Career Counselling for Cancer Survivors Returning to Work

Abstract

Cancer impacts workability significantly more than other physical and psychiatric disorders. Accommodations are often required upon returning to work after treatment, and cancer survivors may experience discrimination during this process. This article discusses key career challenges cancer survivors face and presents relevant career counselling theories to assist clients in navigating them. Constructivist career counselling models and happenstance theory offer strategies to help survivors make meaning out of unexpected events, explore new possibilities for returning to work, and gain skills for coping with future challenges in the workforce.