This month we caught up with PCFA's Counselling Team as they marked one year of service and 1,000 sessions of care. Meet Bernie, Tracey, Lucy and Sylvia - the voices on the other end of the phone providing much needed support and care to men and their partners going through prostate cancer.
PCFA's Prostate Cancer Counselling Service, which launched in June 2022, has provided much needed psychological and emotional support to men and partners across Australia impacted by prostate cancer.
The service is unique in the fact that it is Australia's only prostate cancer specific counselling service. Since its inception, the team have delivered over 1,000 sessions of psychological support and care to almost 400 patients.
Prostate cancer, and subsequent treatments, can have a profound impact on a man's quality of life, resulting in changes to their physical and mental wellbeing.
That's where PCFA's Counselling Service steps in.
Over the past 12 months, the team have supported men and their loved ones who present with a wide range of cancer specific stressors that often result in clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression.
Some of the most frequently raised issues relate to uncertainty about the future, fear of cancer recurrence, and changes to relationships - to name just a few.
Treatments can sometimes result in loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, and incontinence, which can create a pervasive sense of loss of sexual identity, and the effects of hormone treatment (such as reduced muscle mass, bone density and strength) can further erode a man's sense of masculinity.
Men who have accessed the service report finding enormous benefit in talking about these issues with professionals, who have specialised expertise in understanding their challenges and evidence-based strategies aimed at reducing their distress.
As one client said, "I am profoundly grateful for the service. Despite having a fantastically supportive network of family and friends, I still felt dreadfully isolated by my prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Talking to a counsellor helped me enormously in reminding me that others had travelled the same road before me and come out the other side."
Partners also report finding the service very helpful, as all too often there is little support made available for those supporting their loved ones. Sessions may assist with decision making, problem solving, communication skills, relationship enhancement, and stress management, and generally have an action based coping focus.
The below was recently shared with us which summed up the positive impact that this service has on partners.
"You were the first people I got to talk to about my partners diagnosis, the difficulties we faced deciding which treatment path he would take, and my fears. Your counsellor was calm, she listened, and she was knowledgeable around the specifics of a prostate cancer diagnosis, which is extremely valuable. She gave me a better understanding of what was happening to my partner, to me and to us as a couple. She gave me strategies to help me cope/deal with what was happening. Whilst the person with prostate cancer should be first and centre in being looked after, your service includes assistance to partners, and I am so appreciative of that."
This kind of support has taken many men and their loved ones who have reached out from a place of questioning and confusion, to having a renewed sense of optimism about their ability to navigate the unique challenges of living with prostate cancer into the future.
With 1,000 sessions of care completed, we look forward to delivering 1,000 more!
