Mental health support in Northern Ireland
On this page
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Mental health support in Northern Ireland for people affected by cancer
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Courses and coaching from AWARE NI and MindWise
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Support from the Psychological Care Programme team
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How do I access the service?
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Lived experience groups
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How the service was developed
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Other support for your mental health
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How we can help
Mental health support in Northern Ireland for people affected by cancer
We know cancer can throw a lot your way. If you are struggling with your mental health, help is available.
Macmillan is supporting a new Psychological Care Programme in Northern Ireland. It is for people affected by cancer whose mental health is also impacted. The service is also available to family members and those close to the person with cancer. Family is who you decide it is and includes those people who are important to you.
The service focuses on helping families get back to a good quality of life. It offers social and psychological support to help with the impact of cancer on quality of life and wellbeing.
Support for people outside of Northern Ireland
The organisations listed on this page are only available to people who live in Northern Ireland. If you are living in England, Scotland, or Wales, please see our information about cancer and mental health support.
Courses and coaching from AWARE NI and MindWise
As part of the Psychological Care Programme, Macmillan is working with mental health charities in Northern Ireland to provide coaching and courses to maintain positive mental health. The programmes they provide are free and include:
- Living Life to the Full, a 6-session programme with AWARE NI for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, either recently or in the past.
- Mood Matters, a 2-hour programme with AWARE NI for people affected by cancer, including family and friends.
- Group or 1 to 1 coaching by MindWise for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, either recently or in the past.
Support from the Psychological Care Programme team
The Psychological Care Programme team is available to talk things through when people need us. The aim is to have open and honest, therapeutic conversations based on trust, empowerment and choice. Together we will develop a plan with you and your family to support your recovery.
What the team offers:
- an initial consultation with you, to talk about how we can best help you
- involvement with the team to provide support to you individually
- involvement with the team to provide support to you, your family, or those who are important to you
- signposting to other services you might find helpful.
How do I access the service?
To find out more about the service you can contact info@macmillanmindwise.org
Lived experience groups
Local peer support groups
We have local support groups for people affected by cancer, who may be experiencing some mental health issues because of their diagnosis. These groups are a welcoming space for you and your family, or those who are important to you. These groups offer a chance to get together with others in your local area, socialise and take part in fun activities. Our aim is to help you reconnect to your local community.
We also want to hear about your experiences and understand how we can best support people experiencing cancer and mental health issues.
Regional lived experience group
We are also developing a regional lived experience group across Northern Ireland, made up of people living in the Health and Social Care Trust areas, who have a passion and interest to help us develop services.
The focus of this more formal group is to support the voice of people affected by cancer and mental health issues at every level of the health and social care system. The group will also support the development, planning and delivery of the Northern Ireland Psychological care programme, and work with the Psychosocial Team across a range of areas.
To find out more about the groups you can contact info@macmillanmindwise.org
How the service was developed
To help plan the psychological support service we listened to people with lived experience. They gave, feedback about what is important. They felt that supporting mental health for everyone, was an area that was often overlooked.
“It’s only when your hospital appointments for care and treatment finishes that you begin to feel your mental health deteriorate”
“No one ever thought to ask me how my kids were doing”?
“My son still suffers from anxiety as an adult because of my cancer diagnosis in their childhood”
Tell us what you think
We really encourage people who are involved in this new service service to share their feedback. This will allow us to learn more about how the Psychological Care Programme is helping, and how we can improve it in the future.
To help us evaluate the impact of this work, we are working with a company called ‘Frontline’. If you are involved with our service, they may contact you, (with your consent) to take part in the evaluation.
If you would like any more information on Frontline and our evaluation of the Psychological Care Programme, please contact evaluationhelp@frontlinemc.com.
Other support for your mental health
If you feel overwhelmed by your emotions, or if you are becoming anxious or depressed, it is important to get help.
Our information about cancer and mental health support has more about the different support that is available and the people who can help you find it.
Support from Macmillan
Macmillan is also here to support you. If you would like to talk, you can do the following:
- call the Macmillan Support Line free on 0808 808 00 00.
- chat to our specialists online
- visit our emotional support forum to talk with people who are dealing with the emotional impact of cancer, share your experience, and ask an expert your questions.
Booklets and resources
Our cancer information meets the PIF TICK quality mark.
This means it is easy to use, up-to-date and based on the latest evidence. Learn more about how we produce our information.