At St Catherine’s we often talk about the patient journey and in the counselling team this refers to the different emotions that are experienced during the course of the illness.

Some patients and their families experience intense anger and frustration, others extreme sadness and even depression, and it is very difficult for a family to support each other at these times, no matter how close they are or how well they get on together.

The counselling team can be very helpful at these times. By being completely separate from the family and yet able to relate to the distress, they can provide that additional support that can improve the quality of the time that families have together.

Where patients have few family members around for them, a member of the counselling team can provide some of that support.

Support from the counselling team is available from when someone is first referred to the hospice, until long after bereavement.