Melanoma Nurse Counselling

Our Nurse Counselling Service offers a free and confidential service providing personalised emotional support by phone or video call to anyone affected by melanoma — including patients, family members, and carers — anywhere in Australia.

Finding out that you or a family member has melanoma can bring many physical, emotional and social changes. It’s completely understandable if these changes feel overwhelming at times. The Melanoma Patients Australia Nurse Counselling Service offers a supportive space where you can talk about your thoughts and feelings and get help coping with any emotional challenges you are facing.

Ways the Nurse Counselling Service can support you:

  • Adjusting to a melanoma diagnosis
  • Emotional distress relating to melanoma
  • Managing fear of recurrence
  • Family / carer emotional support
  • Finding meaning
  • Living with advanced / metastatic cancer
  • Returning to life beyond melanoma
  • Existential / spiritual distress

During counselling sessions, we can work together to:

  • Discuss how a melanoma diagnosis has affected your life
  • Explore what’s happening for you right now and work out the goals that matter most to you.
  • Talk about what you would like to work on in each session
  • Work on practical strategies that feel meaningful and discuss stress‑management and coping approaches that fit your life
  • Plan how you can continue using these strategies after your counselling sessions finish

Sessions

The Melanoma Nurse Counselling Service offers short‑term emotional support for patients and carers. It includes a 50‑minute session with the Nurse Counsellor, plus up to two 40‑minute follow‑up sessions if you need them.

A consultation with a specialist melanoma telehealth nurse is required before counselling can begin. This step ensures you receive the appropriate guidance and support for your care.

PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR SERVICE IS NOT AN EMERGENCY OR CRISIS SERVICE.

If you are experiencing an emergency or crisis, please contact the following:

Emergency Services: 000 Lifeline: 13 11 14 or https://www.lifeline.org.au/

To book an appointment with the melanoma nurse counsellor please fill out the referral form below or call our national support line on 1300 884 450.  Referrals into the service may be submitted as a self-referral or on behalf of the patient by a carer/family member or health professional with consent.

If you need an interpreter, please call TIS National on 131 450 and ask them to call Melanoma Patients Australia on 1300 884 450. You can be connected with an interpreter during our business hours (9am to 5pm AEST). This service will be free of charge. TIS National interpreters are professional and will keep your information confidential.  For more information about this service, visit the TIS National website.

Patient/Client Referral Form

Please fill out the form below and the Telehealth Nurse will be in touch with you shortly.

Patient/Client Details(Required)
Address(Required)
DD dash MM dash YYYY
DD slash MM slash YYYY
Please tick the support you would like from MPA's Specialist Melanoma Nurse(Required)
Please provide your details below if you are completing this on behalf of a patient/client
The patient/client has consented to the referral and being contacted by the MPA Team(Required)
“I believe that carers do go through the stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.”
Lyn Batchelor