In this episode, Dr Leila Ellis welcomes Nicola O’Donnell to the podcast to discuss psychosocial support for childhood cancer survivors. Nicola is a Health Psychologist and is completing the final year of a PhD with the University of York exploring psychoeducation interventions for young people with retinoblastoma funded by the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT).
Resources:
Charities:
- The Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Trust (TYAC): TYAC is part of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and offers specialised support for teenagers and young adults with cancer, including counselling
- Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund: offer family-wide support including a 24-hour phone line, local community support in your area, and grants for professional counselling
- Place2Be: offer children and young people’s mental health support at school
- Maggie’s Centres: Maggie’s Centres have have several locations across the UK and provide free practical, emotional, and social support to people with cancer, including children and teenagers
- Rainbow Trust: offer whole family support including a space to listen to family’s fears and anxieties, helping to explain illnesses, diagnoses and treatments, support through grief and bereavement
- Winston’s Wish: helps children, teenagers and young adults when experiencing grief
- Together for Short Lives: provide a phone line for any parent, carer or professional who looks after or knows a child or young person who is expected to have a shorter life expectancy
- Child Bereavement UK: support families when a child grieves or when a child dies. Including a helpline, or face-to-face support in certain locations
Support lines:
- IAM (Teenage Cancer Trust): emotional and clinical support tool for young people who’ve had cancer
- Connect (Teenage Cancer Trust): supportive online community for young people going through or recovering from cancer
- Young Lives vs. Cancer: phone 0300 303 5220 or email getsupport@younglivesvscancer.org.uk
- Macmillan: call 0808 808 00 00 or chat online
- Child Death Helpline: phone 0800 282 986 for free telephone service for anyone affected by the death of a child
- Young Minds: text ‘YM’ to 85258 for free 24/7 support
- The Mix – Crisis Messenger: text THEMIX to 85258 for free 24/7 crisis support across the UK
- Samaritans: phone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org for 24/7 free support
- Shout: text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 for free 24/7 support
- NHS psychological therapies (IAPT) (18+): self-referral for free talking therapies
Book recommendation:
- A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
Please let us know what you thought of this episode. Your feedback will help us keep the podcast relevant to you. Let us know what you think about the format, length, choice of articles or anything else. Perhaps you’d like to suggest an article for a future episode? Here are your options for getting in touch:
- Leave a comment below
- Use our feedback form (which allows you to give anonymous feedback)
- Email us at podcast@paedshub.co.uk