Tenovus Cancer Care’s Therapeutic Virtual Support Group is a free online service, available for anyone affected by cancer living in Wales, aged over 18 years. We caught up with one of our Counselling Services Manager, Cerys Morris, to gain some insight into what happens during a session.
We launch the ‘meeting’ on Microsoft Teams and smile at each other. Who will come onto our screens first? Will anyone come? Who’ll speak first? What if no-one speaks? These are only some of the thoughts going through the minds of Sam and Jo, two members of the Tenovus Cancer Care Counselling Team and facilitators of the Therapeutic Virtual Support Group.
One by one, faces appear on the screens, everyone wearing a nervous smile and saying a tentative hello. Initial connections are formed, and first impressions made. We explain who we are and discuss and agree the important things such as, how every conversation within the group is private and confidential; everyone is to be kind and respectful of each other; and there will be a coffee/toilet break during the 1.5-hour session.
For each of the four-weekly sessions, there’s a loose topic; an aspect of what it is like to have / had cancer, but we leave it as open as possible so that we can go with whatever feels important for the group members. Before we know it, everyone becomes more comfortable and as the nerves start to settle, people start to share their stories – as much or as little as feels right for them, there’s no pressure at all. There are nods of recognition, moments of “yes, I felt like that too” and a great deal of care expressed towards one another’s emotions.
By the end of the session, a range of emotions have been experienced, from tears to laughter. Honest and open recollections of key moments in each of their experiences, listened with great respect and tenderness.
As therapists, we are used to sitting with big emotions and creating a space where people can feel safe to share and explore their feelings and fears. There’s a saying in counselling; “It’s the relationship that heals” and what better example of that than the Therapeutic Virtual Support Sessions – where relationships are built not only with the therapists, but with one another.
