We are pleased to announce our In-Person Retreat will be held at Hallowood Retreat Center, nestled on 55 wooded acres in scenic Frederick County, Maryland.
The spots for our in-person retreat are currently filled. If you are interested in attending, we ask you to please email us at retreats@smithcenter.org.
We are pleased to announce our In-Person Retreat will be held at Hallowood Retreat Center, in scenic Frederick County, Maryland from June 9-11.
Join us for an information session from 7-8pm ET on Zoom to learn more about the upcoming Transform Cancer: A Healing Retreat.
Julia Rowland, our Senior Strategic Advisor and one of Smith Center’s most seasoned facilitators, will share what one can expect at a retreat and answer any questions you may have.
To RSVP for the information session, please click the button above or email retreats@smithcenter.org.
Smith Center’s Spiritual Companion, Carole O’Toole, was called to companion others following her cancer experience that led her to explore how illness offers opportunities for spiritual growth. Since 2006 Carole has served in many roles at Smith Center, including Director of Residential Retreats, Director of the Institute of Integrative Oncology Navigation, Director of Smith Center’s Integrative Navigation Training Program, and as a member of and mentor for our integrative navigation team. Carole has completed her training in Spiritual Direction from The Haden Institute, with a particular focus on grief and loss and the spiritual challenges of living with cancer.
Julia Rowland, PhD, who joined Smith Center in October 2017, comes to this position as a long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of psychosocial aspects of cancer. She has worked with and conducted competitively funded research among both pediatric and adult cancer survivors and their families, and published broadly in psycho-oncology, including co-editing, along with Dr. Jimmie Holland, the ground-breaking text, Handbook of Psychooncology. She has also been a frequent speaker on cancer survivorship, or life after cancer, for both professional and lay audiences.
Julia received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in psychosocial oncology. While at MSKCC, where she held joint appointments in pediatrics and neurology, Julia helped to develop and was the first Director of the Post-Treatment Resource Program, one of the first non-medical survivorship care programs to be offered by a major cancer center in the U.S. In 1990 she moved with her husband and two young children to Washington, DC to become founding Director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Georgetown University and the Lombardi Cancer Center. There she helped expand services to meet the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and families, launched some of the first quality of life clinical trials, and also introduced a program to enable first year medical students to learn the art of caring for those living through and beyond cancer from survivors themselves and Lombardi faculty. Nine years later, in September of 1999, she was recruited to the National Cancer Institute to become the first, full-time Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, a position in which she served for 18 years, championing the growth of survivorship research and care, before stepping down in September 2017 to assume her new role at Smith Center. Although new to the team, Julia is no stranger to Smith Center. She knew Smith Center’s founder, Barbara Smith Coleman, and has volunteered her expertise across the years as a speaker, group leader and staff member for both the 1-day and weeklong residential retreats. Julia brings to her new role a passion to translate what research has taught us about healing in the context of cancer to the broader community, in essence, taking the science of survivorship from the lab bench to the park bench.
Laura, Director of Smith Center’s Nourishment Education Programs, has served as the head retreat chef and nurse consultant since 1997. She is an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Integrative Oncology Navigator with over 40 years experience in caring for people with serious illness. She is also a Certified Health Supportive Chef, professional musician and Nia body-mind fitness instructor. Her popular cooking classes are centered on culinary translation: that is, helping participants translate a diet prescription to a plate of nourishing delicious food. Laura is the founder of “Eating for a Lifetime,” a consulting business dedicated to teaching individuals and professionals about health supportive eating and food preparation. In addition to Laura’s work with nourishment, she is the co-coordinator of Smith Center’s Patient Navigation Training in Integrative Cancer Care. Laura also serves as coordinator of the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv.
Kiersten has served as the Cancer Support Program Director for Smith Center since 2014. Before coming to Smith Center, she had the privilege to serve individuals and families living with cancer at Wellness House of Annapolis. Kiersten aims to offer programs to reduce stress and help participants to see the world we live in from different perspectives. She thoroughly enjoys teaching yoga and creativity classes at SmithCenter and encourages gentle movement and creativity in the healing process. Kiersten is a certified yoga instructor through Yoga Alliance and also has her YCAT (Yoga Therapy in Cancer and Chronic Illness) Professional Certification through the Integral Yoga Academy. She has completed Patient Navigation training through Smith Center’s Institute for Integrative Oncology Navigation and has also completed the Commonweal Healing Circles: Advanced Cancer Support Training. Kiersten is also certified in CLIMB®(Children’s Lives Include Moments of Bravery) a program that aims to build upon the strengths of children and increase his/her ability to cope with stress associated with a parent’s illness. She believes in a holistic approach to healing, human relationships and is grateful for each and every day. Kiersten has also completed the Compassion Cultivation Training – CCT™ an 8-week program, developed at Stanford University, with insights and techniques from psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative practice. In her spare time, you may find Kiersten laughing with friends, cycling, taking art classes, practicing yoga and spending time with her husband Shane, son Liam, and dogs Hooper and Pablo.
