Emotional and psychological support
Talk to one of our clinical psychologists
Need support?
Our clinical psychology service offers a range of support services.
- We are a team of clinical psychologists who specialise in helping patients manage the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment.
- Our service is available to people diagnosed with cancer, and their partners or family members (over the age of 18 years of age) who live in the Harrogate area or are receiving cancer treatment in Harrogate.
- We offer a confidential, non-judgemental space to talk openly about your experiences and concerns. This is an opportunity to “tell it like it is,” and to work on ways to promote and protect your emotional wellbeing moving forwards.
- We work collaboratively with you to help you find ways to promote and protect your emotional wellbeing.
- We are based in the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre. Appointments last up to 60 minutes. We can also offer telephone sessions if preferred.
We understand that given the nature of cancer treatment, you may have many competing demands on your time. As such, we try to arrange meetings to fit in and around your other clinical appointments. - If you feel that meeting with a Clinical Psychologist could be helpful to you, please ask your Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) to refer you to us. (If you are not being treated at Harrogate or are not sure how to contact your CNS team, please ask either the Macmillan Information and Support Service (hdft.cancerinformation@nhs.net) or your GP to refer you.)
While you wait for our service
While you wait for our emotional support services, or as an alternative to psychology sessions, you might find the following resources useful.
Can-Empower
An online resource with information about the psychological impact of cancer and tools and techniques to help with this. Designed with people with experience of cancer, healthcare professionals and researchers at the Centre for Psychosocial Research in Cancer (CentRIC), University of Southampton.
Coping with a cancer diagnosis (webinar series)
A series of videos developed by the NHS Macmillan Psychology Service in East London to help and support you and your family with your cancer diagnosis. The videos explore the process of adjustment, how cancer affects you and those around you, some strategies to help you cope and how to access additional support.
Meet the psychological support team
My sessions with the psychologist helped me to process my journey from diagnosis through treatment and to cope with fears of recurrence. It has been incredibly helpful at a time when friends and family did not know how to help. I cannot overstate the value I place on being able to talk things through with such a wonderfully experienced professional.
Sessions with the Clinical Psychologist gave me space and time to talk about the issues that are difficult to talk about with friends and family. It gave me the ability to express thoughts and feelings that were uncomfortable and to understand why I felt this ways, as well as strategies for coping.
Links to further information and support
The following page has a comprehensive list of resources for further information and support with the emotional impact of cancer, including on the following topics:
- Anxiety and uncertainty
- Changes to your body
- Coping with cancer treatment
- Sleep
- Living with and beyond cancer
- Supporting children when you have cancer
- Supporting someone with cancer, young adults with cancer
- Bereavement
- Alternative mental health support (not cancer-specific)