Do you sometimes find that words are not enough to process your experiences? Are you looking for new or alternate ways to cope with stress during this time? Are you looking to find connection with others who have similar experiences? In these virtual support groups, participants will use traditional and non-traditional art materials commonly found at home to engage in creative processes for self-expression, relaxation, and relating to others. Previous art experience is not required. Materials needed for the group are minimal and will be shared when registering.
To register for any of the groups, please contact Angela Moore, Integrative Oncology and Special Needs Navigator at Angela.Moore2@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or call 215-662-4877.
- Date/Time:
- 1st Tuesday of the month (2 pm) - Patients Only
- 2nd Tuesday of the month (2 pm) - Patients and Family
- 3rd Tuesday of the month (5 pm) - Patients, Families and Staff
- 4th Tuesday of the month (2 pm) - Patients (closed group, must register for full session)
- Location: Virtual
- Led by: Groups will be facilitated by a registered art therapist
This support group is not currently offered.
This support group is open to bladder cancer patients and their loved ones.
For dates and more information, please call 215-360-0583.
- Date/Time: Quarterly, 6:30 to 8 pm
- Location: Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
1st Floor South Pavilion
Patient and Family Services Conference Room
- Led By: Sue Sweeney, MS, BSN, RN, CRN
This group provides an opportunity for brain tumor patients, caregivers, and families to support, share and educate each other.
To register, please call 215-615-5240 or 215-349-5426.
- Date/Time: Second Wednesday of the month from 6 to 7:30 pm
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Arbena Merolli, MSW
This group meets virtually each Tuesday morning and helps to inspire breast cancer survivors to move. The group will culminate with the Penn-sponsored Breakthrough Challenge on September 13, 2020 for a virtual exercise event.
For more information and to register, contact Doris Piccinin MS, RD, CDE, LDN at Doris.Piccinin@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-360-0581.
- Date/Time: Tuesday mornings at 8 am
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led By: Doris Piccinin MS, RD, CDE, LDN
Caring for a person with a cancer diagnosis? We welcome caregivers, family members and friends (age 18+) to join us for this supportive group just for you. Oncology social workers will facilitate this group for discussion, support and resources.
For more information, contact Sandy Blackburn, LSW at Sandy.Blackburn@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-360-0580.
- Date/Time: First and third Monday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m.
- Location: bluejeans.com/450778055
To join by phone, dial 408-419-1715 (Meeting ID: 450 77 8055, #)
- Led by: Sandy Blackburn, LSW
Chemo companions are trained volunteer cancer survivors who offer in-person companionship, support, and conversation to patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. Patients can be matched with a companion by asking the chemotherapy nurse to request a companion come to the infusion suite. The companions are available on a limited basis.
Talking with someone who has lived with cancer can often be comforting and can reduce the sense of anxiety and isolation. The Chemo Companion volunteers provide compassion, understanding, and practical advice to those who are diagnosed with cancer or facing new decisions about their cancer. For more information or if interested in volunteering, please call 215-615-0534.
For patients and caregivers who have undergone an esophagectomy, this group was created by the nurses of the thoracic surgery department with the mission to be a source of information and support for patients and their families as they navigate the recovery process.
For more information or to register, please email ThoracicNursing@uphs.upenn.edu or call 215-662-3878.
- Date/Time: This group meets quarterly. Next meeting date is TBA.
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Guest Speakers and nursing staff
This support group is not currently offered.
All patients, in any phase of treatment or recovery, are welcome to this group.
To register or learn more, call 215-662-6193 or email Tracy Lautenbach-Hynes, MSW, LCSW at Lautenbach-Hynes@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
- Date/Time: First Wednesday of each month (except July and August), 9:45 to 11:15 am
- Location: Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
1st Floor South Pavilion
Patient and Family Services Conference Room
This is a virtual group offering a safe and supportive place to discuss insights and challenges about life after bone marrow transplant.
For more information or to register for this monthly session, please contact Tiffany Raroha, LSW at Tiffany.Raroha@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-360-0585.
- Date/Time: Monthly, date varies.
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led By: Tiffany Raroha, LSW
This virtual group is open to all individuals with a breast cancer diagnosis and will serve as a supportive gathering space for patients to share their experiences and connect with others navigating life with breast cancer. This group will be led by oncology social workers and will serve to provide practical support, resources, and encouragement for coping with diagnosis and treatment.
For more information or to register, please contact Ashley Adams, LCSW at Ashley.Adams@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-360-0576.
- Date/Time: Second Tuesday of each month, noon to 1 pm
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Ashley Adams, LCSW
This is a group for men with cancer; a safe space for men to congregate and provide and receive support. Topics range from relationship issues, coping with disease and symptoms, intimacy concerns, work/life balance and more. Free parking and refreshments provided.
To register, please email Craig.Heiler@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or call 215-662-8785.
- Date/Time: Fourth Thursday of each month, 11 am to 12:30 pm
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Craig Heiler
This support group offers a positive space for patients with a Mesothelioma diagnosis. Meeting via a secure telecommunication platform, this group is a safe space for patients to congregate and provide and receive support. Topics range from family and relationships issues, coping with the disease and symptoms, resources, work/life balance, and more.