Olivia Gonyea has been active in the cancer community for over 11 years as a childhood cancer survivor. She is also the founder of her own nonprofit organization that she created to support young people affected by cancer and other life-threatening illnesses at home in Buffalo, New York. Olivia never forgot the way that arts and creativity supported her during her experience with cancer and this inspired her to become involved with Smith Center. Olivia served as a Cancer Support Programs Intern in the Fall of 2021 and worked with Smith Center on her senior capstone project that focused on planning, implementing, and evaluating a photography-based program. Olivia received a degree in Public Health and International Studies from American University in DC and came on as full-time staff in July 2022. She is excited to explore her interest in art and create connections with participants. Meet Olivia when you walk into Smith Center or want to learn more about programs and/or retreats!
An Invitation to Healing
May 17th – June 23rd, 2022
The staff of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts invite you to participate in a new program they have designed and are calling: An Invitation to Healing. The program is designed for cancer patients/survivors at any point in their cancer journey, who wish to explore what it means to heal, and experience practices that have been shown to promote physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being.
An Invitation to Healing is a 6-week, small group online program that creates a unique space for conversations about the meaning of healing, pathways to health, and defining personal well-being.
Participants will be able to experience evidence-based healing practices.
Practices will include moving more, eating well, managing stress, sleeping better, sharing support, and using written and visual arts to express oneself.
The program is offered virtually twice a week for six weeks: one 2-hour educational session on Tuesdays, and a second 2-hour session on Thursdays that includes 30 minutes of yoga/tai chi/qigong and 2 hours of group therapy each week (see attached program content and schedule).
Click here to review the Program Schedule.
Click here for more details on the Who/What/Where/When of the program.
About Carla Stillwagon – Logistics & Tech Support
Carla serves as the Cancer Support Program & Retreat Coordinator at Smith Center. During her time at the center, Carla has been inspired to further develop her commitment to the arts and their invaluable role in healing and community. She has completed Compassion Cultivation Training™, an 8-week program, developed at Stanford University, with insights and techniques from psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative practice, as well as a professional training in Mind-Body Medicine with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.
About Carole O’Toole – Session Leader
Smith Center’s Spiritual Companion, Carole O’Toole, was called to companion others following her cancer experience that led her to explore how illness offers opportunities for spiritual growth. Since 2006 Carole has served in many roles at Smith Center, including Director of Residential Retreats, Director of the Institute of Integrative Oncology Navigation, Director of Smith Center’s Integrative Navigation Training Program, and as a member of and mentor for our integrative navigation team. Carole has completed her training in Spiritual Direction from The Haden Institute, with a particular focus on grief and loss and the spiritual challenges of living with cancer.
About Cathryn Pethick, AA, AYS, C-IAYT – Movement Facilitator
Cathryn Pethick, AA, AYS, C-IAYT is a certified yoga therapist and teacher, Ayurveda specialist, and professional chef- whole foods cooking and nutrition instructor. She shares those skills with private clients through her own Well-Being, founded in 2012, and is on staff with Maryland University of Integrative Health’s Masters in Nutrition degree program. At Smith Center, Cathryn teaches cooking and nutrition classes, gentle yoga, and contributes to Smith Center’s wonderful integrative cancer support retreats as chef and yoga therapist. She has decades of experience in diverse culinary settings, practicing/teaching yoga from a therapeutic perspective, meditation, and the study of Ayurveda, diverse spiritual and philosophical traditions, and Oriental healing/martial arts. Cathryn shares the intention of nourishing well-being for us individually and as a collective with yoga, meditation and food-as-medicine, by cultivating the healing power of balance, optimal nutrition that supports our vitality, and compassionate presence that nurtures us all.
