Support for people with cancer and those recovering from cancer

The psychologists working in the Psychosocial Support Unit primarily provide discussion support, with the aim to alleviate the psychological crisis and strain caused by cancer. We offer discussion support that is short-term in nature. We usually schedule the visits approximately every 3–6 weeks.

You can come to the appointments either alone or with a loved one. If necessary, we can also arrange a personal visit for discussion for your loved one.

For visits to the Psychosocial Support Unit, you need a referral from the physician treating your cancer. You can ask for a referral from the physician yourself. Together with you, the physician will assess the need for support from the unit.

Online therapy for cancer patients allows you to get support even when it’s difficult to visit a clinic. With the online therapy service available through Health Village’s (Terveyskylä online service) Omapolku service, you can address your illness and the changes it brings at your own pace.

Internet-delivered therapy is a way to talk to a therapist via your computer or handheld device to receive support for making progress. Treatment begins within a week and lasts seven weeks.

Treatment is free of charge for you. You can ask your treating physician for a referral to online therapy.

Learn more about online therapy for cancer patients at Mentalhub

The Comprehensive Cancer Center has its own hospital chaplain, who is there for the patients and their families as well as the staff. With a hospital chaplain, you can talk about all the things you have on your mind.

Conversations are always strictly confidential and held in a manner that respects the person’s religious beliefs. You can talk to a hospital chaplain regardless of your religious beliefs. If you wish, the hospital chaplain can help you get in touch with your parish or religious community.

You can contact the hospital chaplain through the staff at the Comprehensive Cancer Center and by calling or emailing the chaplain.

At the Comprehensive Cancer Center, we offer psychosocial support, counseling and guidance for rehabilitation that takes into account the young age and special needs of cancer patients under the age of 40.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center employs an occupational therapist and an expert in psychosocial support who also acts as a service counselor for young adults. Our service counselor will go through your life situation with you, map out your possible support needs and, if necessary, refer you to the services that best suit your needs. The counselor will also provide information about various organizations and peer support.  

 Service counseling is an integral part of cancer care for young adults, and it is also available to their loved ones. Support from a service counselor is available as soon as treatment begins and throughout the treatment process. Our service counselor will help you find the necessary support services also at the end of your treatment and during the cancer follow-up and monitoring period. The service is free of charge and does not require a physician’s referral.  

You can contact the service counselor by phone or through the Comprehensive Cancer Center staff. You can also ask the service counselor to contact you.

• Occupational Therapist, service counselor for young adults, Anna-Elina Rahikainen
• More information about support services for adolescents can be found on this page. 

Cancer usually has a profound impact on the everyday life of families with children. Each family reacts differently to a family member’s cancer. In many cases, the care of children and the family’s livelihood need to be reassessed when a family member falls ill with cancer. 

It is a good idea to talk honestly to a child about cancer and the changes it will cause in the family’s life, in ways appropriate for the child’s age and development level. When a parent falls ill, it is important to ensure that the children also receive sufficient support.

Support for parenting and discussions with children can be provided by the employees at the Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Psychosocial Support Unit. If necessary, you can also come to the unit with your entire family.

If necessary, we will refer elderly people to a geriatric specialist or geriatric oncologist for chemotherapy evaluation. The geriatric specialist will provide a variety of instructions on coping at home and administering medication.

Cancer changes a person’s everyday life, including their coping at home, capacity to work, finances, caring for children or other family members, as well as personal relationships.

It is possible for you and your loved ones to talk to our social worker. You and your family members can discuss your situation with a Comprehensive Cancer Center social worker who will be able to offer personalized advice and guidance on many of the problems and questions arising from your new life situation. A social worker will also provide guidance on benefits available for cancer patients.  

You can get the social worker’s contact information from the nursing staff. You can also ask for a social worker to contact you.