- Date/Time: Second Thursday of every month, 11 am
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led By: Kayla Hilliard, LSW
Have you ever noticed how music can just make you feel better? How are you already using music to cope? How can music be utilized to promote well-being in mind and body? In this virtual support group, participants will engage in music experiences that may sound like guided relaxation to music, making music through facilitated song-writing, or sharing and listening to meaningful songs to craft an intentional playlist. We will explore shared emotions and experiences along the way. No musical experience is required.
To register for any of the groups, please contact Angela Moore, Integrative Oncology and Special Needs Navigator at Angela.Moore2@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or call 215-662-4877.
- Dates/Times:
- 1st Thursday of the month (5 pm) - Patients, Families, and Staff
- 2nd Thursday of the month (2 pm) - Patients (open group)
- 3rd Thursday of the month (2 pm) - Patients (closed group, must register for the full session)
- 4th Thursday of the month (2 pm) - Patients and Families/Friends
- Location: Virtual
- Led by: Groups will be facilitated by a board-certified music therapist
This is a virtual group open to any person that has been diagnosed with a Neuroendocrine Tumor and their adult caregivers. This group generally runs two hours, offering a 1-hour educational presentation followed by a 1-hour networking session. Education topics are chosen by the group participants and members of the Neuroendocrine Multidisciplinary Care Team provide the educational presentation, followed by a brief Q&A session. The networking session is led by an oncology social worker and participants are free to share their experiences with others. Other leaders of the group are an oncology dietitian and nurse navigator who are available to provide support from their areas of expertise.
To register for this monthly session, please contact Diann Boyd BSN, RN, OCN at Diann.Boyd@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-614-1863.
- Date/Time: Monthly, date varies.
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Diann Boyd BSN, RN, OCN
This virtual group will offer patients who are new to cancer treatment a safe, supportive space to connect and share on the changes and adjustments they are experiencing related to diagnosis and treatment. The group will be led by oncology social workers to provide emotional and practical support.
To register, please contact Ashley Adams, LCSW at Ashley.Adams@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-360-0576.
- Date/Time: Every other Thursday, 11 am to 12 pm
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Ashley Adams, LCSW
Live, online support and education group for patients, families and friends of those adjusting to life with pancreatic cancer. The group provides the opportunity to share personal experiences, practical help, and emotional support to one another.
For more information or to register, please contact Megan Melick at Megan.Melick@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or call 215-459-4728.
- Date/Time: Third Monday of the month, 2:30 to 4 pm
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Megan Melick, LSW, Oncology Social Worker and Trish Gambino, MSN, RN, GI Nurse Navigator
This support group is open to all patients and their caregivers. All aspects of prostate cancer, both pre and post treatment, are discussed.
To register for the Prostate Cancer Support Group, please contact Neal Niznan at 215-349-8183 or Neal.Niznan@uphs.upenn.edu.
- Date/Time: Third Thursday of every month, 4:30 to 6 pm
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Neal Niznan, MSW, LCSW
This support group is not currently offered.
Learn coping techniques to help manage the anticipation and anxiety around scans.
For more information call Sandy Blackburn, LSW at 215-662-6968.
- Date/Time: Fourth Wednesday of every month, 10 to 11:30 am
- Location: Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
1st Floor South Pavilion
Patient & Family Services Conference Room
- Led by: Sandy Blackburn, LSW
We welcome and invite anyone diagnosed with advanced cancer (metastatic cancer, recurrence, or disease progression) to a supportive group focused on meaning. The need to find meaning is a defining human characteristic that can help with coping. We will explore possible sources and definitions of meaning, based on Meaning-Centered concepts. Oncology social workers will facilitate an open discussion in a supportive setting.
To register, please contact Megan Melick, MSW at Megan.Melick@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-459-4728.
- Date/Time: Thursdays at 11am
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Oncology social workers
This virtual group is "for women only." It will offer women patients with any diagnosis of cancer a safe, supportive space to connect and share the experience of having cancer. We will also be able to talk about treatment, side effects, and the effects on children, family, and friends. We will talk about how cancer affects important relationships in your life. This group will be led by oncology social workers to provide emotional and practical support and guidance.
To register, please contact Courtney Bresler-Nowak, LSW at Courtney.Bresler-Nowak@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-605-5304.
- Date/Time: First Monday of the month at noon
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Oncology social workers
Finding out you have cancer at a young age is hard. You are not alone. Please join our young adults with cancer networking virtual group to meet other young adults, ages 18 to 45 who are coping with advanced-stage cancer. The group is led by oncology social workers and provides a safe space to network with others, to exchange support, and to learn practical information and helpful resources.
For more information or to register please contact Ashley Adams, LCSW at Ashley.Adams@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 215-360-0576.
- Date/Time: Second Tuesday of each month, 4 to 5:30 pm
- Location: BlueJeans (virtual)
- Led by: Ashley Adams, LCSW