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Emotional support

An important part of the carer’s role can be to provide emotional support to the person with cancer. Your presence can help them feel less isolated and lets them know you care.

Learn more about:

Sharing how you feel
Ways to communicate

Finding it hard to talk about cancer

You might want to talk to the person about their cancer diagnosis and treatment, but not know how. This may be because you:

fear saying the wrong thing or don’t want to say something upsetting
feel you shouldn’t talk about the cancer
don’t know what to say or how to respond
feel you have to be supportive and strong for the person with cancer, and worry you could become emotional.

Understanding emotional responses

It’s likely the person you’re caring for will experience a range of strong emotions. It can help to ask if they would like to talk. Sometimes they might talk openly about how they’re feeling. Other times they may prefer not to share their thoughts, and it’s important to respect this. They may also try to hide their feelings because they don’t want to upset you.

Having open and respectful conversations

Try not to change the subject if a conversation gets uncomfortable. Instead share how you feel and respect each other’s feelings. It’s natural to have disagreements from time to time, especially when you’re both under stress. Although dealing with conflict can be hard, it can also bring you closer together and help you understand each other’s point of view. See below for tips on resolving conflict.

While you may be the main source of emotional support, you can encourage the person you’re caring for to speak to family members, friends or health professionals who can provide emotional support in different but valuable ways.

Ways to communicate

Be a good listener

Resolve conflict

Sit somewhere private where you will not be interrupted.
Make it clear that you are there for as long as needed (e.g. switch off your mobile phone).
Maintain eye contact.
Listen carefully to what may be behind the words. Try not to think about something else or plan what you will say next.
Acknowledge that dealing with cancer is difficult. Ask open questions to help you understand how the other person is feeling.
Avoid interrupting or changing the subject.
Allow the person to be sad, upset or cry. You don’t have to keep them happy all the time.
Check your understanding of what they’ve said by repeating information or paraphrasing.
Wait to be asked before giving any advice.
Try to not make comparisons with other people’s situations.
Use humour to relieve tension, if appropriate.

Let the other person know that you care about them and want to resolve your differences.
Be honest about what you’re thinking and feeling.
Try to talk through the issues calmly. Hear each other out and work towards a solution, rather than seeing the other person as the problem.
Talk about your expectations. For example, some people with advanced cancer choose to stop having treatment. You may find this hard to accept if you feel they are giving up and you want them to try other options.
Choose your battles – it may help to focus your energy on the issues that really matter.
If a discussion becomes heated, take a break and talk later when you are both calmer.
Arrange for others to take on the caring role for a short time.
Discuss the situation with your GP or ask for a referral to a social worker, counsellor or psychologist who can help you manage the conflict

→ READ MORE: Communicating with others

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Key resource

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Emotions and Cancer

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This information was last updated in November 2023. See who reviewed this content.

Dr Alison White, Palliative Medicine Specialist, Royal Perth Hospital, WA; Tracey Bilson, Consumer; Louise Dillon, Consumer; Louise Durham, Nurse Practitioner, Palliative Care Outpatients, Princess Alexandra Hospital, QLD; Katrina Elias, Carers Program, South Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health, NSW; Jessica Elliott, Social Worker, Youth Cancer Services, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Brendan Myhill, Social Worker and Bereavement Research Officer, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, NSW; Penny Neller, Project Coordinator, National Palliative Care Projects, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology, QLD; Olivia Palac, Acting Assistant Director, Occupational Therapy, Gold Coast University Hospital, QLD; Nicole Rampton, Advanced Occupational Therapist, Cancer Services, Gold Coast University Hospital, QLD; Shirley Roberts, Nurse Consultant, Medical Oncology, Northern Adelaide Cancer Centre, SA; Dr Elysia Thornton-Benko, Specialist General Practitioner, and UNSW Research Fellow, NSW; Kathleen Wilkins, Consumer; Helen Zahra, Carers Program, South Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health, NSW.

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