About Charles Leighton, LCSW, CGP, CYI – Group Leader
Charles Leighton is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Individual and Group Psychotherapist, Certified Yoga teacher, and mindfulness instructor. He has co-lead over 25 retreats at Smith Center for the Healing Arts in Washington, DC, for people living with cancer. He has been in private practice for over twenty-five years and was the founder/Director of The Princeton Group Support Center in Princeton NJ and “The Heart Group” Program, an innovative therapy and lifestyle change program for people with heart disease and cancer at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. His work has been featured in the PBS documentary, THE MYSTERIOUS HUMAN HEART on PBS and Heartfelt on The Sanofi Channel. Leighton was a trainer for The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and has lectured extensively on mental illness and stress. He has published research on the role of anger in heart disease and written for scholarly journals. He has been a consultant to such organizations as The New York Times, New York Hospital, Gilda’s Club, and The Preventive Medicine Institute.
About Deborah Steele, ATR – Creativity Facilitator
Deb Steele, M.Ed., ATR, is a registered art therapist who has worked with cancer patients and their caregivers since receiving her Master’s degree in art therapy at the University of New Mexico.
She herself is a survivor of two different breast cancers at ages 37 and 65.
Deb developed and managed the Patient and Family Support Services Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Norris Cancer Center for 15 years before her retirement. Deb also worked with oncologists and palliative care staff to identify and initiate complementary therapies that would benefit the well-being of patients and their family members/caregivers. She has led many cancer-related support groups and retreats. Deb is currently leading creativity groups for survivors of domestic abuse and therapeutic art groups for women in Lebanon, NH.
About Julia Rowland, PhD – Program Outreach & Support
Julia Rowland, PhD, who joined Smith Center in October 2017, comes to this position as a long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of psychosocial aspects of cancer. She has worked with and conducted competitively funded research among both pediatric and adult cancer survivors and their families, and published broadly in psycho-oncology, including co-editing, along with Dr. Jimmie Holland, the ground-breaking text, Handbook of Psychooncology. She has also been a frequent speaker on cancer survivorship, or life after cancer, for both professional and lay audiences.
Julia received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in psychosocial oncology. While at MSKCC, where she held joint appointments in pediatrics and neurology, Julia helped to develop and was the first Director of the Post-Treatment Resource Program, one of the first non-medical survivorship care programs to be offered by a major cancer center in the U.S. In 1990 she moved with her husband and two young children to Washington, DC to become founding Director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Georgetown University and the Lombardi Cancer Center. There she helped expand services to meet the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and families, launched some of the first quality of life clinical trials, and also introduced a program to enable first year medical students to learn the art of caring for those living through and beyond cancer from survivors themselves and Lombardi faculty. Nine years later, in September of 1999, she was recruited to the National Cancer Institute to become the first, full-time Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, a position in which she served for 18 years, championing the growth of survivorship research and care, before stepping down in September 2017 to assume her new role at Smith Center. Although new to the team, Julia is no stranger to Smith Center. She knew Smith Center’s founder, Barbara Smith Coleman, and has volunteered her expertise across the years as a speaker, group leader and staff member for both the 1-day and weeklong residential retreats. Julia brings to her new role a passion to translate what research has taught us about healing in the context of cancer to the broader community, in essence, taking the science of survivorship from the lab bench to the park bench.
About Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef – Nutrition & Music Facilitator
Laura, Director of Smith Center’s Nourishment Education Programs, has served as the head retreat chef and nurse consultant since 1997. She is an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Integrative Oncology Navigator with over 40 years experience in caring for people with serious illness. She is also a Certified Health Supportive Chef, professional musician and Nia body-mind fitness instructor. Her popular cooking classes are centered on culinary translation: that is, helping participants translate a diet prescription to a plate of nourishing delicious food. Laura is the founder of “Eating for a Lifetime,” a consulting business dedicated to teaching individuals and professionals about health supportive eating and food preparation. In addition to Laura’s work with nourishment, she is the co-coordinator of Smith Center’s Patient Navigation Training in Integrative Cancer Care. Laura also serves as coordinator of the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv.
An Invitation to Healing
The staff of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts invite you to participate in a new program they have designed and are calling: An Invitation to Healing. The program is designed for cancer patients/survivors at any point in their cancer journey, who wish to explore what it means to heal, and experience practices that have been shown to promote physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being.
An Invitation to Healing is a 6-week, small group online program that creates a unique space for conversations about the meaning of healing, pathways to health, and defining personal well-being.
