Education and Support for Cancer Survivors
Dana‐Farber's Adult Survivorship Program offers free classes, seminars, support groups, and individual appointments to help you and your loved ones find ways to cope with the transition from active treatment to long-term survivorship. Our programs include:
What to Do When Survivorship Is New
This is a one-hour educational seminar for adult cancer patients who have recently completed treatment, and their families and friends. Learn what to expect after treatment ends, find out about services and resources to help during the transition, and connect with other cancer survivors.
Survivorship Education Series
This series of 90-minute sessions, held every month, focuses on techniques and tools to help you and your loved ones adjust to life after treatment. We cover a different topic each month, ranging from managing fear of recurrence, to figuring out how to make healthy habits work for you. You can participate in person or join via telephone.
Classes are held Wednesday mornings, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, in the Blum Patient and Family Resource Center, on the first floor of Dana-Farber's Yawkey Center for Cancer Care. You can participate in person or by telephone (with prior registration).
In 2013, classes will be held on the following dates:
- Jan. 9: Reduce Stress with Self-Care Massage Techniques
- Feb. 6: Managing Fear of Recurrence: How to Keep Worry from Interfering with Life
- March 6: Chemobrain: Is It Real?
- April 3: Career Change: It’s Not Too Late to Go Back to School
- May 1: Get Off the Couch: Motivating Yourself to Move
- June 5: In a Hurry: Stress Management
- July 10: To Tell or Not To Tell: How and What to Share about Your Cancer Experience
- Aug. 7: Achieving and Maintaining a Healthy Weight
- Sept. 11: How to Get a Good Night's Sleep
- Oct. 2: Spirituality in Survivorship
- Nov. 6: What to Do When You’re Not Feeling Festive: Preparing for the Holidays
- Dec. 4: Optimal Nutrition for Cancer Survivorship
Each class is free and open to all patients and their family members. Registration is appreciated. To sign up for any class, contact Sarah Singer, MSW, LICSW, at 617-632-3751 or sarah_singer@dfci.harvard.edu.
Stress Management for Cancer Survivors
This six-part class (held once a week for six weeks) gives survivors and their loved ones tips for managing stress, and teaches strategies for coping with common challenges, such as fear of recurrence, difficulty sleeping, and appetite changes — all in a supportive, educational environment. We encourage attendees to try to commit to all six sessions.
Survivorship Reads
This monthly book club is offered in collaboration with Dana-Farber's Blum Patient and Family Resource Center. We read mostly non-fiction and often go "beyond the book" to discuss themes that commonly affect survivors after treatment ends. You can participate in person or by telephone.
Our monthly discussions are held Wednesday afternoons, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., in the Blum Patient and Family Resource Center, on the first floor of Dana-Farber's Yawkey Center for Cancer Care. You can participate in person or by telephone (with prior registration).
In 2013, our Survivorship Reads sessions will be held on the following dates:
- Jan. 16: The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, by Christopher Germer (part one of a two-part discussion)
- Feb. 20: The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, by Christopher Germer (part two of a two-part discussion)
- March 20: Grace & Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber, by Ken Wilbur
- April 17: An Uncertain Inheritance: Writers on Caring for Family, edited by Nell Casey
- May 15: Let’s Take the Long Way Home, by Gail Caldwell
- June 19: A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, by Molly Wizenberg
- July 17: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott (part one of a two-part discussion)
- Aug. 21: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott (part two of a two-part discussion)
- Sept. 18: Surviving Survival: The Art and Science of Resilience, by Laurence Gonzales (part one of a two-part discussion)
- Oct. 16: Surviving Survival: The Art and Science of Resilience, by Laurence Gonzales (part two of a two-part discussion)
- Nov. 20: Picking Up the Pieces: Moving Forward after Surviving Cancer, by S. Magee and K. Scalzo (part one of a two-part discussion)
- Dec. 18: Picking Up the Pieces: Moving Forward after Surviving Cancer, by S. Magee and K. Scalzo (part two of a two-part discussion)
Books or book chapters are often available for pick-up at the Blum Patient and Family Resource Center for registered participants, while supplies last. For questions or to register, contact Sarah Singer, MSW, LICSW, at 617-632-3751 or sarah_singer@dfci.harvard.edu.
What Now? A Support Group for Adult Survivors
This six-session support group is for adult cancer survivors who have completed treatment. It is an opportunity to share feelings and experiences, and discuss common challenges of cancer survivorship. We encourage attendees to try to commit to all six sessions. Topics covered include:
- The Myths and Realities of Cancer Survivorship
- Managing Fear of Recurrence
- Navigating Changes in Relationships and in the Workplace
- Living with Uncertainty: Making My Future My Own
- Who Am I Now? Figuring Out the "New Normal"
- Facing Forward: How to Fit Cancer into Post-Treatment Life
If you are interested in participating in this group, please email social worker Sarah Reed, MPH, MSW, at dfci_adultsurvivors@dfci.harvard.edu or call 617‐632-4523.
Individual Appointments
Dana-Farber's Adult Survivorship Program also offers appointments to meet individually with an experienced specialist who can listen to your concerns, complex feelings, and emotions related to survivorship. We will work with you and your loved ones to develop a tailored treatment plan that addresses your healing and wellness goals.
If you have questions about any of the classes or services listed on this page, please email social worker Sarah Reed, MPH, MSW, at dfci_adultsurvivors@dfci.harvard.edu or call 617‐632-4523.