Vocational Rehabilitation

Cancer and its treatments can affect your work or education plans. You may need some support and information. A vocational rehabilitation counsellor can help.

​​

About

Vocational rehabilitation counsellors

A vocational rehabilitation counsellor can work with you to make a plan based on your needs. This can include:

  • Returning to work or school
  • Maintaining work or attending school
  • Changing jobs
  • Finding new work or new training

Our counsellor can help you:

  • Explore how to return to work if you work abilities have changed
  • Assess your ability to do work
  • Explore a change in priorities about work
  • Understand your insurance benefits
  • Find resources in your community to help your ability to work
  • Find information on human rights and disability issues
  • Plan how to discuss health concerns with those at your work
  • Negotiate with an employer for return to work and job accommodations
  • Manage stress at work
  • Help you figure out your work interests
  • Find work or school programs;
  • Find funding for retraining

Who can access the counsellor?

You can access this service from the time you are diagnosed with cancer until 18 months after your active treatment ends.

Book an appointment with the counsellor

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call your nearest BC Cancer Patient & Family Counselling office:

Appointments are available over Zoom, on the telephone and in person for people in Vancouver.

Groups

Job Search Seminar 

Covers issues around looking for work such as resume gaps, disclosure of health history, asking for work accommodation, and legal rights and responsibilities. For more information, please call 236-668-8719.

Return to Work Group

For people returning to their former workplace after cancer treatment. This four-part seminar will discuss ways to get ready for return to work, insurance issues, improving workplace well-being, employment rights and negotiating return to work. For more information, please call 236-668-8719.

Resources

Cancer and Work website 

Cancerandwork.ca has excellent information for people with cancer, health care providers and employers. This information aims to help people with cancer diagnosis stay, return and find new work.

Topics include:

Tab Heading