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Support

Find support and community through your cancer journey

Online & In-Person Support

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

Support Groups
Healing Circle Workshops
Practical Support
Volunteer

Support Groups

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

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.

Our groups are not crisis intervention. If you are in crisis please call 911, the  24-Hour Suicide Crisis Line Toll-free: 1-877-663-5433 (ONE LIFE) or go to the closest emergency room.

ARM-in-ARM

Open to women with Advanced, Recurrent, or Metastatic cancer. Facilitated by Sally Jones & Julie Chalmers.

Meets every Monday, 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
IN PERSON & VIRTUAL

Cancer Support Group

Open to newly diagnosed women throughout the course of their treatment and up to 4-6 months post-treatment. Facilitated by Vickie Assunto and Dayna Lea.

Meets every Tuesday, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm VIA ZOOM

Post Treatment Group

For women who are exploring issues related to life after a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Facilitated by Jessica B and Maria Meade.

Meets from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month VIA ZOOM

Spanish Speaking Support Group in Watsonville

Please call 831-761-3973 for details. Open to Spanish-speaking women with all kinds of cancer, from diagnosis through treatment and the healing process. Led by Socorro Alanis.

Meets every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 5pm. We are also available for phone support.

Friends & Family

*currently on hiatus*

Open to friends and loved ones (men & women) of people with cancer.

Please call our office at 831-457-2273 for more information.

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 or email sims.p@fsa-cc.org before attending any of these groups, both to verify location and times, and to provide us with necessary client information.

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.

Normally meets the 4th Saturday of every month, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Must call to register. 

Currently meeting via Zoom.

Led by guest facilitators

Using the power of the creative process to provide support, insight and a deeper relationship with yourself in a safe and nurturing environment. No art experience necessary. All art supplies provided.
 
Meets 4th Saturday of the month, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. (Space is limited so please check with WomenCARE re: availability.)
 
Facilitated by Dayna Lea

Meets the 1st and 3rd Fridays of every month, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Currently meeting via Zoom.

Facilitated by Claire Schneeberger

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.

Currently meeting via Zoom.

Facilitated by Beth Phillips Brown.   

Discover your Wisdom: Using images, imagination and intuition, you will begin to create your own personal deck of collaged cards. Part art project, part spiritual practice, SoulCollage® allows you to deepen your understanding of yourself. In a fun, creative, and relaxed environment, you can use your personal deck of cards to tap into your inner wisdom. No art experience necessary. Must supply your own scissors, glue stick, journal & pen. 
 
Currently meeting via Zoom.
 
Meets the 1st Saturday of every month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm . Registration is required and YOU MUST let us know a week prior to group whether or not you would like WomenCARE to provide the materials for the upcoming class.
 
Facilitated by Cynthia Balthaser.
A fun and easy-to-learn way of drawing structured patterns to create beautiful images. The Zentangle Method makes drawing patterns, or tangles, accessible to almost anyone of all ages since tangles are created from basic pen strokes.
 
Currently meeting via Zoom.
 
Meets the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.
 
Facilitated by Cynthia Balthaser . 
CURRENTLY ON HIATUS: Although this group is currently on hiatus, as Carla laughs her way around the world, it is possible to connect with her and take advantage of other opportunities she’s offering as she travels. If you’re interested, contact WomenCARE to find out more.

Laughter Yoga is all about playing, having fun, feeling good and relaxing. It’s an innovative wellness tool where anyone can laugh at any time as a form of stress relief. We laugh in a group as a form of exercise, and through eye contact and childlike playfulness the fake laughter becomes real and contagious. It is a scientific fact that the body does not know the difference between fake laughter and the real thing, so when we laugh we receive a happy chemical release (dopamine, serotonin), and create more ease and space in our bodies and minds. 

Facilitated by Carla Brown.
Join Carla Brown, certified Laughter Yoga instructor, to form your own laughter practice! Females who are a vital part of a client’s care team are also invited!
Email with any questions: carla.h.brown@gmail.com

Practical Support

Because there are many ways a cancer diagnosis can impact a woman’s life on a daily basis, our wonderful family of volunteers offers a wide array of practical support to women undergoing treatments.

Though not always possible, we do our very best to satisfy each request. Please call us at 831-457-2273 to learn how we can work together to make your journey a bit easier.

Some of what we offer includes:

  • Transportation to and from medical appointments
  • Meals delivered to your home
  • Light house cleaning (1-2 x month)*
  • Brief childcare respite*
  • Dog walking
  • Gardening
  • Bodywork and body care services including massage, acupuncture, facials, and more.

*House cleaning and childcare are paused. Due to COVID, volunteers are not going into clients’ homes.

“My mother, Hazel, and I can’t fully express the gratitude we feel for all the help and loving care you all gave recently. Rides, phone calls, visits, and lunches with (her volunteer) warmed my mother’s heart and gave her happiness as she struggled with a cancer diagnosis.” –Jan T.

Please note: All of our Healing Circle Workshops, Support Groups, and Practical Support are for women who are in any stage of the cancer journey. Our Friends & Family group includes loved ones of women with cancer.