Confidence after Cancer
Coaching to support you to regain confidence,
take back control and make life after cancer
treatment make sense.
Treatment for cancer can change the way you feel about yourself and leave you doubting your own abilities.
Have you found yourself saying any of the following in your post-cancer treatment life?
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I just don’t feel the same anymore; I don't recognise myself.
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I can’t seem to make any decisions, I never used to be like this.
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People seem to think life has gone back to normal now, but it hasn't for me.
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I’ve been through so much, but I don’t know what to do next.
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If you have ever received a cancer diagnosis and treatment, you will have faced physical, emotional and mental wellbeing challenges. Not to mention work, relationships, friendship circles and social lives feeling different to where they were before diagnosis. What may once have been normal or enough feels somehow out of place or just doesn’t feel right.
You may find after you have been diagnosed with or are living with cancer that your friends, family and people you know treat you differently. Perhaps they find excuses not to meet, refuse to acknowledge your cancer experience or maybe treat you with pity or kid gloves. Or you may find it difficult to relate to others who don’t know what it is like to go through cancer. You may also find things have changed at work; perhaps you are worried about being treated differently or the work itself doesn’t feel meaningful.
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You may have thoughts about future plans that you don’t want to discuss with your loved ones yet, preferring someone who is impartial and can help ask the right questions as you explore where you are now.
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Unlike therapy, where the focus is on the emotional impact, coaching is more focused on how you might like to take steps forward after your cancer experience, and many find it a powerful way of connecting with values and what really matters most. In coaching, we see you and work with you as an individual and no generalisations are made about who you are or what you want.
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Life after cancer treatment can be seen as an opportunity for change and I will support you to develop a plan to get you closer to where you want to be, step-by-step.
I will provide accountability as well – I will have your back and keep you on track and motivated, celebrate small wins along the way and always be open to listen to you without judgement or unwanted advice.
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The three most frequently reported benefits of coaching after cancer treatment are:
Regaining self confidence
Has cancer made you doubt yourself and your ability to make decisions? Have you gone from being a confident person who can handle anything and a clear identity, to being recognised only as a patient or that person who has cancer?
Coaching can help you to think in terms of possibilities, not limitations. It will give you unbiased support, challenging beliefs that stop you from having confidence in yourself.
You will start to think differently about things and imagine how life could be if you no longer held onto those beliefs. If you want to change, we will talk about how to move forward, developing more positive ways of thinking and changes that can help you to get back your identity, increase your confidence and stand up for what you believe in.
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Taking Back Control
Coaching provides a safe time and space for you to regain some control in your life. Having had to make so many decisions and periods of uncertainty, it’s time to think about your own priorities and ambitions. By exploring your values and using your own strengths and abilities, coaching will help you to focus on what you want now and take charge!
It can also help you to see another person’s perspective – let’s face it, cancer can create chaos and uncertainty all around for you and those who are close to you. Not that you need to change what you want to accommodate their perspective, but exploring awareness of this can help you understand what you might want to work on.
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Setting and achieving goals
It is likely that the ambitions you had pre-diagnosis will have changed through your experience. It might have made you need to reconsider what is now doable, how you live with uncertainty, or on the other hand, it might have made you feel determined to live life more fully than you did before?
Or maybe you need help to get back to work or communicate with colleagues effectively?
Maybe you have been inspired to think about a new direction or one that had to be put on hold because of cancer?
Trying to make sense of these thoughts can be overwhelming but coaching gives you the opportunity to put in place meaningful goals and a step-by-step plan to meet them.
Before long, you will be celebrating making those small steps, leading to bigger ones and leaps into new ways.
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How do I know if coaching can help me?
If any of the above rings true, and you have finished active treatment, it is likely that coaching can help you. But you do need to be ready to put in a bit of work yourself, your coach can’t and won’t do it for you. When we talk about goals, we talk about YOUR GOALS, not mine, so the ultimate responsibility lies with you to meet them.
If you would like to know more about my 121, 12-week Confidence After Cancer coaching programme, please do get in touch.
Funding for Confidence After Cancer
Clients may self-fund for this programme, and we can discuss those costs once we have established that coaching is right for you at this time.
For many people, cancer brings financial hardship, and I am delighted to say that there are other options that may help you to benefit from this coaching.
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Sussex Cancer Fund
We work in partnership with a wonderful local charity, Sussex Cancer Fund, to provide some fully funded places for anybody living in Sussex.
If you would like to be considered for this funding, please contact Sussex Cancer Fund by calling 01273 664930 or email uhsussex.scfadministrator@nhs.net - subject Cancer Coaching.