Participants will be able to experience evidence-based healing practices.
Practices will include moving more, eating well, managing stress, sleeping better, sharing support, and using written and visual arts to express oneself.
The program is offered virtually twice a week for six weeks: one 2-hour educational session on Tuesdays, and a second 2-hour session on Thursdays that includes 30 minutes of yoga/tai chi/qigong and 2 hours of group therapy each week (see attached program content and schedule).
Click here to review the Program Schedule.
Click here for more details on the Who/What/Where/When of the program.
About Carla Stillwagon – Logistics & Tech Support
Carla serves as the Cancer Support Program & Retreat Coordinator at Smith Center. During her time at the center, Carla has been inspired to further develop her commitment to the arts and their invaluable role in healing and community. She has completed Compassion Cultivation Training™, an 8-week program, developed at Stanford University, with insights and techniques from psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative practice, as well as a professional training in Mind-Body Medicine with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.
About Carole O’Toole – Session Leader
Smith Center’s Spiritual Companion, Carole O’Toole, was called to companion others following her cancer experience that led her to explore how illness offers opportunities for spiritual growth. Since 2006 Carole has served in many roles at Smith Center, including Director of Residential Retreats, Director of the Institute of Integrative Oncology Navigation, Director of Smith Center’s Integrative Navigation Training Program, and as a member of and mentor for our integrative navigation team. Carole has completed her training in Spiritual Direction from The Haden Institute, with a particular focus on grief and loss and the spiritual challenges of living with cancer.
About Cathryn Pethick, AA, AYS, C-IAYT – Movement Facilitator
Cathryn Pethick, AA, AYS, C-IAYT is a certified yoga therapist and teacher, Ayurveda specialist, and professional chef- whole foods cooking and nutrition instructor. She shares those skills with private clients through her own Well-Being, founded in 2012, and is on staff with Maryland University of Integrative Health’s Masters in Nutrition degree program. At Smith Center, Cathryn teaches cooking and nutrition classes, gentle yoga, and contributes to Smith Center’s wonderful integrative cancer support retreats as chef and yoga therapist. She has decades of experience in diverse culinary settings, practicing/teaching yoga from a therapeutic perspective, meditation, and the study of Ayurveda, diverse spiritual and philosophical traditions, and Oriental healing/martial arts. Cathryn shares the intention of nourishing well-being for us individually and as a collective with yoga, meditation and food-as-medicine, by cultivating the healing power of balance, optimal nutrition that supports our vitality, and compassionate presence that nurtures us all.
About Deborah Steele, ATR – Creativity Facilitator
Deb Steele, M.Ed., ATR, is a registered art therapist who has worked with cancer patients and their caregivers since receiving her Master’s degree in art therapy at the University of New Mexico.
She herself is a survivor of two different breast cancers at ages 37 and 65.
Deb developed and managed the Patient and Family Support Services Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Norris Cancer Center for 15 years before her retirement. Deb also worked with oncologists and palliative care staff to identify and initiate complementary therapies that would benefit the well-being of patients and their family members/caregivers. She has led many cancer-related support groups and retreats. Deb is currently leading creativity groups for survivors of domestic abuse and therapeutic art groups for women in Lebanon, NH.
About Jennifer Bires, MSW, LICSW, OSW-C – Group Leader
Jennifer Bires is the Executive Director of Life with Cancer and Patient Experience for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute. She previously served as the Executive Director at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC after almost a decade of experience as an oncology social worker in the DC area. Jennifer has a passion for improving access to psychosocial services for those impacted by cancer. She specializes in working with Young Adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, end of life concerns and issues and sexual health. She was awarded the 2017 Oncology Social Worker of the Year award from the Association of Oncology Social Workers.
About Julia Rowland, PhD – Program Outreach & Support
Julia Rowland, PhD, who joined Smith Center in October 2017, comes to this position as a long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of psychosocial aspects of cancer. She has worked with and conducted competitively funded research among both pediatric and adult cancer survivors and their families, and published broadly in psycho-oncology, including co-editing, along with Dr. Jimmie Holland, the ground-breaking text, Handbook of Psychooncology. She has also been a frequent speaker on cancer survivorship, or life after cancer, for both professional and lay audiences.
