The Effect of Integrative Counselling on Psychological Well-Being in Adult Patients with Cancer: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study aimed to (1) investigate the effectiveness of short-term integrative counselling on the psychological well-being of adult patients with cancer and (2) explore their reported experience of receiving integrative counselling. Design: A mixed-methods embedded design was used to compare psychological well-being in two groups of patients with cancer; one group (n = 15) received 6–9 weekly, hour-long sessions of integrative counselling, and the other group (n = 16) were on the wait list. Methods: Pre and post-intervention symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression and levels of self-esteem were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The counselling group also answered an open-ended qualitative question with the posttest measures about changes they experienced through having had counselling. Results: In the counselling group, there were substantial and statistically significant improvements in symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression, and levels of self-esteem. No significant changes were observed in the wait list group. Three themes of change experienced through counselling were identified in the qualitative data: Acceptance, Self-Awareness, and Moving Forward. Conclusion: Short-term integrative counselling is an effective therapeutic intervention for improving psychological well-being in adult patients with cancer.