Tanja Nielsen has had a difficult two years. After doctors discovered she had breast cancer in 2008, the single mother underwent aggressive treatment that included treatment and surgery. Since then, the South Carolina native has since turned to a program at a local hospital that will help her recover emotionally from the stress of her treatment, South Carolina-based newspaper The Post and Courier reports.

The workshop focuses on helping cancer patients, survivors and loved ones deal with their emotions through creative outlets such as artwork, journaling and writing poetry. The end goal is to try to make the transition back to normal life as seamless as possible for everyone. For many patients, the first step is breast reconstruction surgery.

"It's often a difficult transition back to normal life," South Carolina Poet Laureate Marjory Wentworth told the news source. "This workshop is about the process of finding ways to access their feelings."

Reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy can be a significant part of the recovery process, and a study in the November 2010 issue of the journal Annals of Oncology suggest that women who underwent no breast reconstruction typically experienced more emotional difficulties than those who did.