For over 20 years Counterpart has connected, supported, and informed women with breast and gynaecological cancers. Counterpart’s trained survivors provide practical and emotional telephone-based one-to-one peer support connecting women with cancer.
In July 2022 after considering the cancer landscape and following requests from both women with other cancers and clinicians, the service opened to Victorian women with all cancers. In preparation for this service expansion, the Peer Support Volunteers (PSVs) completed a bridging training program to support their work with a new cohort of service users.
We will present aspects of the expansion of peer support by a niche cancer support service to women with all cancers in Victoria.
Methods
- Review of the cancer landscape for women in Victoria
- Relationship development with Australian cancer NGOs and clinicians
- Tailored training and regular communication PSVs and staff
- De-briefing and follow-up after each PSV interaction with a client within a mentoring program.
Outcomes
- The review was fundamental to project planning
- Though stakeholder responses are gradual, their contributions have been essential
- Volunteers built on their experience; integrated new and familiar
- Training was evaluated highly, particularly interactive sessions by women with other cancers and staff from cancer NGOs
- Feedback from PSVs’ practice at ~3 months: They felt sufficiently prepared and confident to support women with other cancers, and they had a lot in common with women with other cancers; there were more similarities than differences with respect to practical and emotional support.
Lessons learned
- There is a paucity of support services aimed specifically at women with non-breast and non-gynaecological cancers
- Women with cancer share common experiences despite different cancer diagnoses and life stages
- Counterpart’s model of comprehensive training with ongoing support for PSVs underpins quality service provision
- Relationship development and communication with all stakeholders is vital.