Fear of Cancer Recurrence Group

When first diagnosed with cancer, the focus is often on getting through the treatment. This can be all-consuming, and it is often only on completion of active treatment that you have the time to reflect on what has happened and consider what it means for your future. At this time a fear of the cancer returning can develop. If this is the case for you, you are not alone. Up to 70% of cancer survivors report some degree of fear of cancer recurrence, with 50% experiencing moderate or high levels (Simard et al, 2013). This fear may have had a large impact on your mood, relationships, and general coping with life.

You may find yourself having unwanted intrusive thoughts and worries, becoming preoccupied with the possibility of the cancer returning, being sensitive to physical changes/symptoms and either avoiding reminders or triggers, or excessively checking for symptoms and seeking reassurance. Unfortunately attempts to control, avoid or suppress thoughts about potential recurrence can all make the worries worse. Fear of cancer recurrence may make it very difficult for you to make plans for the future, which may result in your feeling rudderless and having little to direct their energies towards. You may face a crisis of life direction, struggling with what life means to you now or how you can live your values and priorities when plagued by worries of cancer returning.    

I run a ten week group program based on the Conquer Fear program, which was developed to specifically target fear of cancer recurrence and has been found to result in significant reductions in it which are maintained after treatment finishes (Butow et al., 2016).  The group is a closed group, meaning that all members begin the group at the same time and each group session builds upon what is discussed in the prior session.   

The program includes: 

• teaching you strategies for responding to intrusive thoughts and unhelpful threat monitoring
• reviewing underlying unhelpful beliefs about worry which can make it difficult for you to decrease worrying (such as worrying keeps me safe)
• developing appropriate monitoring and screening behaviours
• developing goals for the future which will give your life purpose, meaning and direction, and identify helpful ways of responding to thoughts, feelings and urges which may interfere with your pursuit of them.

Who it's for

This group is intended for cancer patients who have completed their hospital-based treatment, are disease free at the end of treatment, and are experiencing significant fear of cancer recurrence.  For those interested in joining a group who have residual disease, poor prognosis or metastatic disease, please contact me. I am considering running a  fear of cancer progression group in the future, but in the meantime am happy to offer individual therapy.  

FAQs

Groups will be conducted in Erina. An individual assessment session is required prior to the group starting. This session costs $220, for which a Medicare rebate of around $130 may be available for those with an appropriate referral from their GP. The ten group therapy sessions cost a total $500, for which Medicare rebates totalling around $330 may be possible.