May We Adjust the “Third Wave” of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CBT) and Psychological Processes of Change for Women with Breast Cancer?

To emphasize on the suffering of women with breast cancer (BC), it is necessary to identify and deeply understand many aspects of BC etiology, development, and complex management. However, the strategies for achieving these goals for individual patients often need to be refocused, or redirected, based on personal expectations, needs, and circumstances that can differ considerably among women with very aggressive BC, such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The main goal of cognitive-behavioral interventions is to change some specific thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and teach constructive coping skills and behavioral modifications, which will aid in building an individual activity plan, coordinated with cancer-related therapies. This chapter will present the concept of the “third-wave” cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) and the importance of psychological processes of change, in supportive care interventions, for patients with TNBC. Adding such processes of change should facilitate the development of personalized care solutions for better outcomes for many patients suffering from BC, despite their poor prognosis. This should encourage the patients, caregivers, and their medical care teams to learn, and then, apply these safe interventions in their individualized contexts. 

Keywords: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT), Psychological processes of change, Psychological flexibility, Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).