Meet the Care Team: Color Cancer Connect Coaches

Cancer patients and caregivers often face emotional and psychological challenges that can be just as demanding as the physical aspects of cancer care. In truth, mental health support plays a critical role in navigating the complexities of the cancer journey. This is where peer-led support comes invaluable, and why Color created Cancer Connect. 

Color Cancer Connect is the only peer-led support program designed for cancer patients, caregivers, and survivors. By blending structured, evidence-based support group curricula with the genuine power of shared experiences, Color Cancer Connect offers accessible, community-driven therapy that members can join at any time and in any order.

Our coaches—individuals who have either navigated cancer themselves or supported loved ones through the journey—are extensively trained in both cancer care and mental health. They serve as compassionate guides, connecting participants with others in similar situations and validating the unique challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis. Beyond providing emotional support, these coaches empower participants with practical skills and strategies that help ease the cancer care journey.

Supervised by clinical psychologists and backed by evidence-based protocols for managing emergencies and other behavior, our coaches ensure that every session remains safe, supportive, and effective. In their role, Color Cancer Connect coaches facilitate peer groups covering a wide array of topics that impact mental health and overall well-being, from physical health and emotions to behaviors, relationships, and thoughts. Examples of our support group topics include:

• Experiencing enjoyment
• Challenging negative thoughts
• Navigating relationships during treatment
• Exploring meaning in life
• Managing negative emotions
• Practicing self compassion
• Solving problems during treatment
• Caring for your body

Color Cancer Connect has shown real impact for participants. To date, we have seen a 36% reduction in depressive symptoms and a 36% reduction in anxiety symptoms (Zimmer et al., in submission). 

To delve deeper into how this support can transform the cancer care journey, we sat down with Paul DesRosiers, a Color Cancer Connect coach who specializes in supporting cancer caregivers—drawing on his own experience as a caregiver.

Can you share a bit about your background and what inspired you to take on a position as a Color Cancer Connect coach?

I first got involved with Color Cancer Connect as a participant when Color was developing the program. At the time, I was in need of mental and emotional support. My sister-in-law had breast cancer, my brother had prostate cancer, and my wife experienced a stroke. The stress was overwhelming. I was dealing with severe depression, even suicidal ideation, and I was hesitant to seek clinical support because I hadn’t had the best experiences in those settings in the past. 

Being a part of Color Cancer Connect was a game-changer for me. It provided support in a way that I hadn’t found elsewhere, so I wanted to get involved. I became one of the first peer-coaches in the program. That was back in 2016, and I’ve been doing this work ever since.

For me, this role is about giving back. Not only do I get to help others, but leading these groups keeps the strategies and tools fresh in my mind so I can continue using them myself. Watching people have those “light bulb” moments, seeing them feel supported, and knowing that I’m helping make a difference for cancer caregivers is so powerful and rewarding.

Cancer can bring a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges. What are some of the most common struggles participants bring to the group?

Color Cancer Connect supports cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers, and I work primarily with the latter. Cancer caregivers’ struggles are unique. They’re providing care for a spouse, a child, a parent, or another close loved one, and it’s incredibly stressful. The focus is almost always on the patient—understandably so—but that often means the caregiver is left trying to hold everything together without much support.

Caregivers face an enormous emotional burden. They feel like they have to be strong, that they can’t break down. There’s this pressure to get everything right, on time, under high-stress conditions, while navigating the unknowns of treatment, finances, and family responsibilities. Many feel overwhelmed, like they’re drowning, but feel they don’t have permission to ask for help.

One of the biggest lessons we emphasize in Color Cancer Connect is that caregivers are allowed to have their own feelings. It’s not about comparing pain—just because their loved one is the one with cancer doesn’t mean their stress, fear, and exhaustion don’t matter. And beyond that, their emotional well-being directly impacts the patient’s recovery. The way a caregiver manages stress, expresses reassurance, and stays resilient plays a significant role in the patient’s outlook and healing process.

