Support Groups &
Healing Circle Workshops

We offer a safe place where women with any type of cancer will find mutual support, shared experience, and open hearts.

Support Groups

All support group meetings are held at WomenCARE offices.  Pre-registration (office intake and a conversation with the group facilitator) is required before attending any of our support groups. Please call 831-457-2273 to provide us with necessary client information.

• ARM-in-ARM: Open to women with Advanced, Recurrent, or Metastatic cancer. Led by Sally Jones & Shirley Marcus. Meets every Monday, 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm.
• Cancer Support Group: Open to women with cancer at all stages, from diagnosis through treatment and the healing process. Led by Vickie Assunto & Jan Elpers. Meets every Tuesday from 12:30 to 2:00 pm.
• Friends & Family: Open to friends and loved ones (men & women) of people with cancer. Led by Mike Tozer & Donna Cavallaro. Meets 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 5:30 to 7:00pm.
• Entre Nosotras: Open to Spanish-speaking women with cancer at all stages, from diagnosis through treatment and the healing process. Groups are led in Spanish and meet at our Watsonville office. Please call 831-761-3973 for details. Led by Chila Correa. Meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

Healing Circle Workshops

Providing comforting ways to cope with cancer through art, writing, meditation, and more. Please call the WomenCARE office at 831-457-2273 before attending any of these groups, both to verify location and times, and to provide us with necessary client information for the group facilitators.

• Art for Healing: No art experience necessary, just a willingness to play with art materials and listen tenderly to yourself. Led by Wendy Traber. Meets the 3rd Saturday of every month at The Soquel Glen Mobile Park Clubhouse, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
• Complementary Treatment Forum: An educational and collaborative group for women who want a safe place to learn, sort through, and share information about the many complementary cancer treatments. Led by Bonnie Jones, Nutritionist, and Katayoon Hakim Acupuncturist. Meets the 4th Saturday of every month, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at WomenCARE’s Soquel office.
• Emotional Freedom Technique: E.F.T. is a powerful tool to help you cope with life with cancer by addressing the emotional challenges that may go along with a diagnosis. Sometimes called “psychological acupressure,” it is a simple tapping protocol used on specific acupuncture points on the face and body. Led by Nancy Lowe, a licensed acupuncturist and Doctor of Oriental Medicine practicing since 1987 and teaching at Five Branches University of Traditional Chinese Medicine since 1994. Meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month, 2:30 to 3:30 pm at WomenCARE’s Soquel office.
• Guided Imagery:  Guided Imagery during cancer and beyond utilizes the power of our imagination to create positive changes. This pleasurable, enjoyable process of deep relaxation transports you to a peaceful state where stress and anxiety are reduced.  While you’re in this state of deep relaxation, we voyage in our imaginations to local sites of wonder and beauty where healing images are offered to enhance the immune system, change the amount of pain or side effects you experience and reinforce a positive future. Some women call it their  “mini-vacation.” Carol Jensen is a Certified Medical Hypnotherapist, the Founding Director of the Center for Health in Santa Cruz, and a colon cancer survivor. Meets second Thursday of every month, 12:30 to 2:00 pm at WomenCARE’s Soquel office.
• Mindfulness Meditation: For women newly diagnosed, recovering, or coping with the effects of cancer or chronic illness. Meetings are held at Land of the Medicine Buddha and are led by Yangchen, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun. Meets the 1st Wednesday of every month at Land of Medicine Buddha, 2:30 to 4:00 pm.
• Writing Circle: Open to the writer in each of us, this group allows for creative exploration in a supportive space right where you are. Each session is a surprise. Your creations are prompted by writing activities and the stories of your life—bring your notebook and invite your muse. Meets the 2nd Saturday of every month, 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at WomenCARE’s Soquel office.
• Sound Play for the Healing Journey:  Playing with sound in a variety of forms as you choose: Tibetan and Crystal Singing Bowls; expressing your voice internally and out loud; sound games for your healing journey; listening with your heart and journaling. This group isn’t about singing but about sound; it’s a safe, non-judgmental space. Many women who don’t sing have come and have discovered an inner voice that supports their well-being.  We invite you to join our exploration of the power and versatility of sound. Michelle Hodah Newman has been singing her whole life, has taught music, and has directed theatrical productions. She is a sound healer with Crystal bowls and voice, a practitioner of eVOX voice bio-feedback, and a Spiritual Director leading Women’s Heart Circles www.womensheartcircles.org. Meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month, 1:30 to 3:00 pm.
• Qigong:  In this class you will learn specific tools for managing side-effects of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.  Meets the 1st Saturday of every month through May 4, 2013 and will resume in the fall 2013 at 1729 Seabright Ave, Suite E.

Please note: All of our Healing Circle Workshops and Support Groups (except for our Friends & Family group) are for women who are in any stage of the cancer journey.