“How to understand whether a patient needs a psychologist?”, probably, if you have begun to wonder whether you need an oncopsychologist, then this is already the first step on the path to psychological help. If you think that cancer is interfering with your emotional comfort, then this is a reason to sign up for a consultation. Women who are faced with cancer sometimes find it difficult to get rid of grievances, dark thoughts and depressive states on their own, but it is extremely important to do this. In such conditions, an oncological psychologist can come to the rescue. Cancer patients are often embarrassed to seek psychological help, and this is in vain: working with an oncologist helps not only ensure psycho-emotional well-being, but also improve well-being and increase motivation to follow doctor’s prescriptions. This is why we pay so much attention to psychological assistance and provide patients and their relatives with the opportunity to receive free consultations with oncologist and psychotherapist of the project Ekaterina Griorievna Averkova. Consultations with Ekaterina Grigorievna are conducted online. We decided to talk to her about all the advantages of psychological assistance in this format, patients’ doubts and questions. — Ekaterina Grigorievna, how is an online consultation with an oncologist? An individual online consultation with an oncologist is no different from a regular visit to a specialist’s office. You also need to make an appointment in advance; the date and time can be found on the New Life project website in the free consultations section. At the appointed time, you receive a consultation, but you are not located in a specialist’s office, but at home, in a chair in front of a computer or phone with a program installed for making video calls (for example, Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, etc.) and with the Internet turned on. camera. It is needed so that the specialist and the patient can establish visual contact. It is extremely important in establishing trusting relationships. The consultation is not recorded. If this is the first consultation, then it all starts with an introduction. I ask the woman to tell about herself and what prompted her consultation with a psychologist. Next we discuss the issues and difficulties that the woman faced. Most often, the conversation is conducted in a question-and-answer format, and along the way we select the most acceptable ways to solve difficulties. Depending on the severity of the psychological situation, we determine the necessary frequency of our meetings. There are issues that can be resolved with just one consultation. And sometimes, during a conversation, it becomes clear that the woman is in a severe depressive state. In such a situation, I recommend seeking medical help from a psychotherapist, since treatment of severe depression by standards should include pharmacotherapy. At the same time, the woman can continue to receive psychological help. Many patients want to come to you for a consultation, but they are often stopped by the video communication format. They are afraid of being seen, embarrassed by their appearance. Why does this happen? Why is a person afraid of being seen? Probably the one who is afraid knows this better. For me, this indicates that it is difficult for a person to build trusting relationships. And there can be many reasons for mistrust. Most likely, this is a psychological feature of a woman that was formed in childhood or adolescence. There were situations when, due to technical limitations, for example, a failure or weak Internet connection, women were not able to make a video call. I always understand such a situation and go to a meeting, in which case we agree to reschedule the video call, discussing the time and date. When I first started collaborating with the “New Life” project, I was surprised to hear how some women go to other psychologists and do not hide their faces. I do not rule out the possibility that someone may be scared that I am a psychiatrist, because there are many myths associated with this profession, and many remember stories from the times of the punitivepsychiatry of the Soviet past. The fact that I am a doctor should be considered an advantage. You can be sure that I will not miss a situation when you need medical help, and not talk about the psychosomatic nature of your poor health, and will refer you to a doctor on time. The video communication mode allows you to bring the consultation as close as possible to the traditional version of work, when you come to the office psychologist, since the opportunity to work “face to face” remains. Seeing the face of the interlocutor is necessary to build a “psychotherapeutic alliance” - this is a connection based on trust, empathy and a common goal, which is to solve the problem of the person seeking help. If you don’t see your interlocutor, it’s more difficult for you to build a relationship with him based on trust. The quality of consultation is declining. Remember that we perceive more than 80% of information through the visual analyzer. This suggests that it is important for us to see our interlocutor. How can an oncologist help and how can we understand whether a patient needs such a specialist? An oncologist can help an oncology patient improve their quality of life in the situation of cancer. Psychological assistance can be aimed at increasing the effectiveness of antitumor treatment and medical rehabilitation, at preventing disability, at reducing the severity of the negative psychological consequences of cancer, at preserving and restoring the personal, labor and social status of the cancer patient. An oncologist helps in resolving psychological problems and overcoming the consequences of crisis situations, by activating the oncology patient’s own capabilities, helps to understand the causes of psychological problems, and find ways to prevent and resolve them. As for the question: “how to understand whether a patient needs a psychologist?”, probably if you began to wonder whether you need an oncological psychologist, then this is the first step on the path to psychological help. If you think that cancer is interfering with your emotional comfort, then this is a reason to sign up for a consultation. “...Remember that it is you who decide what to tell and what not”— “What should