Abstract
I write this article from the perspective of a mental health practitioner and academic, trained in Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, who has also lived through two breast cancer diagnoses. In May 2004, then in November of the same year, in my late forties, I was diagnosed with node-negative, grade 2, ductal breast cancers; two small, hormone-sensitive tumours, one in each breast, for which I was treated with breast-conserving surgery, radiotherapy, and adjuvant therapy after the second radiotherapy.
Therefore, I have now seen life from the other side of the fence, too. No longer only the long-time professional supporter of women with breast cancer, I am also one of those women. So, what have I gleaned from my new frame of reference, that can add to our existing understanding of the psychological impact of breast cancer on women, and help us to offer the best service we can to this patient/client group?