Abstract

The experience of cancer can have a significant impact on a person’s life and identity. Facing this life-threatening illness in young adulthood can be particularly challenging and disruptive. Young adults diagnosed with cancer frequently experience significant losses, often including the loss of a sense control in life. This can lead to persistent feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, and make it difficult to maintain a sense of self-efficacy. In order for these individuals to adjust to the uncertainty of their situation and the many changes caused by cancer, a renegotiation of identity is necessary. Narrative approaches to psychotherapy are well-suited to facilitate a process of reconstruction of identity. Narradrama specifically, a narrative form of drama therapy, actively engages clients in a process of restorying their lives and experiences, allowing them to reconnect with a sense of personal agency. It is important that young adults affected by cancer have access to appropriate psychosocial support resources that can facilitate psychological healing and growth and help to improve their overall well-being and quality of life. This paper describes a narradrama group therapy intervention developed specifically for young adults affected by cancer. The aim of the intervention is to facilitate a reconstruction of identity in ways that promote a sense of self-efficacy and personal agency.