Table 1 Content of the seven Truce sessions

Session 1. What happened to my ‘normal’ life!?

Welcome, establishing program engagement and group guidelines. Introduction to ACT and overview of the program. Psycho-education about the changes and accompanying psychosocial difficulties associated with having a parent with cancer. Opportunity to talk about how having a parent diagnosed with cancer has changed their life. Assisting the group to process how their experiences are similar and different between participants; normalising feelings, fears and concerns. Introduction to dealing with feelings, and grief and loss.

Session 2. Dealing with feelings

Developing understanding about the futility of trying to control unwanted feelings. Learning to have a different type of relationship with feelings; being willing to acknowledge them and allowing them to be there.

Session 3. Being Mindful

Introduction to the concept of mindfulness; learning to notice thoughts, feelings and physical body sensations; and understanding the importance of connecting with the present moment. Practising mindfulness in everyday life. Introduction and practice of the BOLD acronym: Breathing, Observing, Listening and Deciding.

Session 4. Sticky thoughts

Explores the concept of wanted and unwanted thoughts and the futility of trying to control thoughts. Introduction to the idea of the mind as a problem-finding and problem-solving machine. Introduction to the concept of sticky thoughts and learning to have a different, healthier relationship with them.

Session 5. Getting unstuck

Teaches strategies for getting unstuck from difficult thoughts to be able to refocus energy on better listening to what is important to us (values) and taking committed action towards those values.

Session 6. Values and Loving - Kindness

A combined session that brings the parent and child together to work on communication, values and loving - kindness. Increasing understanding of the importance of values to how we live our lives and that staying stuck to difficult thoughts prevents us from living well and heading in the direction we want to go in life. Learning to be unstuck to be free to listen to our values and decide on our actions. Practising loving-kindness toward ourselves and self-compassion; and using “wise view” to accomplish this.

Session 7. Taking action!

Identifying values and goals, and committing to take action to live in line with them by developing action plans. An opportunity to review and reflect on what has been learned in the Truce program over the seven sessions.