Counselling and Psychology Service

Counselling and Psychology Service

The Dorset Cancer Centre Counselling and Psychology Service provides counselling, psychological interventions and bereavement support to people who have cancer or who are under palliative care services and their families.

The service is based at Forest Holme Hospice and is available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. We are offering appointments via telephone, video (through NHS Attend Anywhere), and in person at Forest Holme. Visits can be offered on the oncology wards in the main hospital and at Forest Holme. The service is supported by Forest Holme Hospice Charity.

Please click on links below for more information on each service:

Counselling

After a cancer diagnosis, you may experience all sorts of difficult and painful emotions. You may be feeling sad and tearful at times due to the losses you have experienced through illness. Perhaps you find yourself struggling to cope with feelings of anxiety and have worries about your future. Or maybe you are dealing with body image issues due to changes experienced through surgery or treatment.

Bereavement Support

Bereavement counselling takes place in a relationship built upon trust, respect and confidentiality, to facilitate the processes of normal and complex grief.

Clinical Pschology

Clinical Psychologists are trained in supporting people with more significant emotional needs who sometimes require formal evidence-based approaches to complex and/or severe emotional difficulties. They are trained at the doctoral level, are experts in human behaviour, and are often trained in several different models of understanding the problems people encounter.

Useful websites

Macmillian
National charity that provides information and support for all types of cancer.

Mosaic
A local charity that provides support for bereaved children and families.

The team is available to offer support in several different ways:

  • Helping patients and families adjust to life-threatening illness
  • Helping facilitate communication in families.
  • Supporting carers within the family
  • Helping families support children and young people at home
  • Learning ways to manage anxiety, fatigue, or body changes
  • Helping families come to terms with losing a loved one (bereavement support)
  • Signposting to services that may help
  • Providing direct work with children and adults who need extra support
  • Support with financial worries
  • Provide written materials and books to support difficult conversations with children and family members, and also to provide information about what to expect about your condition and treatment

You can access the service by:

  • Requesting through your healthcare professional at Forest Holme Hospice, the Community Palliative Care Team or at the Dorset Cancer Centre
  • Ring us on 0300 019 8096 and tell us about the support you would like
  • Send us an email to DCC.Psychology@uhd.nhs.uk

News

27th Feb 24

Patient and families benefit from multi-functional chair beds

New multi-functional chair beds, a complementary therapy couch, riser-recliner chairs and dining room furniture are just some of the items purchased as part of a recent internal refurbishment thanks to the generosity of the local community.

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1st Feb 24

Cleaner retires after 19 years

We said a fond farewell to our cleaner Jackie, who bowed out this week to enjoy a well deserved retirement after 19 years at Forest Holme and a total of 28 years with NHS University Hospitals Dorset.

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10th Jan 24

Tree-mendous appeal success

Forest Holme Hospice Charity is delighted to announce that the Light Up A Life tree contributed to a total of £4,855 raised for the hospice.

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29th Nov 23

Award success

Congratulations to our fantastic Complementary Therapy Team, who came second and took the highly commended award in the recent Great British Care Awards.

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3rd Nov 23

Charity secures dedicated Reiki Therapist for patients

Forest Holme is delighted to announce it will be part-funding the role of the hospice’s reiki specialist, Kay Spears, alongside the Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary.

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1st Aug 23

Poppy’s Stall

10-year-old Poppy Thomas was thrilled to receive her certificate and medal from the charity for raising £150 from her fundraising stall.

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