Event Topic:
Discussing your brain tumour diagnosis and treatment with your children, family and loved ones can be an emotionally challenging and complex conversation. Knowing when, how, or whether to open up about your diagnosis and treatment can be difficult for many people, and communication can play a major role in helping build understanding and support during challenging times.
In this Q&A session, facilitated by Dr. Jim Whittle (Medical Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre), you will meet a fantastic panel of people with experience in psychosocial support, communication, and brain tumour care. They will explore strategies for navigating these conversations, including how to communicate with children, partners, extended family members and friends.
About our panel members:
- Dr. Jim Whittle. Medical Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Head of the Brain Cancer Research Lab at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research (WEHI).
- Joel Sharrock is the State Manager (Vic/Tas) for Canteen. He is a social worker with masters training in clinical family therapy with extensive experience supporting young people and families in clinical settings.
- Dr Cinzia De Luca is a Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist and Psych-Oncology Lead at the Children’s Cancer Centre, Royal Children’s Hospital.
Please note: these webinars are for education purposes only and should not be taken as individual medical advice. Consult with your healthcare team to find out what approach is best for you.
Some resources and support services mentioned by the panellists during the webinar:
- Cancer Hub. Cancer Hub helps families impacted by cancer (with children aged 0-25) more easily access the practical and emotional support they need.
- Canteen. Canteen provides support for young people (aged 12-25) with cancer, and also for parents or carers with cancer or with a child with cancer. Canteen also offers on-demand training courses on parenting through illness, including on communicating effectively about a cancer diagnosis, and there are other relevant counselling and support services available on their website too.
- Cancer Council Australia also have resources on Talking to kids about cancer, with sections on talking about the diagnosis, treatment, after treatment, and when the cancer wont go away.
- Little Dreamers. Provides support for young people (aged 4-25) who provide care for a family member affected by chronic illness, mental illness, disability, addiction or frailty. They offer support programs to children located in VIC, NSW, QLD tailored to specific age groups.
- Carers Victoria. have a section for young carers, with some resources that may be relevant if you are a young person caring for someone with a brain tumour.
- Camp Quality. Camp Quality – Bringing positivity, fun and laughter back into lives of kids facing cancer. They offer camps, getaways and fun days out for children (aged 0-15) diagnosed with cancer or dealing with the impact of a family member’s cancer, as well as providing education programs, phone counselling and peer support opportunities.
- Red Kite. Red Kite provides childhood cancer family support for families with children aged 0-18, including financial, emotional, educational support services.
- The Peter Mac Cancer Centre also offers a wide range of online resources specifically for young people (adolescents and young adults) dealing with the impact of cancer.
- The Bouverie Centre, a clinic that is based in Brunswick, Melbourne that offers online sessions for family therapy. There may be other similar family therapy clinics available in your local area.
When was the webinar held?
This webinar was held at 12pm Wednesday 11th June 2025. The webinar was recorded for those unable to watch it live, or in case you want to re-watch it.
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