Recruitment: Eligible patients were to be sent a letter explaining the study and advising them that a researcher will approach them in a visit to the BOC soon after, to seek participation in the study. Patients were not to be recruited at their bad news consultation but as soon as possible thereafter and at any point in their course of contact and treatment at the Beatson. At recruitment the researcher was to further explain the study and seek written consent. If the patient consented the researcher was to arrange a time for the intervention and give the patient a questionnaire to take home to complete themselves and a questionnaire for their 'confidant'.