Brain tumours significantly impact psychological well-being for patients and their carers. Clinical guidelines suggest that psychological support should be an integrated aspect of neuro-oncology care. Due to limited resources and additional barriers to access for this clinical group, many people do not receive the psychological support they need. Some people may need more intensive one-to-one therapy, whereas others may not require this level of input or may find it difficult to engage with. At King’s College Hospital, in 2022, we introduced a psychological educational workshop as a standard part of care, aiming to increase the number of people receiving the appropriate level of intervention for their needs. The workshop was based upon principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy to consider life following brain cancer treatment and to normalise the understandable psychological impact of living with the effects of a brain tumour. By the end of 2023, the group was established as an embedded component of the neuro-oncology pathway and received regular attendance. Many attendees were not referred for further therapeutic support after the group, indicating that the workshop alone provided sufficient intervention. Others were referred for additional support, which might have been delayed or missed if they had not attended the workshop. Going forwards, continuous adaptation to the psychological education workshop will be necessary to maximise its accessibility. It will also be important to consider how this psychological intervention format may benefit other clinical populations where psychological need is high, but barriers exist in accessing support.
Little et al. (2026) studied this question.