Level 1 – Coping with Cancer Stress

Next course starts on Tuesday 18th September, 6.30-8.30pm.
Free introductory session – Tues 11th September, 6.30-8.00pm

Getting a cancer diagnosis can be a very difficult experience that affects people in many ways. This may include anxiety and depression through to fatigue and other forms of distress.

However there is much you can do to reduce the stress of cancer and improve your quality of life. Our Coping with Cancer Stress course will teach you some effective and easy-to-learn techniques that you can carry on using after the end of the course to feel more in control of your life.

Among the topics covered on the course are:

• how self-help activities can make you feel more in control of your life
• how to feel less helpless and scared
• how to recognise sources of stress and deal with them
• how to develop feelings of deep relaxation in your body
• how to stop anxious thoughts from taking over your mind
• how imagery can help you to influence your life and health
• the importance of seeking support from your friends and family
• how to decide what your priorities really are
• what the ‘Healing Journey’ path is and where it leads.

How the course works

Each week, the course leaders will give presentations on the key ideas and then there will be an opportunity to try out some of the techniques.

Everyone will have a chance to ask questions and to discuss the topics during the sessions. Each week, there are exercises to practise at home.

If you haven’t been to a cancer group before, there’s nothing to worry about. The course is held in a safe, friendly and welcoming environment and there is no pressure on anyone to talk about their experiences if they would prefer not to. Everything said at the sessions is kept confidential.

Who is the course for?

The course is for anyone who has or has had cancer and who would like to reduce the stress they are feeling. We also encourage partners or other family members or supporters to attend the course.

This is not only so only so they can provide support to the person with cancer but also so they can learn to deal with their own stress.

Course resources

Everyone who comes on the course will be given two CD’s or audio mp3s, which include the course exercises to practise at home, as well as a workbook. We find that the people who get the most benefit from the course are those who carry on practising outside the sessions.

The Healing Journey Programme

The Coping with Cancer Stress course is Level 1 of the 5-level Healing Journey Programme. The introductory course will teach you some very useful skills for dealing with stress. You can then deepen and extend them on the Level 2 course Developing Your Self Care Skills, which starts soon after the end of Level 1.

The Healing Journey Programme has been developed in Toronto by the psychologist Dr Alastair Cunningham. For many years he was a senior scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute, and is professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. He has received various awards for his work on helping cancer patients, including being made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and being awarded the First Rogers’ prize for ‘Excellence in Complementary Medicine’.

The impact of the programme has been researched over 25 years, and shown to be very effective in increasing quality of life.

Course details

The course will take place on the following dates from 6.30–8.30pm: Tues 18th September, Tues 25th September, Tues 2nd October and Tues 9th October.

The course will be held at Paul’s Cancer Support Centre, which is close to Clapham Junction train station. Address details here.

The Level 2 course, Developing Your Self Care Skills, starts on 23rd October and lasts for 8 weeks.

Introductory session

We will be holding a free introductory session on Tues 11th Sept from 6.30-8.00pm at Paul’s Cancer Support Centre to explain more about the course. Please let Petra Griffiths know in advance by calling her on 020 7738 1333 or by sending her an email via the Contact form.

More information

If you have any questions about the course, please call Petra Griffiths on 020 7738 1333 or email her using the Contact form here.

Booking

There are limited places on the course so we recommend you book as soon as possible to guarantee your place. If you would like to attend the course, we suggest the following donation levels:
£20 (waged), £12 (p/t work) or £6 (unwaged).

You can send a cheque with the completed booking form which can be downloaded from here – www.healingjourney.org.uk/cwcsbookingform.doc.

Alternatively you can pay via PayPal using the button below. (If you are paying through Paypal, please also email us the booking form.)