Julia received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in psychosocial oncology. While at MSKCC, where she held joint appointments in pediatrics and neurology, Julia helped to develop and was the first Director of the Post-Treatment Resource Program, one of the first non-medical survivorship care programs to be offered by a major cancer center in the U.S. In 1990 she moved with her husband and two young children to Washington, DC to become founding Director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Georgetown University and the Lombardi Cancer Center. There she helped expand services to meet the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and families, launched some of the first quality of life clinical trials, and also introduced a program to enable first year medical students to learn the art of caring for those living through and beyond cancer from survivors themselves and Lombardi faculty. Nine years later, in September of 1999, she was recruited to the National Cancer Institute to become the first, full-time Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, a position in which she served for 18 years, championing the growth of survivorship research and care, before stepping down in September 2017 to assume her new role at Smith Center. Although new to the team, Julia is no stranger to Smith Center. She knew Smith Center’s founder, Barbara Smith Coleman, and has volunteered her expertise across the years as a speaker, group leader and staff member for both the 1-day and weeklong residential retreats. Julia brings to her new role a passion to translate what research has taught us about healing in the context of cancer to the broader community, in essence, taking the science of survivorship from the lab bench to the park bench.
About Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef – Nutrition & Music Facilitator
Laura, Director of Smith Center’s Nourishment Education Programs, has served as the head retreat chef and nurse consultant since 1997. She is an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Integrative Oncology Navigator with over 40 years experience in caring for people with serious illness. She is also a Certified Health Supportive Chef, professional musician and Nia body-mind fitness instructor. Her popular cooking classes are centered on culinary translation: that is, helping participants translate a diet prescription to a plate of nourishing delicious food. Laura is the founder of “Eating for a Lifetime,” a consulting business dedicated to teaching individuals and professionals about health supportive eating and food preparation. In addition to Laura’s work with nourishment, she is the co-coordinator of Smith Center’s Patient Navigation Training in Integrative Cancer Care. Laura also serves as coordinator of the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv.
An Invitation to Healing
The staff of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts invite you to participate in a new program they have designed and are calling: An Invitation to Healing. The program is designed for cancer patients/survivors at any point in their cancer journey, who wish to explore what it means to heal, and experience practices that have been shown to promote physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being.
An Invitation to Healing is a 6-week, small group online program that creates a unique space for conversations about the meaning of healing, pathways to health, and defining personal well-being.
Participants will be able to experience evidence-based healing practices.
Practices will include moving more, eating well, managing stress, sleeping better, sharing support, and using written and visual arts to express oneself.
The program is offered virtually twice a week for six weeks: one 90-minute educational session on Tuesdays, and a second 2-hour session on Thursdays that includes 30 minutes of yoga/tai chi/qigong and 90-minutes of group therapy each week (see attached program content and schedule).
Click here to review the Program Schedule.
Click here for more details on the Who/What/Where/When of the program.
Program Details:
To maximize sharing, learning and the power of group support, participants are expected to attend the full program.
About Carla Stillwagon – Logistics & Tech Support
Carla serves as the Cancer Support Program & Retreat Coordinator at Smith Center. During her time at the center, Carla has been inspired to further develop her commitment to the arts and their invaluable role in healing and community. She has completed Compassion Cultivation Training™, an 8-week program, developed at Stanford University, with insights and techniques from psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative practice, as well as a professional training in Mind-Body Medicine with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.
About Carole O’Toole – Session Leader
Smith Center’s Spiritual Companion, Carole O’Toole, was called to companion others following her cancer experience that led her to explore how illness offers opportunities for spiritual growth. Since 2006 Carole has served in many roles at Smith Center, including Director of Residential Retreats, Director of the Institute of Integrative Oncology Navigation, Director of Smith Center’s Integrative Navigation Training Program, and as a member of and mentor for our integrative navigation team. Carole has completed her training in Spiritual Direction from The Haden Institute, with a particular focus on grief and loss and the spiritual challenges of living with cancer.
About Cathryn Pethick, AA, AYS, C-IAYT – Movement Facilitator
Cathryn Pethick, AA, AYS, C-IAYT is a certified yoga therapist and teacher, Ayurveda specialist, and professional chef- whole foods cooking and nutrition instructor. She shares those skills with private clients through her own Well-Being, founded in 2012, and is on staff with Maryland University of Integrative Health’s Masters in Nutrition degree program. At Smith Center, Cathryn teaches cooking and nutrition classes, gentle yoga, and contributes to Smith Center’s wonderful integrative cancer support retreats as chef and yoga therapist. She has decades of experience in diverse culinary settings, practicing/teaching yoga from a therapeutic perspective, meditation, and the study of Ayurveda, diverse spiritual and philosophical traditions, and Oriental healing/martial arts. Cathryn shares the intention of nourishing well-being for us individually and as a collective with yoga, meditation and food-as-medicine, by cultivating the healing power of balance, optimal nutrition that supports our vitality, and compassionate presence that nurtures us all.