I do if I am afraid of consulting with an oncopsychologist?” - patients ask this question quite often, what do you recommend? First, think about what exactly you are afraid of. If this is anxiety because you will have to tell a complete stranger about yourself, then this is quite normal. Everyone is worried. Remember that it is you who decide what to tell and what not. If you are afraid that other people will know about you, then don’t worry, because our meeting is not recorded. If you are worried about your appearance, then just know that on the other side of the screen there is an oncological psychologist, and if we talk about me, then also a doctor with many years of experience working in an oncology hospital. - Ekaterina Grigorievna, what do you think about the format of communication by voice messages ?The format of our project provides the most effective method of psychological assistance - video consultations. Video consultations do not limit the availability of help and make it possible to get help from an oncological psychologist in any corner of the world. Video communication mode allows you to bring the consultation as close as possible to the traditional version of work, when you come to the office psychologist, since the opportunity to work “face to face” remains. Seeing the face of the interlocutor is necessary in order to build a “psychotherapeutic alliance” - this is a connection based on trust, empathy and a common goal, which is to solve the problem of the person seeking help. If you don’t see your interlocutor, it’s more difficult for you to build a relationship with him based on trust. The quality of consultation is declining. Remember that we perceive more than 80% of information through the visual analyzer. This suggests that it is important for us to see the interlocutor. — Does it happen that during a consultation a patient suddenly wants to stop communicating? Consultation is an absolutely voluntary process. Every person has the right to refuse. Here I would like to add that when you turn to a psychologist, you are an active participant in the psychotherapeutic alliance (about which Isaid earlier). That is, psychotherapy is a two-way process. Before you stop working with a psychologist, think about your negative attitudes. Is it possible that you think that “all psychologists are charlatans”, “I still can’t be helped”, “I can’t trust anyone”? It’s just that such beliefs do not appear; as a rule, there are good reasons for this. If you recognize yourself in these phrases, this is the first thing you need to discuss with a psychologist. It also happens that you don’t like the psychologist. The main thing is not to be disappointed and not to fall into the role of a victim, but to find a psychologist with whom you can build a trusting relationship. — What can you advise patients who would like to sign up for a consultation? How to properly build a dialogue and get the maximum benefit from a consultation? Write down what prompted you to contact an oncological psychologist, the issues that you want to discuss. Have them in front of you during your consultation. Sometimes you can get confused, and if other questions come up, you can return to the list. A favorable atmosphere is important for any communication. If the consultation is face-to-face, that is, you come to the oncology psychologist’s office, then he is responsible for how conducive the environment is to communication. In the case of a video consultation, the responsibility for how conducive the environment is to conversation depends on you. It is necessary to find a quiet, secluded place for consultations so that no one disturbs or eavesdrops on you. Confidentiality is an important condition of therapy, without it it will be difficult to open up completely. If you are using a video camera on your phone rather than a computer, place it on a flat surface, try not to hold it in your hands. It is important that the image is level and not hanging over the interlocutor. Prepare water and napkins. Sometimes it happens that your throat becomes dry from excitement, and sometimes there are tears. Also have a pen and paper ready to take notes. You will be able to record important points and then return to them after consultation. — It happens that loved ones ask the following question: “How can I explain to my wife, sister, that she needs an oncological psychologist?” If you cannot find the words to explain why she needs oncologist, most likely you have never consulted a psychologist and you yourself do not know how a psychologist can be useful. This may be a good reason for you to schedule a consultation. What could be better than a personal example? Relatives of cancer patients quite often sign up for consultations with me. And most often we discuss how to establish communication with a sick relative. — And in conclusion, one of the most common questions asked by patients: “What if they ask me for money after a consultation?” You know, I sometimes heard in consultations that women asked for free help from specialists who introduced themselves as oncological psychologists, and at the end of the consultation they were told something like the following: “Are you grateful to me for the consultation? I’ll send you the card details so you can transfer the money.” The women did not say that they were told specific amounts; they were usually asked to evaluate their level of gratitude in monetary terms. When I first heard such a story, I fell into a stupor for a few seconds. Now I am no longer surprised, but there is indignation. I think it’s a scam when they defraud you of money for a free consultation and this is how charlatans act, posing as oncological psychologists. By the way, there is another example of quackery when people posing as oncological psychologists offer cancer patients a complete recovery using unique psychological techniques. In such situations, I always advise drawing up an agreement that will spell out the conditions for the return of money. I would like to especially emphasize that within the framework of the “New Life” project, consultations are absolutely free. No one will demand money from you either before or after the consultation.__________________________________________________________________________ The article was prepared by me for the social project to help women facing cancer "New