As a therapist, it baffles me that so few mental health professionals are talking about the unique challenges previvors face. Many aspects of being a previvor are unseen by others and can leave previvors feeling anxious, alone, overwhelmed or isolated. Unsurprisingly, when I tell people I specialize in working with previvors and those with hereditary cancer, one of the most common questions I get is how to deal with all the feelings that come along with knowing you are at high risk. While I don’t think anything is one-size-fits-all, I want to share 4 general suggestions that can be personalized to each individual previvor.

Many people, especially in our community, have heard of gene mutations that cause hereditary cancers (e.g., BRCA1, BRCA2, Lynch, etc.), but few have heard the term Previvor. A previvor is someone with a genetic mutation who has not yet developed cancer. Because a previvor is not (yet) sick, they often struggle with this status in silence.