Art therapy, music therapy, relaxation therapy and talking therapies
If you're living with a terminal illness, you may find therapies like art, music, relaxation and talking therapy helpful. These can help your mental wellbeing and reduce the effects of some of your symptoms. Here, we talk about what kind of therapies are available, how they might help you, and how you can access them.
On this page:
Aims and benefits of therapy
Psychological therapies, sometimes called psychotherapies, aim to support your mental wellbeing, and can help to reduce the effects of some of your symptoms. They include things like music therapy, art therapy, talking therapy, relaxation and mindfulness.
Some people think that you must have a mental illness to get therapy, but this isn't true. Working together with a therapist, you can set goals which are personal and helpful to you. The people close to you, like your friends, family, and carers, can also have therapy.
There are lots of benefits to psychological therapies. They can:
- teach you ways to cope with your illness
- reduce depression and anxiety
- give you hope and help you to think about your life and illness goals
- help you to find a sense of peace and meaning in life
- make you feel better about yourself (improve your self-esteem)
- help you to feel better about your body image
- help you to work through feelings like sadness, loneliness and fear
- help you to feel more in control
- make your relationships with the people around you stronger
- help you to think about all the things you've achieved in your life.
Therapy is a personal process. Whatever type of therapy you have, your therapist or counsellor will check in with you as you go along. They'll ask how you're finding therapy, and if there's anything important that's not being addressed.
Therapy isn't helpful for everyone. But you can try different types to find one which suits you best.
If you're worried about your mental health
If you need someone to talk to, call our Support Line on 0800 090 2309. We're open 8-6 Monday to Friday and 11-5 on Saturday.
If you're looking for emotional support and our Support Line is not open, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123. They're open 24 hours a day.
If you have an emergency, call 999.
For urgent medical advice call 111.
Types of therapy
There are different types of therapy. You can try different therapies to find one which feels right for you. Therapists might combine elements of different therapies based on what could help you. Find out how to access therapy below.
Talking therapy
Talking therapy is the name given to lots of different therapies. Talking therapy usually involves speaking to a therapist about your emotions and finding ways to cope with them. Talking therapy can help you to find a different way of thinking about difficult feelings, to make them feel easier to live with.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps you to think about how you're feeling in different areas of your life. This includes how you're feeling physically, and how this is affecting your emotions.You might learn how to:
- cope with negative thinking
- use distraction techniques to manage difficult thoughts
- use different ways of thinking about your illness to make you feel better.
CBT can help with symptoms like anxiety, depression, extreme tiredness (fatigue) and pain. You can have CBT on your own with a therapist, or in a group. The therapist might also suggest exercises which could benefit you, or give you information to read.
Counselling
Counselling involves talking to a counsellor about your feelings and emotions. You can also talk about particular life events or relationships. The therapist won't give you advice, but they can help you to make sense of your emotions and understand why you're feeling a certain way. Counselling can reduce anxiety and depression and improve how you feel about yourself.
Find out more about counselling.
Group therapy
You can have CBT and counselling therapy in a group, or on your own. Group therapy might include people in similar situations to yourself. You could also have therapy with family members, a partner, if you have one, or other people who are important to you. Group therapy can help you to learn more about other people's experiences.
Dignity therapy
Dignity therapy helps you reflect on your life and your illness and think about what messages you'd like to pass on to those important to you. In dignity therapy, you're given a list of questions about your personality, your life, and the things you would like to tell the people around you. You'll then talk about your answers with a therapist, and be given a document of your answers which you can share with those important to you. Dignity therapy can improve your sense of purpose and hope, and help you to communicate with the people who are close to you.
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy helps you to reflect on what's happening in your life. It encourages you to think about ways you can enjoy your life, even when you face difficult situations and feelings. It can help make difficult feelings easier to manage. Like with other talking therapies, you have acceptance and commitment therapy with a therapist.
Art therapy
Art therapy can help you to express how you feel and make sense of the emotions you're having. It might also help you to think about feelings which you find difficult to talk about.
Art therapy involves creating art which has a personal meaning to you, and you can use whatever techniques you prefer – whether that's drawing, painting, making models or sculpting with clay. You can have art therapy on your own with an art therapist, or in a group. People you're close to, like your friends or family members, can also have art therapy with you.
At the start of therapy, you can set goals for what you'd like to achieve, and how you hope therapy will help you.
Find out more about art therapy.
Music therapy
Music therapy aims to improve your mental wellbeing, reflect on your life, and make you feel more relaxed. In music therapy, you might listen to music which has been important in your life, and which reminds you of a certain place or person. You might create new music, sing, or play an instrument. You can have music therapy together with the people close to you, in groups, or on your own with a music therapist.
Find out more about music therapy.
Relaxation therapy
Relaxation therapy can help you to feel more in control over your thoughts, feelings and illness. Relaxation therapy includes:
- relaxing groups of muscles using yoga, t'ai chi and other exercises
- breathing exercises
- guided meditation where you imagine relaxing scenes (sometimes called visualisation).
Mindfulness
Mindfulness can help you to feel more aware of how you're feeling. It can help you feel more in the moment, and worry less about the future. Mindfulness includes:
- guided meditation
- breathing exercises
- imagining the different parts of your body and checking how they feel.
How to access therapy
There are different ways to access therapy. If you think therapy would be helpful for you, speak to your doctor or nurse. You can also get some therapies:
- free on the NHS. Find out how to access therapy on the NHS.
- by paying for them. Find a private therapist near you.
- at your local hospice. Many hospices run art therapy and music therapy, including Marie Curie hospices. Ask your GP what's available in your area.
In England, you can also access therapy through an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service. This is a service which offers talking therapies. You can refer yourself without going to your GP. It's currently not available in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.
External websites
British Association for Art Therapy – find an art therapist
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy – find a private therapist near you
British Association for Music Therapy – find a music therapist
NHS – talking therapies
NHS Inform – talking therapies explained
Nidirect – mental health services
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About this information
This information is not intended to replace any advice from health or social care professionals. We suggest that you consult with a qualified professional about your individual circumstances. Read more about how our information is created and how it's used.