Social services at the Comprehensive Cancer Center 

• We provide information on social security benefits and services and, if necessary, also assist in submitting the required applications.
• Together with patients, relatives and staff, we participate in the planning of the patient’s discharge from hospital and in organizing their further treatment.
• We will help you in determining your work ability and rehabilitation opportunities and participate in drawing up rehabilitation plans together with other professional groups.
• We cooperate with the authorities and other partners.
• We provide assistance and discussion support for you and your loved ones.
• We provide information on the activities of patient organizations.
• We provide information on matters related to your rights as a patient.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center's physical therapists provide care to patients on both the wards and in outpatient clinics. A physician will assess your need for physical therapy and, if necessary, refer you to physical therapy. Patients to be referred to the Comprehensive Cancer Center’s physiotherapy have cancer-related symptoms such as

• lymphoedema
• tightening of the excised area/side/scar
• limb weakness
• restricted movement
• assessment of functional capacity
• assessment of the need for assistive devices and guidance

The goal of physiotherapy is to promote the patient's mobility and functional capacity through individual guidance and advice, and therapeutic and manual exercises.

In addition, the physiotherapist will assess the assistive devices you will need—including those that support mobility and other daily activities—and guide you in obtaining them.

Sufficient and diverse nutrition is important both during and after your cancer treatment period. Cancer treatments can cause a wide range of symptoms that may affect how you eat and whether you can keep food down. Loss of appetite and nausea after, for example, radiation therapy or chemotherapy, and periodic changes in your sense of taste are fairly common symptoms reported by cancer patients.

In some cases, eating may be impossible, for example, as a result of surgery. In such cases, nutrition is provided through tube feeding or intravenous nutrition. If needed, you can get help with nutrition-related issues from a clinical dietitian; you can make an appointment with a referral from your physician.

Patients under the care and monitoring of the Comprehensive Cancer Center have the opportunity to discuss topics related to sexuality at a sexual therapist’s appointment. Common topics for discussion include: 

• Sexual libido and lack of desire
• Changes in the body
• Pain during intercourse, difficulty in having an orgasm, and other challenges in sexual matters brought on by the illness and treatments
• Personal relationships and the formation of personal relationships
• Dilatation control
• Reflection on sexuality, problems and challenges in sexuality
• Difficulties and challenges brought about by the illness or treatments in the experience of being a woman or a man or in gender diversity.

The average number of visits per patient is 1–6 and we usually schedule visits approximately every 2–6 weeks. Teleconsultations are also possible in sexual counseling.

You can see a sex therapist by requesting an appointment through a cancer nurse.  

The Cancer Society of Southern Finland offers a wide range of support and advice services to cancer patients and their loved ones.  

Our nurse is here to support you every step of the way.

The nurse can be contacted by calling 050 4088 420 from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. You can also contact her by email: satu.forsstrom@essy.fi   

Face-to-face meetings at the Comprehensive Cancer Center or remotely can be arranged by appointment. 

For example, your situation might be: 

• Your or a loved one’s cancer diagnosis and the life change it has brought about makes you uncertain.
• You need information about cancer and the treatments it involves.
• You have challenges in your intimate relationships or other personal relationships that come with the illness.
• You need support and the means to support your children and adolescents when one of their parents or a sibling has cancer.
• You need support and ways to change your lifestyle and want to learn how to promote your own coping and wellbeing during and after your illness.
• You need support for rehabilitation or returning to work.
• You have lost a loved one and are experiencing grief.  

The appointments are free of charge and confidential. Our nurses are bound by confidentiality obligation.

• More information Cancer Society of Southern Finland’s services
• Facebook page of the Cancer Society of Southern Finland

OLKA activities

OLKA refers to coordinated organization and volunteering activities in the hospital. Volunteers from various organizations work at the hospital. They are there for you when you are in need of help navigating the hospital, a person to talk to, or some peer support. The volunteers are easy to identify by their light green vests. Our volunteers offer you unhurried interaction and are bound by confidentiality.

More information about OLKA activities

Peer Hub

The Peer Hub of the online Health Village (Terveyskylä online service; content currently not available in English) is a service that offers peer support for patients and their family members.

Click here to the Peer Hub website

All about cancer

The “All about cancer” website provides information, advice, and peer support related to cancer.

Click here to go to the “All About Cancer” page

Suomen Syöpäpotilaat ry

The Cancer Society of Finland supports adult cancer patients and their loved ones at different stages of the disease.

Click here to the Association of Cancer Patients in Finland website

Syöpäklinikan Tukijat

The Syöpäklinikan Tukijat (supporters of the cancer clinic) organization supports the Comprehensive Cancer Center’s patients and their loved ones in the demanding everyday life at the hospital by making the hospital environment more comfortable.

Go to the Syöpäklinikan Tukijat website