Four Things To Know About Cancer Coaching

“With Coaching, I was given tools to cope, encouraged to create goals, and challenged to get my new life in order. Now, I feel invincible.”

We’ve all heard of career coaches, finance coaches and even life coaches. But have you heard of a cancer coach? Chances are, cancer has touched your life in some way and you know how deeply it can affect almost every aspect of a person’s life. This is the reason why Cancer Coaching was founded in 2011 by the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation – to help families facing cancer cope with the new challenges they face, regain a sense of control, and have a place to turn in their community for ongoing help and support.

If you’re wondering what cancer coaching is all about, here are the answers to commonly-asked questions so you can decide if it’s right for you.

What is Cancer Coaching?

Cancer Coaches are registered healthcare professionals with a background in oncology (think nurses, social workers, therapists) meaning they’ve worked with cancer patients either in a hospital or community setting and had a very good understanding of both what a person with cancer goes through and how our cancer care system works.

At any point in a person’s experience with cancer, their Cancer Coach can work with them to help them achieve their goals. Whether they are interested in improving their physical fitness, reducing treatment side effects, considering different options in their treatment plan, or making decisions for end-of-life care, their Coach can help them identify what matters most to them and create a plan to address it. In other words, Cancer Coaching puts you in the driver’s seat – you have the opportunity to freely discuss your own unique challenges, and have your Coach help you build a plan to overcome them.

Who is Cancer Coaching for?

Each person’s reason for meeting with a Cancer Coach is different – they might be worried about how to talk to their young children about cancer, have difficulty managing stress, or are trying to transition back to work after treatment. They might be a caregiver or family member of someone facing cancer, wanting help as they provide support or needing a place to discuss their own concerns. Cancer Coaching is open to anyone affected by cancer, and uses a personalized and empowering approach based on an individual’s unique needs, interests, and strengths.

What are the benefits of Cancer Coaching?

Research shows this approach is changing lives – not only do 90% of our clients say Coaching makes them feel like they’re more capable of helping themselves, doctors and oncologists have shared that patients who have worked with a Cancer Coach are typically more decisive, ask more questions, and are more active participants in their own care.

Here are some testimonials from those who have had a Cancer Coach:

“Coaching was a lifesaver. My Coach helped me learn how not to look too far ahead, plan too much, or worry too much about what was to come in the next year. I really focused on the step closest at hand, and what I needed to do to get through things one step at a time.”

“Cancer coaching was a safe and confidential place to express my fears, nervousness about surgery, and concerns about how my partner, daughters, family and friends were coping with my diagnosis and treatment. Coaching gave me the opportunity to openly discuss my fears, challenges, feelings and set fitness and return to work goals. My cancer coach understood the whole process and my own specific needs.”

How Do I sign up for Cancer Coaching?

Cancer Coaching is available in both English and French at no cost to you, without a doctor’s referral and with minimal wait times. If you would like to speak with a Cancer Coach, you can set up an appointment by phone at 613-247-3527 or book online at www.ottawacancer.ca/coachme. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Coaching appointments are currently being offered via video chat, through a secure online platform – all you need is internet access and a computer.