The Process of Change Experienced by Volunteer Peer Supporters in Salons for Cancer Patients or Their Families

Abstract

Abstract

Recently, “cancer salons” have been established in Japan where cancer patients or their families can seek support. The purpose of this study was to examine the process of change experienced by cancer patients or their families who volunteered to participate as peer supporters in one such salon for a year or more．Data were collected using semi-structured interviews of seven volunteers and analyzed qualitatively.

The results showed that the experiences of volunteers can be divided into three main categories：anxiety about the work and role as a counselor, mental distress and experiences with cancer, and spiritual healing.

The volunteers faced difficulty in attending to visitors because of anxiety about their work and role as a counselor and their position, stress in interacting with others, etc. The volunteers were distressed because of their own experiences with cancer. At the salon, they got the opportunity to feel calmed by interacting with others. This led them to comfortably interact with the visitors and listen to their experiences, because they knew from experience that the visitors could feel comforted by being heard. Hence, they listened to the visitors’ experiences and kept a practical outlook that they couldn’t do everything to help them, which made them confident that they could comfort any visitor. Moreover, the number of visitors and repeat visitors increased, which proved that the salon met its aim. Through this process, the volunteers gained confidence as peer supporters and felt a sense of self-respect, which led to spiritual healing. However, the present conditions presented challenges, so they continued to explore ways to progress. In order to develop the salon, it appears necessary that medical workers continue to explore ways to progress with the volunteers and to exist as a partner.