“I saw Ruth when my uncle was ill and then he died. I saw her for about eight weeks. When my uncle was ill I felt sad and scared that he would die. I talked to Ruth about what was happening and how I felt. I used to get the play dough and make emotions out of it, so we had red bits for anger, white bits for happiness and blue bits for sadness. I would put the bits into a bowl, choosing how I felt, over time the red bits got less. ”

“I started my sessions beaten, hopeless, suicidal on a daily basis, an emotional wreck. Through the sessions I have completed my course a changed person, enjoying life to the full, living a life beyond my wildest dreams and so, so grateful. Thank you.”

“My counsellor helped me understand it wasn’t my fault that I had cancer, and that it was OK to feel how I felt, not to be so hard on myself, to give myself time to do nothing when I felt like it, instead of punishing myself with having to do stuff and worrying how other people think especially work.”

“My diagnosis of cancer came after over two years of debilitating ME & seemed the final straw. I coped with surgery but ‘collapsed’ mentally at the thought of continual check-ups (having to face the possibility of cancer returning). I have vulval cancer, which is a painful one to treat & I felt embarrassed having it! The 16 weeks of counselling allowed me to think about every aspect of my life. In that time, I suffered a bereavement and a cancer scare & a huge disappointment at not being well enough to return to work but counselling has improved my outlook & given me hope.”

“I have found myself being injured by some acquaintances and family as a result of contracting cancer. Those people are probably acting out of embarrassment as they do not know what to say, so they say nothing. If they can be made to realise that we cancer survivors need them more than ever, then we would feel better in ourselves. In other words, there needs to be better education of the general public as regards their attitudes and involvement.”

“I felt that I had reached a more secure and even happier place because my counsellor allowed me time to reflect, weep, laugh…all the emotions! It was a considerable experience for me as I learned to ‘unbottle’ myself of many upsetting things; to open up and even to look forward to better, if still tough, times.”