I’m a caregiver, not the patient. Can I come?

Yes. Caregivers often carry the heaviest load with the least support. Individual sessions for caregivers and family sessions are both available.

Do you see people with other serious illnesses?

Yes. The same skills apply to heart disease, ALS, MS, organ failure, and other serious diagnoses. See Therapy for Chronic Illness for more.

Cancer & Oncology Psychotherapy

Cancer & Oncology Counseling in Downers Grove, IL

Name: Affirm Behavioral Health, PLLC
Address: 5120 Main St., Suite 105, Downers Grove, IL, 60515, US
Telephone: (708) 990-1174
Price range: $75 – $225

A cancer diagnosis changes everything at once: your body, your plans, your relationships, your sense of time. Oncology-informed therapy gives you a place to process the shock, make decisions clearly, and cope with treatment, survivorship, or the hardest conversations, with a clinician who understands the medical world you are now living in.

Request a Free Consultation (708) 990-1174

Young green seedlings growing in soil with sunlight behind them, representing hope and resilience

Oncology counseling supports you with

The shock, fear, and numbness of a new diagnosis
Anxiety before scans, results, and treatment decisions
Depression and exhaustion during chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery recovery
Changes in body image, intimacy, and identity
Survivorship: the unexpected difficulty of life after treatment ends
Fear of recurrence
Anticipatory grief and end-of-life conversations
Supporting a spouse, parent, or child through cancer

Why oncology-specific training matters

Most therapists have never sat in an infusion suite or read a pathology report. I completed advanced training in oncology social work through Aurora University and the Association of Oncology Social Work (APOS), on top of years of medical experience and a master’s specialization in healthcare social work. That background means you don’t have to educate your therapist about what you are going through. We can start with how you feel about it.

I also understand how cancer care is organized, which helps when you need to navigate a treatment team, understand your options, advocate for yourself, or access resources you didn’t know existed.

Support at every stage

Cancer is not a single moment. Each stage brings its own emotional work, and therapy adapts with you.

Diagnosis: steadying yourself, absorbing information, and making decisions you can live with
Treatment: coping with side effects, anxiety, depression, and the loss of normal life
Survivorship: rebuilding identity, managing fear of recurrence, and returning to work and relationships
Advanced illness: anticipatory grief, meaning-making, and honest conversations with the people you love
Caregivers and families: burnout, guilt, ambiguous loss, and staying connected under pressure
Bereavement: grief support after a loss to cancer

Practical, flexible care

Treatment schedules are unpredictable and energy is precious. Telehealth sessions are available anywhere in Illinois so you can meet from home, a hospital room, or a quiet corner during a long infusion day. In-person sessions are available in downtown Downers Grove, close to major DuPage County hospital systems. With your consent I coordinate with your oncology team, social worker, or palliative care providers so that your emotional care is part of your whole care.

Frequently asked

Questions about cancer & oncology support therapy

Psychotherapy for depression, anxiety, or adjustment related to a medical condition is typically covered under behavioral health benefits. Affirm Behavioral Health is in-network with several major plans and provides receipts for out-of-network reimbursement.

Why clients choose Affirm Behavioral Health

Dual-specialty care for mental health and substance use, with medical insight most therapists don’t offer.

Christine Stryjewski is both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor, with advanced oncology social work training and years of experience in medical care. That means anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and medical stress can be treated together in one coordinated plan.

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