Are you noticing:

 

· A new level of anxiety in everything you do? Low mood?

· Sleep issues? Feeling flat and tired all the time?

· Having trouble making decisions? Getting organised?

· A sense of running out of time?

· Finding stoicism completely exhausting?

· Loss of joy and humour?

If so, you may be experiencing a trauma response to your cancer experience. As if the diagnosis itself wasn't enough to deal with! Right now your body and brain are convincing you that you are under constant threat. We're all wired to respond like this to the uncertainty that comes with diagnosis of a potentially life-threatening condition. You're normal!

 

But you don't have to live like a cancer patient for the rest of your days...There is help available to make cancer feel like a distant memory, and to keep it in the past.

 

Nerida has been a psychologist for 37 years; and has lived experience of breast cancer (diagnosed 2011) to which she developed a trauma response. Her own recovery from this has led her to specialising in trauma treatment. She can offer:

· Help for "scanxiety", fear of treatment and medical reviews

· Desensitization for traumatic aspects of your experience (removing the anxiety response)

· Support in coming to the best decisions for your own treatment path - including aspects of rehabilitation E.G. exercise, diet, consistent emotional regulation

· Support in managing the reactions/needs of those around you, including intimate partners and children

· Making sense of the experience: what it means for you and loved ones, how life has changed and may need to be managed differently.

Nerida's main treatment approaches are:

· Clinical Hypnosis

· EMDR (Eye Movement Desensization & Reprocessing)

· EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique - Tapping)

· Incorporating the warm and able assistance of Wally (7 yo Cavoodle and therapy support dog). 

 

You will need a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP to access a $101.55 rebate for sessions with a $230 standard fee. A MHCP provides for 10 rebateable sessions in a calendar year. It's also possible to access another 5 rebateble sessions under a Chronic Ilness/Complex Needs plan. Sessions are also eligible for claiming a rebate under private health insurance if you have Extras Cover which includes Psychology. It's possible to combine a MHCP and Extras Cover sequentially (not simultaneously) to access more sessions. 

 

Nerida is keen to establish support groups of people affected by a cancer diagnosis - both for group programs/workshops with a mental health recovery focus, and the informal support connections groups might provide for individuals. If this is something you may be interested in, for any cancer diagnosis please let Nerida know; including any ideas for areas you might like to explore.