About Deborah Steele, ATR – Creativity Facilitator
Deb Steele, M.Ed., ATR, is a registered art therapist who has worked with cancer patients and their caregivers since receiving her Master’s degree in art therapy at the University of New Mexico.
She herself is a survivor of two different breast cancers at ages 37 and 65.
Deb developed and managed the Patient and Family Support Services Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Norris Cancer Center for 15 years before her retirement. Deb also worked with oncologists and palliative care staff to identify and initiate complementary therapies that would benefit the well-being of patients and their family members/caregivers. She has led many cancer-related support groups and retreats. Deb is currently leading creativity groups for survivors of domestic abuse and therapeutic art groups for women in Lebanon, NH.
About Jennifer Bires, MSW, LICSW, OSW-C – Group Leader
Jennifer Bires is the Executive Director of Life with Cancer and Patient Experience for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute. She previously served as the Executive Director at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC after almost a decade of experience as an oncology social worker in the DC area. Jennifer has a passion for improving access to psychosocial services for those impacted by cancer. She specializes in working with Young Adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, end of life concerns and issues and sexual health. She was awarded the 2017 Oncology Social Worker of the Year award from the Association of Oncology Social Workers.
About Julia Rowland, PhD – Program Outreach & Support
Julia Rowland, PhD, who joined Smith Center in October 2017, comes to this position as a long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of psychosocial aspects of cancer. She has worked with and conducted competitively funded research among both pediatric and adult cancer survivors and their families, and published broadly in psycho-oncology, including co-editing, along with Dr. Jimmie Holland, the ground-breaking text, Handbook of Psychooncology. She has also been a frequent speaker on cancer survivorship, or life after cancer, for both professional and lay audiences.
Julia received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in psychosocial oncology. While at MSKCC, where she held joint appointments in pediatrics and neurology, Julia helped to develop and was the first Director of the Post-Treatment Resource Program, one of the first non-medical survivorship care programs to be offered by a major cancer center in the U.S. In 1990 she moved with her husband and two young children to Washington, DC to become founding Director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Georgetown University and the Lombardi Cancer Center. There she helped expand services to meet the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and families, launched some of the first quality of life clinical trials, and also introduced a program to enable first year medical students to learn the art of caring for those living through and beyond cancer from survivors themselves and Lombardi faculty. Nine years later, in September of 1999, she was recruited to the National Cancer Institute to become the first, full-time Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, a position in which she served for 18 years, championing the growth of survivorship research and care, before stepping down in September 2017 to assume her new role at Smith Center. Although new to the team, Julia is no stranger to Smith Center. She knew Smith Center’s founder, Barbara Smith Coleman, and has volunteered her expertise across the years as a speaker, group leader and staff member for both the 1-day and weeklong residential retreats. Julia brings to her new role a passion to translate what research has taught us about healing in the context of cancer to the broader community, in essence, taking the science of survivorship from the lab bench to the park bench.
About Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef – Nutrition & Music Facilitator
Laura, Director of Smith Center’s Nourishment Education Programs, has served as the head retreat chef and nurse consultant since 1997. She is an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Integrative Oncology Navigator with over 40 years experience in caring for people with serious illness. She is also a Certified Health Supportive Chef, professional musician and Nia body-mind fitness instructor. Her popular cooking classes are centered on culinary translation: that is, helping participants translate a diet prescription to a plate of nourishing delicious food. Laura is the founder of “Eating for a Lifetime,” a consulting business dedicated to teaching individuals and professionals about health supportive eating and food preparation. In addition to Laura’s work with nourishment, she is the co-coordinator of Smith Center’s Patient Navigation Training in Integrative Cancer Care. Laura also serves as coordinator of the “Media Watch Cancer News That You Can Use” listserv.
This one day retreat is designed to empower cancer patients who have completed treatment and are in remission. The goal of the retreat is to build community and be a part of a supportive environment for healing.
During this retreat you will experience:
There is a $45 registration fee associated with this Retreat. Please contact erin@smithcenter.org to pay after you have completed the form below.
