CanTeen research has found that young people dealing with a parent’s cancer have increased levels of stress and anxiety and report a number of unmet needs. At any point in the trajectory of a parent’s illness, a young person is likely to struggle with a huge range of sometimes conflicting emotions and these are likely to be heightened at the point where palliative care becomes involved.
As well as dealing with the illness itself, many young people take on additional responsibilities such as caring for their sick parent, siblings and additional household chores.
‘It’s not supposed to happen. You aren’t supposed to have to worry about leaving school early because your dad is dying and there is no one to look after your younger sisters,’ says Ashlea, a CanTeen member.
Ashlea’s comment illustrates the emotional and practical demands she faces – seeing her father’s health deteriorate and being confronted with his death, at the same time as taking on the additional responsibility of caring for her sisters and missing out on school and time with friends.
Bearing in mind the hectic nature of many young people’s lives, without the addition of cancer in the family, CanTeen has worked to make the Counselling Service as flexible as possible. With no session limits, young people are able to access counselling at any point along the trajectory of their parent’s illness and come back at any time if they need to take a break.
‘After dad passed away my whole world was turned inside out. I thought I was prepared to deal with everything as I had helped nurse dad through two years of cancer. However, when the time came I was shocked to realise that you can never be prepared for the death of a loved one. As much as my friends were there to support me there is some stuff which you just can’t explain, you need a safe environment in which you can say everything that’s on your mind. It got to the point where I was no longer myself- I had lost all motivation and I was just angry at everything. Seeing Kristy was the best thing I have done to help myself move forward. Being able to talk to someone who already knew my cancer story and who knows about cancer made taking the step into counselling that much easier. The CanTeen Counselling Service is helping me through one of the toughest journeys of my life and I honestly don’t know where I’d be without it. ‘[Bereaved offspring, 21yrs old, Queensland].
The CanTeen Counselling Service is a specialised service for anyone aged 12-24 in Australia who has a parent with cancer or whose parent has died from cancer. Our counsellors are professionals skilled in working with young people living with cancer and in grief and loss. They offer face to face counselling for those who can access our offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Brisbane. In addition, telephone and online counselling is available across the country. We also offer groups targeted to specific needs and age groups.
For more information about CanTeen’s suite of programs and services and how we support young people living with cancer please visit www.canteen.org.au.
To find out more about the FREE CanTeen Counselling Service or to refer a young person, call 1800 226 833 or email support@canteen.org.au
With thanks to the Australian edition of ehospice for the original article.
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