Fall Workshops

Cancer Connection offers workshops and support free of charge for men, women and children living with a cancer diagnosis, their families and friends. You are welcome to attend as many workshops as you would like. All workshops, unless noted, are held at Cancer Connection at 41 Locust Street in Northampton, across from Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Living with Recurrence (and the Fear of it)

Saturday, November 12 from 10:30am to 1:00pm

Due to the large number of people

interested in this workshop -

We have MOVED it to a larger location:

Wesley United Methodist Church
98 North Maple St.
Hadley, Massachusetts 01035
413-549-1550

On Route 9 in Hadley:

At the Intersection with Home Depot, Verizon & Trader Joe’s -

4-way light between the two malls

From the West, turn left onto North Maple Street

From the East, turn right onto North Maple Street

Stay on North Maple Street and go through the next set of lights

(there will be a cemetery on your left)

Wesley United Methodist Church will be on your left,

not far after the light.

Many cancer survivors find that the uncertainty which follows surgery and treatment is difficult to bear. People often ask, "So what is my job now?” They often live with anticipatory anxiety, waiting for a recurrence. Others have already grappled with one recurrence and worry about having another. In this workshop we will discuss these fears and concerns and attempt to gather a collection of tools which will help us cope during these difficult times.

Vivien Weiss, LMHC has a private practice that focuses on individuals and families coping with serious illnesses, especially cancer, and bereavement. She facilitates several support groups at Cancer Connection.

Finding Your Way: A Map for the Newly Diagnosed

Saturday, September 24 from 10am to Noon

A cascade of decisions, information, feelings, and life changes follows a diagnosis of cancer. This workshop explores tools for coping with fear and uncertainty, collaborating with your medical team, communicating with your family, and understanding what resources are available for support and information. Designed for people with cancer and those who care about them.

Paula Murphy, LICSW, LMT, has worked in the field of Cancer Care for the past 25 years. Having recently worked in a hospital setting, she knows intimately the challenges confronting a person with a new diagnosis of cancer.

Family Creations for Holiday Celebrations

with Lucy Mueller Young, art therapist

Sundays, 2:00 to 4:00 pm

October 2 (focus on fall & Halloween with paper making/masks)

November 6 (focus on thankfulness with mobiles)

December 4 (focus on winter with door decorations)

Lucy Mueller Young welcomes families to her art studio in Northampton to create decorations for the holidays. Learn how to play with art and each other as you rethink the holidays and make them more personalized and more meaningful. Participants of all ages will transform traditional symbols into creations with special meaning for each family or individual, creating artwork worth displaying year after year while enjoying the process of making art with each other. Sign up for one session or all three. Space is limited.

Lucy has a master’s degree in expressive therapies with a concentration in art therapy. She has worked as an artist, art therapist and art therapy lecturer and instructor for over 30 years in educational and clinical settings.

Look Good...Feel Better

Monday, October 3 from 4:30-6:30

This program teaches beauty techniques to women who are actively undergoing cancer treatment. Participants learn a 12-step process for skin care, make-up application and techniques for head coverings and turbans. Each participant also receives a FREE makeup kit valued at $250.00.

Nancy Yelle has been a volunteer with the LGFB program for the past five years, covering the Greater Springfield and Northampton area. Nancy brings her own style to the program, making each participant feel at ease and comfortable with the experience.

A Mindful Practice for Well-Being

An 8-week program on Tuesdays

Beginning October 4 from 10:00 to 11:30 am

The stress of illness and treatment, whether yours or a loved one’s, can deplete your inner strength and ability to cope with day-to-day life. Mindfulness is a basic human quality, a way of learning to pay wise attention to whatever is happening in one’s life and to integrate differentiated elements and mobilize inner resources to better care for oneself and for others.

This 8-session class, based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., will help you develop those qualities and skills ecessary for gaining greater awareness and insight into your life by being present, observing attentively, and drawing on your own curiosity and flexibility. The quality and practice of mindfulness can open you to a greater sense of connection to your inner life and the life around you, as well as a calmness that will help you better cope with stress, pain, illness and worry.

Pierre Zimmerman, MS is a chaplain at the D’Amour Center for Cancer Care of the Baystate Regional Cancer Program, a facilitator of cancer support groups at Cancer Connection, and a cancer survivor.

A Mindful Practice for Well-Being workshop is sponsored by:

Surviving & Thriving with & Beyond Cancer

Saturday, October 29 from 10:30 to 12:30

How do you take control of your life when cancer seems to hold the reins? This workshop will help you create your own personal survivorship plan. You will learn how to enhance your well-being based on your goals, your physical health, your ability to advocate for yourself and the resources available to you in the community.

Katherine Walsh, PhD, MSW, LICSW is an Associate Professor at Westfield State University . She has facilitated our breast cancer support group for the past several years.

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Major funding of our programs and complementary therapies is provided by Rays of Hope.