Dealing with cancer can cause intense emotions.  Over one third of people with cancer experience emotional distress at some point.

Individuals, couples, caregivers, and families can talk to our counsellors in-person or over the phone, or attend counsellor-led support groups at our regional centres, throughout cancer treatment and beyond.

Visit our Patient & Family Counselling page for more information and contact details.

Young Adults Art Therapy group

This group focuses on topics specific to young adults with cancer, exploring creative journaling and art exercises together. The group meets the second Tuesday of the month on Zoom and connects members with others who are the same age. 

• Register for the Art Therapy Group

Family Art Therapy Program

Support is available for families who have a parent living with cancer.  Therapy is targeted to families with kids who are about 3 – 16 years old.

Individual and family art therapy sessions are also available by appointment.  These are offered in person at Vancouver centre or online over Zoom.  Any family in B.C. can join.

• ​Register for the Family Art Therapy Program

Other art therapy groups

We have many other art therapy support groups, for all people with cancer.  Check out Art Therapy for more information.

Support groups

We offer other support groups for some types of cancer. Anyone is welcome to join.  Go to Support Programs and click on the calendar at the top of the page. 

The BC Cancer Library has many resources for patients and families. Our librarians can answer your questions, help you find information, and send resources to you by email or mail.  

Each BC Cancer regional centre has a library or cancer information centre.

Our librarians have lists of resources, called Pathfinders, on many topics from coping with a diagnosis, to specific cancer types, and more.  Young adults and teenagers with cancer pathfinder

Contact a librarian today!

Check out our resources on coping with cancer, managing stress, dealing with grief, and more.

You may need to stop working after your cancer diagnosis or you may have difficulty paying for medical and non-medical costs.  

Information on financial support: 

• Financial Information for People with Cancer 
  
• Financial Assistance 
  

A counsellor can assess your situation and provide referrals to programs or services. Make a counselling appointment with Patient & Family Counselling Services at your local cancer centre.

Cancer and its treatments can affect your work and education plans. You may need information and support.

Our Vocational Rehabilitation page has information that can help:

• Resources
• Groups
  
• How to connect with our vocational rehabilitation counsellor
  

Regular exercise is safe and recommended before, during, and after cancer treatment.

Our Exercise Support page has handouts, videos, common questions, and more.‎

Check out these resources about fertility preservation:

• Fertility Preservation for Adolescents & Young Adults Starting Cancer Treatments (Assigned Female at Birth)
  
• Fertility Preservation for Adolescents & Young Adults Starting Cancer Treatments (Assigned Male at Birth)​
  

Cancer treatments can cause physical  symptoms and side effects that can affect your sexual health. 

• Sexual Health webpage
• Sexuality, Fertility and Partner Support Pathfinder
• Sexual Health & Cancer handout
• Menopause Pathfinder
  

Our Family Support page has resources on:

• talking to children or teens about a cancer diagnosis
• taking care of yourself if you are caring for someone with cancer
• helping children cope with a cancer diagnosis in their family
  

BC Cancer is a welcoming space for gender and sexual minorities. This inclues all members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) spectrum.

Check out the resources in our 2SLGBTQIA+ Health Pathfinder

To learn more about our working group on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE), visit our Safer Space page.

‎Our Indigenous Patient Navigators (IPN) work with the cancer team to deliver supportive, trauma-informed, and culturally safe care to Indigenous patients and their families. Patients who identify as Indigenous, First nations, Metis, Inuit, Status and Non-Status, can access IPN services. 

Visit our Indigenous Patient Navigator page for contact information. 

To learn more about our Indigenous Cancer Strategy, visit Indigenous Cancer Control.

• Indigenous Health Pathfinder: Key Resources

Hereditary cancer happens when a gene mutation that increases cancer risk is passed down from a parent to a child. Being born with that gene mutation means that a person has a higher chance to develop specific types of cancer, and may have cancer at a younger than average age.

Hereditary cancer is not common. Less than 10% of all cancer is hereditary. That means that less than 1 of every 10 cancers is caused by a gene mutation that is passed down in a family.

For more information, visit Hereditary Cancer.

Visit Clinical Trials to find out more and see which trials are offered at each of our centres.

• Clinical Trials Pathfinder: Key Resources