Cancer Coaching

Have you been diagnosed with cancer? You don’t have to do this alone.

Something we hear often is how much people benefit from having Chandrika walk alongside them during their experience with cancer from diagnosis, through learning the language of cancer, making treatment decisions, the often challenging treatments themselves, and the ‘what now?’ life after cancer questions. 

For people living with advanced or metastatic cancer, the rollercoaster ride is different. You may find there is less support offered, or that your needs are often not considered. We have the skills and capacity to support your wellbeing through phases of stability and times of greater need. 

Cancer coaching with Chandrika is an opportunity to bounce ideas, share concerns, and have a trusted, unbiased health professional cheer you on as you navigate your cancer experience. Chandrika offers you the full gamut of her skills, her personal and professional knowledge, and can help you with issues including the shock of diagnosis, understanding medical terminology, assessment of relative risks and benefits, sifting through current evidence, busting myths, communication with friends, family and health providers, choosing safe and effective complementary therapies, and making choices that are empowering and aligned with what matters most to you. 

You can choose to focus on your lifestyle including nutrition, exercise, relationships, yoga and mindfulness. We empower you to develop tailored self-management techniques to help you cope with issues including sleep disturbance, hormonal changes, body image distress, fear of recurrence/progression, anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain, treatment side effects, late and lasting impacts of cancer, palliative care and survivorship.

Using the best of proven conventional medical screening and treatments, alongside well researched natural, complementary and integrative therapies, can help you live well and make the best of your cancer experience. There is growing evidence that shows that a responsible integrative approach can help you tolerate conventional treatment, and experience less fatigue and other effects of cancer and its treatments.

At Surya Health we don’t make thrilling claims about being able to cure cancer, but we do promise to source ethical, evidence based information to support you in the many difficult decisions and challenges cancer brings with it. We aim to help you survive and thrive by improving your quality of life and resilience.

Chandrika has been immersed in the literature around natural medicine, mind body medicine and integrative oncology since before her melanoma diagnosis. Having worked for the Cancer Council of WA as a Patient Educator, then as Director of Client Services at Cancer Support WA, Director of Wellness Education & Research at Solaris Cancer Care,  and contracted to coordinate research and evaluation at Breast Cancer Care WA, Chandrika is a leader in psychosocial education, training, support and complementary and integrative therapies. Her PhD research centred on the experiences of people with head and neck cancer, however she is well versed in many cancer types, and will serve you as a whole person, regardless of your diagnosis.

Chandrika is connected with many free and subsidised services and will gladly share her resources with you. She can help you communicate with other health care providers, including GPs, oncologists and haematologists, to ensure any natural approaches you use are not in conflict with your conventional treatments, and are wisely chosen to improve your wellbeing and quality of life.

Cancer coaching supports you to create your own strategies to live well with and beyond cancer.