Psychological support for men facing cancer. Sessions are offered in Surry Hills and through online appointments across Australia

A cancer diagnosis is a challenging experience. Psychological support complements, not replaces, medical treatment and can begin at any stage: upon diagnosis, during treatment, after treatment ends, or whenever concerns resurface. We support men diagnosed with cancer, as well as their partners, parents, children, and carers.

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men. Its treatments can cause psychological effects that are frequently overlooked.

Androgen deprivation therapy can affect mood, energy, concentration and libido directly, through hormonal mechanisms rather than through attitude or outlook. Surgery and radiotherapy can affect erectile function and continence, with consequences for intimacy, confidence and how you move through ordinary situations.

Active surveillance presents its own challenges. Living with a cancer that is monitored rather than treated means managing long-term uncertainty, and the ongoing monitoring can itself be a source of distress.

Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is most often diagnosed in younger men, at a time when life is focused on study, early career, new relationships, and family planning. Body image concerns after surgery, talking to partners, and making urgent decisions about fertility are common reasons to seek support.

Bowel, lung, head and neck, and other cancers

While treatments differ, the psychological challenges are similar: managing side effects, coping with uncertainty, adjusting to bodily changes, and deciding what and how to share with others. For head and neck cancers, changes to speech, swallowing, and appearance can have a significant impact on social confidence, often in ways that are underestimated by others.

What people bring to these sessions

Fear of cancer recurrence

Fear of cancer recurrence is a well-recognised psychological experience. Patterns of threat interpretation and checking behaviours often maintain it, more than medical facts alone. Routine body monitoring and upcoming scans can create prolonged anxiety. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help address these patterns.

Adjustment to diagnosis

The weeks following a diagnosis involve processing large amounts of information and making pressured decisions. Support often focuses on identifying what you can influence, navigating conversations with employers, and maintaining aspects of your life that matter most.

Low mood, anger and helplessness

Experiencing low mood, anger, or helplessness after a diagnosis is common and not a personal failing. These emotions are valid and can be addressed.

Fatigue and sleep

Cancer-related fatigue is different from typical tiredness and does not improve with rest as expected. Activity pacing and graded approaches are generally more effective than simply pushing through. Sleep difficulties often persist after treatment, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia is the most effective evidence-based approach.

Needle phobia, scanner claustrophobia and anticipatory nausea

These are specific, treatable issues, not burdens you simply have to endure. Needle phobia and claustrophobia often respond well to graded exposure in just a few sessions. Anticipatory nausea, feeling sick before treatment, is a conditioned response that can be effectively managed.

Relationships and communication

Topics such as what to tell children, how to respond to repeated questions, and how to politely decline unwanted help are addressed in practical, supportive ways.

Intimacy and body image

Treatment can change how your body functions and how you feel about yourself. Sexual difficulties after cancer are common and treatable, with support focusing on reducing performance pressure and rebuilding confidence.

Grief and loss

Not only bereavement. Grief can come from losing a capacity, a plan, or a version of your life you expected to have.

Life after treatment

Finishing treatment can be unexpectedly challenging. The routine disappears, appointments end, and others may assume your journey is complete. Meaning-centred approaches help you focus on building the next chapter of your life.

How the work is done

Sessions draw upon Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness-based strategies, EMDR and Motivational Interviewing. Approaches are tailored to your unique needs rather than applied as a single method.

Partners, carers and family

Support is available for partners and carers, regardless of whether the person you care for is also attending. Carers often feel exhausted and may question if their own distress is reason enough to seek support; it absolutely is.

Getting started

Sessions are available in person at Surry Hills or via telehealth across Australia for adults and adolescents (age 16+). A Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP enables Medicare rebates. Our support complements your oncology team, and we are happy to collaborate as part of your care.