From the author: This article was written based on work with clients who turned to a psychologist before starting chemotherapy with a diagnosis of hepatitis C. The great Spanish singer José Carreras was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 43. In order not to upset his fans, he decided to be a “tough guy.” Refused general anesthesia during the operation. When he received radiation, he smiled and timed the procedure with his opera arias, which he sang during the radiation. In fact, he did everything very competently, from a psychological point of view. It is clear that smiling and singing your favorite arias is good psychological support for your body and immune system. A number of questions arise. How can we psychologists contribute to the successful treatment of serious diseases: cancer, leukemia, hepatitis C, HIV, etc.? How to prepare a client for treatment prescribed by doctors? Is it possible to change your attitude towards taking medications and make chemotherapy your friend? Let's consider these questions using the example of hepatitis C. The main feature of the hepatitis C virus is its genetic variability, its pronounced ability to mutate. This greatly complicates its treatment and leads to a high incidence of chronic forms of hepatitis C. Treatment for hepatitis C is expensive. And not everyone can afford it. But there are free programs where new drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C are tested on patients. Taking such drugs sometimes leads to very serious side effects that cause well-founded fear in patients. And such treatment lasts 6 months. When a patient decides to undergo chemotherapy, the question of his readiness for this serious step immediately arises. What problems are found in this case? Firstly, there is fear of the consequences of chemotherapy, doubts about the success of such difficult course of treatment. And it is important to work through this fear and doubt. Secondly, it is important to form a positive attitude towards treatment. The initial image of chemotherapy is usually negative. And the task of the psychologist, together with the patient, is to change this image to a positive one, which will allow him to successfully complete a course of chemotherapy with minimal consequences or without them at all. It is clear that in this case, when the patient is confident in successful treatment, there will be fewer side effects and they will be much easier to tolerate. It is important to make chemotherapy your friend! The next important stage is accompanying the patient during the chemotherapy course itself. At this stage, the patient experiences periods of doubt and uncertainty about the success of therapy. Even minor side effects are perceived as a defeat and there is a desire to end treatment ahead of schedule without achieving a cure. Here the psychologist needs to support the patient and work through his fears and doubts. I used free motifs using the symboldrama method. Our body is very wise and we need to listen to it and trust the signals that the body sends us. A case from practice. The patient developed dermatitis during treatment. The whole body itched and itched. Allergy pills did not give the desired result. During a free motive using the symboldrama method, the client had an image of a birch tree, which he perceived very positively. The client said that interacting with the birch tree brought him “relief.” At the end of the session, I drew attention to the fact that birch tar is used to treat skin diseases. The patient decided to use birch leaves and buds for bathing. To his great surprise, his condition improved. The attending physician was even more surprised. And the final stage is accompanying the patient after completing the course of chemotherapy. This is a very important stage and cannot be underestimated. A case from practice. At the end of the chemotherapy course, the patient still had residual negative effects. During a free motive using the symboldrama method, the client had an image of a sunny morning and breakfast. The breakfast was hearty and, as the client himself described it, “delicious.” There was cottage cheese with sour cream and!