Color Cancer Connect does a great job of showing the recipients that they aren’t alone, Color is here to support, and that there are specific skills and techniques that can help. It teaches caregivers how to take better care of themselves so they can better care for their loved ones. We have classes dedicated to specific topics, like problem solving and navigating difficult transitions, which are great classes to teach techniques applicable to many different situations and provide a sense of confidence to handle many of the most challenging situations. Other class topics include challenging negative thoughts and managing negative emotions to provide evidence-based practices to improve thoughts and emotions. A lot of what we do is about giving caregivers the tools to recognize what they’re going through, process their emotions, and develop strategies for moving forward.

Can you share an example of how the program has made a meaningful impact on a caregiver’s journey—whether during treatment, in survivorship, or at another point?

There’s one caregiver who stands out—a woman whose husband is a civil servant contracted cancer through workplace exposure. She was juggling a full-time job to keep insurance, homeschooling their children, dealing with home repairs after a pipe burst, and then, on top of it all, their truck broke down, making it difficult to get to medical appointments. She was overwhelmed to say the least.

She shared all of this in a Color Cancer Connect session, and we all listened. Sometimes, the most important thing is to validate that, yes, this is a difficult situation, and yes, her reaction is completely normal. From there, I led the group in working through problem-solving techniques and emotional regulation strategies, utilizing Beck’s Cognitive Triad to better understand how thoughts, behaviors and emotions interact, and using this caregiver’s situation as an example.

What was really powerful was how she took what she learned and shared it with her husband. They started going through the Color Cancer Connect materials together, and eventually, he wanted to join as well. Not long after, one of their close friends was diagnosed with cancer, and suddenly, they were in a position to support another couple—both as a patient and a caregiver. Seeing that full-circle moment–where someone who was seeking help became someone offering support–was incredible. That’s how real communities of care are built versus overwhelming isolation.

Are there aspects to cancer care today that you feel are overlooked for caregivers? What difference do you think it would make for them if we focused more on these areas?

I think the biggest thing that’s overlooked is the caregiver’s experience itself. When you take someone to a doctor’s appointment, the focus is entirely on the patient–again, understandably so–and the caregiver is often just sitting there stressed, exhausted, worrying about everything from parking fees to how to keep life functioning outside of these appointments.

Cancer doesn’t just affect the person who has it; it impacts families, relationships, finances, and emotional well-being in ways that ripple out. The fact that the Color Cancer Connect program has a specific track for caregivers is unparalleled. As touched on briefly already, the topics are biopsychosocial, meaning that they address a variety of topics such as biological impact, psychological, and social topics that most frequently impact mood and well-being. The program also provides evidence-based skills to the participants to practice with and apply to their specific challenges. 

Basically, if we put more focus on caregiver support—offering them emotional and practical resources—it would make a world of difference. A supported caregiver means a better-supported patient. 

For a caregiver of someone who just got diagnosed with cancer, what would you say to them about the value of peer support?

I’d tell them: Dig the well before you get thirsty. In other words, start preparing now. Even if you think you’re managing okay, even if you feel strong—learn new skills, build your support network, and equip yourself with tools that will help you down the road.

Peer support offers something unique: real-life experience. You can get advice from professionals, but when you hear from someone who has walked this path before you, it resonates in a different way. You see what worked for them, what didn’t, and you start to feel less alone. I know this from personal experience and feel so grateful I get to pay it forward. 

I often think about how willing we are to seek advice in other areas of life—we’ll ask for financial guidance, dietary recommendations, or home improvement tips. But when it comes to mental and emotional well-being, people hesitate. There’s still a stigma around it, and there shouldn’t be. Even if you’re not in crisis, learning these techniques makes life a bit easier, helps you handle difficult situations with more resilience, and ultimately improves your ability to care for yourself and your loved one. 

Leading a cancer support program takes a lot of heart. When you need to recharge, what’s your go-to self-care ritual or guilty pleasure?

I have two things. One is being out in nature—walking, biking, planning trips up to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. There’s something about getting outside and disconnecting that really helps me reset.

The other? Sugar. Swedish Fish, jelly beans—basically anything sweet. I’m particularly fond of the black jelly beans or anything licorice flavored. If I’m going to indulge, that’s my go-to guilty pleasure!