Finding a Provider
Psychosocial/Supportive Care Resources
If you are looking for psychosocial oncology and counselling services in Canada, these are some great tools for finding resources near you:
What is Psychosocial Oncology/Supportive Care?
Psychosocial oncology and supportive care are mental health and counselling resources specialised in cancer.
Therapists have special training in how cancer impacts people, their well-being and relationships.
Many major cancer centres have dedicated psychosocial oncology teams for patients currently seeking treatment.
Here is a list of available resources across Canada.
You can also use the Canadian Cancer Society, Community Services Locator search tool.
Resources Across Canada
Below we have listed various psychosocial resources available across Canada. Note, we are not associated with these centres.
Disclaimer, this list includes only major Canadian cities and may not include an option near you.
If you are aware of resources we don’t have listed here, please feel free to email us here.
British Columbia
- BC Cancer
Alberta
- List of centres province-wide
- Arthur Child Comprehensive Cancer (Calgary)
- Cross Cancer Institute (Edmonton)
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
- Cancer Care Manitoba: Cancer Care Manitoba
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Major Cancer Centres with Sexual Health Programs
What is Sexual Medicine?
Sexual medicine is a field dedicating to supporting the sexual health of patients.
This can include addressing difficulties in sexual function related to health issues like cancer.
There are many different types of providers that work in this area. This can include family physicians specialized in sexual health, urologists, gynecologists, pelvic floor physiotherapists and sex therapists (who may be psychologists or counsellors).
Sometimes larger cancer centres have dedicated sexual health teams, programs or specialized education.
Sometimes fee-for-service sexual medicine clinics can be found in your community. When looking for community-based clinics – look for services that accepting billing or provide receipts for reimbursement to provisional and extended health care plans (e.g. large privately pay fees are often not necessary).
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center SHARE Clinic:
- Specific to female gynecological cancers
- Designed for those who have had sexual changes to intimacy, sexuality, hormones, & body image
- Located in Toronto
- Specific to prostate cancer
- Focused on coping with side-effects to sexuality
- Offers education & emotional support for sexual concerns
- Available to all men living in Canada (virtual)
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – Sexual Health Clinic (SHC):
- Specific to prostate cancer
- Available to men treated at PMH (virtual)
AHS OASIS - Oncology and Sexuality, Intimacy, & Survivorship Program:
- Sexual health consultant meeting - available to patients in Alberta
- Both virtual & in-person options
- Support for both female & male sexual symptoms associated with cancer
- Group education workshops
- Wide range of sexual health topics covered
- Key sites: Calgary (Arthur J. E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre) & Edmonton ( Cross Cancer Institute)
Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre:
- Sexual health counselling and physician consultation
- Both virtual & in-person
- Free of charge for patients
- Only available for Calgary and Southern Alberta
- Only available for prostate cancer
BC Centre for Sexual Medicine:
- Targets sexual dysfunction & reproductive health in men
- Provide treatment recommendations for patients
- For patients aged 19+
- Located in Vancouver General Hospital
- Not cancer-specific
- Located in Victoria
- For sexual dysfunction & sexual health concerns in patients with gynecological/anal cancers
- Run by nurse practitioners
- In-person & virtual options
Sex Therapy Resources
When looking for a sex therapist look for someone who:
👩🏽⚕️ Is a mental health or health professional who is a member of a college or guiding organization (e.g. psychologist, social worker, certified counsellor,nurse, physician)
🍑 Specializes in sexual health (doesn’t see sexual health as one of a list of dozens of other things)
🎓 Has specialized education, training, and supervised practice working sexual health
🎗️ Has a history of working with cancer patients and survivors