415.548.3370 drarbella@gmail.com

Cancer Support

Cancer stinks. Badly. There is no other way to say it. It really stinks when you are young and relatively healthy and going about your life thinking you have all the time in the world to accomplish all of your goals, raise your kids, or maybe even find someone and then have a family.

Cancer support is an area of focus in my practice. Cancer can be like a tornado when it strikes; it is all you can do to keep your feet on the ground. Patients are often swept up in the sea of doctors’ appointments, scans and endless medical jargon. It is helpful to have a place where someone can understand what you are experiencing.

As a psychologist and former breast cancer patient, I can offer you and your loved ones an immediate connection, that of hope and understanding. Therapy is helpful during the overwhelming diagnosis phase, the active treatment phase and the equally challenging post treatment phase.

Family members, particularly spouses/partners, are equally distraught at this time. Their needs often become secondary to caring for the patient. Significant others benefit from having a place to express their emotions, whether they be fear, sadness, anger or anxiety, without feeling as if they are burdening their partner/patient to do so.