Onkoloogika to train 25 cancer peer support workers

Onkoloogika, a nonprofit association, will train cancer peer support workers with support from the Civil Society Endowment, ERR’s Vikerraadio reported. The programme will recruit 15 peer support group leaders and 10 peer counsellors.

Onkoloogika programme manager Valerija Strelovskaja said the need to support cancer patients and their loved ones in Estonia is much greater than current services can provide. About 70,000 people in Estonia live with a cancer diagnosis, and each diagnosis also affects the patient’s family and friends.

Peer support workers will focus on listening and providing support based on each person’s needs. The aim is to create a safe environment where cancer patients and their loved ones feel understood and do not feel alone with their experiences.

Applicants must have personal experience of a cancer diagnosis, either their own or that of someone close to them. Strelovskaja said every experience is unique and that applicants should have processed their own experiences and be ready to work with other people’s stories. She added that a good counsellor must understand their own limits in order to protect their own wellbeing.

The training will cover psycho-oncology, including psychological issues related to cancer. Participants will also learn about social and healthcare support available in Estonia and when and where to refer someone for further help. Peer support group leaders will receive additional training in group-work dynamics.

Oncopsychologist Inna Narro will train participants in the first programme. Social-sector specialists and experienced peer support workers and peer counsellors will also take part. The training will provide an ethical and good-practice framework, including guidance on the limits of a counsellor’s role. Counsellors are not expected to treat or diagnose people.

The work can also involve coping with a patient’s death. Strelovskaja said professionalism does not mean being free of emotions in difficult situations, but being able to manage those emotions and seek help when necessary.

Onkoloogika plans to provide counsellors with support when their work becomes emotionally difficult. Each counsellor in the organisation will have a person they can turn to for help.

Strelovskaja said peer support should not be set against clinical treatment, which must remain strong. However, support for cancer patients should also address how they cope with the illness in the rest of their lives, including their personal relationships and working lives.