we’re with you at work The Specialist Health and Work Service (SHAWS) continued to provide support to those affected by cancer remotely by telephone and video call. We have supported people with a range of issues relating specifically to the pandemic, including anxiety around Covid-19 safety, mask wearing, lack of support, shielding, Covid-19 risk preventing clients returning to work and issues with furlough/redundancy. We have helped people explore their options around reasonable adjustments, such as home working or extra safety measures, continuation of skills training, and support in expressing needs to employers, during this particularly difficult time. We have also spoken directly with employers, trade union representatives and occupational health assessors, where appropriate, to discuss client needs both in relation to Covid-19 as well as their cancer diagnosis.
“It was good to know that what I am going through is ‘normal’ and although my confidence is not what it was, I felt I could speak about what was going on with me in a safe place.”
cognitive behavioural therapy support The mental wellbeing support we can provide within SHAWS has also been enhanced by the team addition of our Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) master’s placement student. Complementary CBT sessions have been offered to people for support with anxiety, assertiveness, depression, sleep disorders and more. In addition, SHAWS Practitioners were able to refer people for complementary virtual relaxation sessions with a therapist from the Wellbeing Team at Beatson Cancer Charity. We also developed a great partnership with local Social Enterprise Company, Morphfit, who offered a dedicated gentle movement exercise class for those supported by Beatson Cancer Charity weekly via Zoom.
new workshops We piloted our first virtual workshops delivered via Zoom. In February 2021 we delivered workshops on the topics of ‘Developing Your Daily Routine’ and ‘Effective Communication in the Workplace’. Feedback was very positive and will inform future workshop delivery. These workshops have allowed us to support people with similar challenges in an open and interactive group setting.
Workshop Participant beatsoncancercharity.org
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