children can cope and help.
Read the guideWhat to Say (and Not Say) to Someone With Cancer
Not sure what to say to a friend, relative or coworker with cancer? Words that tend to help, phrases to avoid, and how to keep showing up over time.
Read the guideEveryday Coping Strategies During Cancer Treatment
Practical, everyday ways to cope during cancer treatment: pacing your energy, keeping routines, relaxation and mindfulness, movement, humor, and support.
Read the guideHow to Talk With Your Oncology Team About How You Feel
Your oncology team wants to know how you are coping, not just how your body is doing. What to say, who to tell, and how to ask for emotional support.
Read the guideWorking During and After Cancer Treatment: The Emotional Side
Working through cancer treatment, or going back afterward, can bring pride, fatigue, guilt and worry. The emotional side of work, and where support fits.
Read the guideFinancial Stress and Cancer: Coping With Worry About Costs
Worry about cancer costs is common, even with insurance. What financial toxicity is, practical first steps, and ways to cope with the emotional weight.
Read the guideCancer Support Groups vs. Individual Therapy: Which Fits?
Cancer support groups and one-on-one therapy offer different kinds of help. How they differ, questions to ask yourself, and why many people use both.
Read the guidePsychologist, Social Worker, Psychiatrist, Chaplain: Who Helps With the Emotional Side of Cancer?
Oncology social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and chaplains each help in different ways. What each one does, who prescribes, and where to start.
Read the guideFaith, Meaning, and Purpose When You Have Cancer
Cancer can deepen faith, shake it, or raise new questions about meaning, with or without religion. How people find comfort, and where spiritual care fits.
Read the guide
Part 3
Getting support
When it may be time to see a psychologist, what therapy during or after cancer looks like, telehealth, paying for care, and local resources in Oakland County and Michigan.
When Is It Time to See a Psychologist About Cancer-Related Stress?
There is no score to reach before asking for help with cancer stress. Signals worth noticing, common turning points, and what a psychologist can offer.
Read the guideWhat to Expect From Therapy During or After Cancer
From the first call to scheduling around infusions and low-energy days: how therapy for cancer-related stress usually works with Dr. Lehmann in Franklin.
Read the guideTelehealth Therapy During Cancer Treatment in Michigan
Video therapy during cancer treatment: the Michigan location rule, privacy at home or in an infusion chair, and when the office may be a better fit.
Read the guidePaying for Therapy During Cancer: Insurance, Fees, and Good Faith Estimates
How to check insurance coverage for therapy during cancer, what a Good Faith Estimate is if you pay privately, and where to look when cost is a barrier.
Read the guideQuestions to Ask Before Starting Therapy for Cancer-Related Stress
What to ask a therapist before starting cancer-related support: license, cancer experience, approach, scheduling around treatment, cost, and fit.
Read the guideCancer Support Resources in Oakland County and Michigan
Where to find emotional and practical cancer support in Oakland County and across Michigan: community programs, national helplines, and crisis lines.
Read the guideTherapy for Cancer Survivors: Support Months or Years After Treatment
Feelings about cancer can surface months or years after treatment ends. Why that happens, what therapy can focus on, and how survivors can start.
Read the guide
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