Treatment Support Programme
Our doctor and nurse led Treatment Support Programme is designed to help support any adult over 18 going through or recovering from cancer treatment. Whether that treatment is chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, we can help you explore what support you need to get through it in the best way possible.
We know that a cancer diagnosis and treatment can be challenging both mentally and physically, and we want to be able to support you though this. There are things that you can do to build your resilience, keep your body as well as possible and help deal with the stress, which will help make the journey a little easier.
What to expect
Regular evaluation of the treatment support programme shows that it can help you to:
- Build your physical and emotional resilience to cope with treatment.
- Manage symptoms and side effects.
- Have a greater sense of wellbeing and quality of life
- Meet and share with others who are going through similar experiences.
Sessions start at 10am and finish at 12.15pm. In this time, we hear from the expert and have time for people to say what they want to hear about and ask questions, we encourage people to share and listen to other’s experiences, and be supported by each other, and we have time at the end for people to ask any questions they want (relevant to a group setting of course) to the doctor and nurse.
We offer a series of four sessions, each with a different wellbeing focus. This is an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary approach where we use experts in each area, and doctors and nurses who use an integrative and personalised approach to help address what matters most to you. It’s also an opportunity to share and learn from others who are also going through treatment, in a safe, supportive group.
Learn more about each area:
Research shows that keeping active during your cancer treatment can help treatment to work better, reduce the effects of fatigue and other side effects, reduce the risk of recurrence and help you manage stress better.
A cancer diagnosis can often trigger different emotions that you may need to process, in the way that is right for you. We hope to share with you, ideas, and skills that you may find useful in supporting yourself during this time. In addition, connecting with others experiencing similar feelings can help you feel less alone and assure you that everything you are feeling is normal.
We have a cancer specialist dietitian who can reassure you about what you might be reading, offer her understanding of the latest evidence of nutrition and cancer, and answer your questions about how to best nourish your body and deal with any side effects from treatment that might be affecting how well or easily you are eating and digesting your food.
Complementary therapy can be used in a coordinated and supportive way before, alongside or after standard medical treatments and this may be in an area that is new to you. We can answer your questions about what is safe and what isn’t, how to find a trusted practitioner and where you might be able to find low or no-cost therapies.
We are flexible to your needs
The four sessions can be done consecutively or at your own pace. There is no order to them and we run the same four sessions each month (except August and December) so you can start and finish at any point, fitting in with your appointments and how you are feeling.
We make it relevant to where you are: you can be newly diagnosed, in the middle of treatment or recovering (within 3 months).
It is you as a person we are interested in, so we ask you what your main concerns are and try and support these specifically, and although we are in a group setting, we give you the opportunity to ask all your individual questions.
The Treatment Support team consists of two Penny Brohn UK integrative doctors, an oncology nurse and a group of experts in the areas of exercise and movement, mental health, nutrition and complementary therapies.
How to book
- You must be registered with our online booking system before you complete the form above. See our booking system guide.
- Once you’ve registered with our online booking system, to book onto the Treatment Support Programme, please complete this short booking form.
Once your place has been confirmed, you should receive a booking confirmation email. If you have not had this, please check your junk mail. If not then please contact clientsupport@pennybrohn.org.uk.
If you have any questions about the service before booking, please do so by phoning 0303 3000 118 (Mondays – Fridays, 10am – 4pm or emailing Client Support)
When you book you will be asked if you are able to make a donation towards the cost of your place. If you are able, please do make a donation so that we can continue to offer support to everyone who needs it. Whatever amount you can give will be gratefully received as we believe that everyone should have access to this kind of support when they have cancer. Thank you.
March dates and themes (all 10am – 12:15pm)
- 28th – Using complementary therapies safely during cancer treatment
April dates and themes
- 4th – Managing mindset, stress and anxiety during cancer treatment
- 11th – Keeping active during cancer treatment
- 18th – Eating well during cancer treatment
- 25th – Using complementary therapies safely during cancer treatment
May dates and themes
- 2nd – Keeping active during cancer treatment
- 9th – Managing mindset, stress and anxiety during cancer treatment
- 16th – Eating well during cancer treatment
- 23rd – Using complementary therapies safely during cancer treatment
Treatment support follow up group
Did you find the Treatment Support Programme (TSP) helpful? Have you completed all 4 sessions but would like to continue with this support and feel connected with others?
If so, then you are welcome to join the monthly TSP follow up group whenever you like. We meet via Zoom on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 1-2pm (except August and December).
This group is an ongoing supportive community for emotional support, sharing ways in which we can build our resilience and for discussing issues like treatment side effects, navigating post-treatment life, and living with uncertainty.
We aim to listen and support each other with compassion, share challenges and suggestions, and try to answer any questions that may come up. Sessions are hosted by one of the Integrative Doctor team and the Treatment Support Coordinator.
To book your place on a Treatment Support Programme follow-up group session, please click the button below.
This session is for those who have already completed the Treatment Support Programme.
Meet our Treatment Support Programe team
Stephanie Saker - Treatment Support and NHS Liason Coordinator
DipION, mBANT, CNHC
Steph joined Penny Brohn UK in 2018 after years of working in the NHS. She is a registered Nutritional Therapist with a strong foundation in whole-person, integrative approaches to physical and mental health and wellbeing. Steph coordinates and co-delivers Penny Brohn UK’s Treatment Support Programme for people in active cancer treatment, as well as providing personalised support for clients to help them identify the services that would most suit their needs. Steph also manages enquiries from NHS and other Healthcare Professionals wanting to understand how the charity can support their patients.
Dr Catherine Zollman - Integrative Doctor
BA Physiol (Oxon), MBBS, MRCP, MRCGP, Fellowship in Integrative Medicine (University of Arizona) Committee member of College of Medicine, BSIO, SIO
Catherine trained to registrar level in Medical Oncology before qualifying as a GP in 1995. She completed a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in 2010. In addition to her role at Penny Brohn UK, Catherine works part-time as an NHS GP and is an Honorary Clinical Lecturer at University of Bristol. She was a GP Clinical Cancer Lead for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG for 5 years.
Dr Zena Rajathurai - Integrative Doctor
BM BS, BMed Sci (hons), MRCP, MSc, Cert Ed
Zena joined the medical team at Penny Brohn UK in 2022, having worked as a Palliative Medicine Consultant in Bristol, and then a full-time mum. The career break enabled Zena to experience the need for ‘more than medicine’ through the integrative approach to healthcare and healing first hand. Zena is on the GMC Specialist Register and brings her experience and training to complement the offering at PBUK to people living well with cancer through the Whole Life approach.
