I'm a cancer psychologist. This is what helps my patients feel less alone during treatment
13 May 2025, 12:56
I’m a clinical psychologist at King Edward VII’s Hospital, where I specialise in cancer psychological care and what we call 'prehabilitation'.
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"Prehabilitation" is a team approach to helping people physically & mentally prepare themselves for intense, challenging and sometimes life-changing cancer treatment procedures. I witness pain, fear, and heartbreak, and moments of humanity and emotional courage so powerful they almost defy description. Moments of vulnerability, dignity, resilience and compassion within the community each person builds in the hospital with staff, other patients and their families.
Just this month, His Majesty The King – Patron of King Edward VII’s Hospital – released a message in support of community-based cancer care, reflecting that “the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.”
He spoke movingly about the importance of emotional connection and support, recognising the extraordinary strength shown by patients and their families, and the vital role of those who care for them. It was a powerful reminder that clinical excellence and compassionate community care must go hand in hand, and it is very clearly reflected in the evidence, which typically finds strong positive associations between social support, personal wellbeing and recovery.
We are at our best when we feel like we belong to a community and have strong ties to others. When we connect in couples, families, friendships, teams, squads and communities, we gain resilience, security and deeper meaning in our lives.
As we observe Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, we must recognise that mental health, while personal to each of us, does not exist in a vacuum. It is deeply intertwined with the communal bonds that shape our daily lives.
This year’s theme, “Small Steps, Big Impact,” points to something powerful. Building a mentally healthier society doesn’t always start with sweeping reforms. Sometimes, it starts with checking in on a friend who has been sick, challenging our own avoidance of ‘not knowing what to say’.
Many of us lack these vital connections that will reach out in the moment of need. The 2025 Belonging Barometer study from the Belonging Forum is a survey of 10,000 people across the UK. The research shows that 1 in 10 adults in the UK has no close friends, and this rises to over half (52%) among people who report fair to poor physical health. Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 3 adults report feeling lonely often or some of the time, with younger people, women, and those with disabilities disproportionately affected.
So, if we are faced with the challenge of cancer - as 1 in 2 of us will be in our lifetime - and find ourselves without strong, supportive connections, the struggle can feel even greater.
In her memoir The Book of Alchemy, Suleika Jaouad, who underwent cancer treatment in her twenties, writes with acute directness of her experience:
“In the four years I spend in treatment, illness took a toll. I lost my relationship, my sense of self, friends, trust in the future. But I learnt another lesson too. Illness had taught me how much we need one another, how much we come into this world needing so much care.”
At moments like these, the importance of compassionate, human-centred care becomes even more evident. Clinical teams, doctors, nurses, therapists, and psychologists, such as those at King Edward VII’s Hospital, are there to offer expert medical support delivered with kindness. Beyond medical care, a broad network of cancer support organisations also provide community, insight, and shared experience.
As I’ve found time and again in my role, small human gestures can help all of us – but especially those on their cancer journey and their family - feel like they are not alone.
When we see the value of social connection at the edges of life, we can then pass it forward. Growing, sustaining and nurturing meaningful connections before we need them can have a big impact in someone’s darkest moments.
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Dr Alex King, DClinPsy (UCL), CPsychol is a Clinical Psychologist at King Edward VII’s Hospital, London.
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