Breast Cancer Support Services – Where To Start

A great place to start

Reaching out to us is easy! The best way to begin is by sending us an email, filling out our online referral form or calling our office (08) 9324 3703. Once we receive your details, our Support Services Coordinator will give you a call back. Please allow a few days for this follow-up.

Support Services

What happens next

After you’ve contacted us, our Support Services Coordinator will reach out to you to discuss your situation, your specific needs, concerns about your breast cancer experience or the impact of your breast cancer. Every person’s experience is different, so we’ll make sure our support is tailored just for you. Depending on your needs, you might be connected with a specialist breast care nurse, a counsellor, or receive guidance on practical and financial support. We’ll arrange a convenient time for these connections to happen.

FAQs

What does a breast care nurse do?

Our specialist breast care nurses are health professionals that have been trained to manage the care of clients with breast cancer. Their role is to be the principal liaison between the clients and the specialists who are coordinating their treatment. This could be surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. They help to clarify technical or complicated information that a client may not understand. They are there to provide emotional support as well as being a friend to the client and their families.

Breast care nurses generally have a background in oncology, breast care or women’s health. Our breast care nurses also hold a post-graduate qualification in breast care nursing. Having the support of a breast care nurse can substantially improve an individuals’ quality of care because they have one main source of information and contact throughout their treatment. They can help minimise the stress and trauma of a breast cancer diagnosis for the client and their families.

What does a counsellor do?

Our counsellors provide emotional support and can help you with addressing:

  • anxiety (fear, dread, panic, and uneasiness) and  depression (extreme sadness, isolation, despair, hopelessness and grief);
  • adjustment issues;
  • difficulties in decision making;
  • phobias (examples include needles and confined spaces);
  • body image and sexuality;
  • traumatic symptoms or side effects;
  • living with uncertainty, mortality and end-of-life issues;
  • assistance developing practical coping strategies;
  • teaching problem-solving skills;
  • family and couples therapy and talking to children;
  • support to resolve family conflicts;
  • address social isolation, and quality of life issues.

These can be delivered through psycho-education, person-centred listening, clinically validated interventions such as CBT, ACT, mindfulness and grief counselling; and by liaising with internal and external health professionals where necessary.

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