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Hello all! As a psychology professional myself I heartily agree with all the good advice about finding someone to talk to about all the emotional stresses cancer puts us through. I didn't think about outside counseling for myself when I was first diagnosed, because, after all, I am married to the world's best and most compassionate psychologist! However, on learning of my diagnosis another older psychologist at the same hospital asked if I would let him work in counseling with me. I said "okay" mostly because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. To my surprise I found a lot of comfort in counseling with him, because even though I thought I really didn't need another counselor, I realized there was a lot of pain and fear I was unconsciously holding back from my husband. Counseling for the children is really a good idea, but it may also be a good idea for a husband to seek counseling, too, or at least for a couple to do counseling together. The physical toll of fighting cancer is horrendous, but so are the emotional and spiritual and mental stresses on the whole family. It is a woman's nature to try to keep the rest of the family "up", often at the expense of her own emotional health. Counseling can be a tremendous help to everyone, and insurance should pay for it. If a professional counselor is not available, a clergyman can often be helpful. Thank you all for starting and adding to this topic; it should be a lot of help to all of us. Hugs, Tricia
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