About Erin Price
Erin serves as Smith Center’s Director of Young Adult and Psychosocial Support Programs. She is trained in Integrative Patient Navigation, a Project LEAD graduate, and holds a Masters in Social Work. A seven-year breast cancer survivor, Erin is passionate about providing support and community to other cancer survivors, especially young adults. She works with Smith Center’s DC Young Adult Cancer Community and is also actively involved in the cancer community through Young Survival Coalition, Critical Mass, the Georgetown Breast Cancer Advocates, National Breast Cancer Coalition, and the DC Cancer Action Partnership.
About Samantha Evans
Samantha Evans is getting her Masters in Social Work at the University of Maryland. She will be joining the Smith Center as a Social Work Intern until April 2020. Samantha is excited to be joining the team at the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. When not studying for graduate school, Samantha spends her free time with her dog, reading, and with friends.
This one day retreat is designed to empower cancer patients who have completed treatment and are in remission. The goal of the retreat is to build community and be a part of a supportive environment for healing.
During this retreat you will experience:
There is a $45 registration fee associated with this Retreat. Please contact erin@smithcenter.org to pay after you have completed the form below.
About Erin Price
Erin serves as Smith Center’s Director of Young Adult and Psychosocial Support Programs. She is trained in Integrative Patient Navigation, a Project LEAD graduate, and holds a Masters in Social Work. A seven-year breast cancer survivor, Erin is passionate about providing support and community to other cancer survivors, especially young adults. She works with Smith Center’s DC Young Adult Cancer Community and is also actively involved in the cancer community through Young Survival Coalition, Critical Mass, the Georgetown Breast Cancer Advocates, National Breast Cancer Coalition, and the DC Cancer Action Partnership.
About Samantha Evans
Samantha Evans is getting her Masters in Social Work at the University of Maryland. She will be joining the Smith Center as a Social Work Intern until April 2020. Samantha is excited to be joining the team at the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. When not studying for graduate school, Samantha spends her free time with her dog, reading, and with friends.
For over twenty years, our life-enhancing retreats for people with cancer have been at the heart of our work. Smith Center retreats offer a respite from everyday life with a cancer diagnosis and an opportunity to be fully immersed in healing. Our retreats are designed to empower participants to make life-affirming changes by offering tools, knowledge, and support in a safe and caring community of others facing a cancer diagnosis.
If you have any questions, encounter problems with the online applications or would like to request a paper application, please contact Erin at retreats@smithcenter.org or by calling 202.483.8600.
We welcome adults with any type of cancer, at any stage, wherever they are on their cancer journey, including remission. The three-day retreats appeal to individuals who seek a nurturing environment in which to explore their issues and choices in living with cancer, but who can’t spare significant time away from work, family or other obligations.
Spouses, significant others, and caregivers are also welcome to attend as participants.
Over the years, we have observed that Smith Center retreats are most beneficial for those who seek to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and who are receptive to the work of personal transformation.
Participants must be under the care of a physician, able to care for themselves and participate in the daily program, and well enough to devote two-and-a-half concentrated days to the program.
Our retreats provide a safe, relaxed and nurturing environment that invites participants to experience the healing power of many integrative and complementary therapies along with offering a small-group support program of the highest quality.
Cancer retreats provide a non-medical, educational, hands-on experience for participants. They are not a cancer therapy or treatment program.
We recognize that attending a retreat is an investment of your time. Smith Center has designed an application process that strives to ensure that each participant is well-prepared to enter the retreat and benefit from the experience.
The process entails completion of an application and a telephone conversation with the Retreat Director.
If you have any questions, encounter problems with the online applications or would like to request a paper application, please contact Erin at retreats@smithcenter.org or by calling 202.483.8600.
Our intimate retreats are limited to 9 participants, so please apply as early as possible.
Three-day retreats begin mid-morning on Friday and conclude mid-afternoon on Sunday.
Retreat schedules include gentle morning yoga, training in meditation and stress reduction, creativity workshops, group sessions, facilitated discussions about the practical and profound choices in healing, and time to relax, have individual conversations with staff and participants, explore the natural beauty of our retreat setting and enjoy delicious, whole-foods meals.
Smith Center retreats are staffed by highly skilled, deeply committed professionals including a licensed psychotherapist, a yoga master, an oncology nursing specialist, a health-supportive chef, a creativity facilitator, integrative navigator and social worker. There is a one-to-one participant to staff ratio.
Our three-day retreats are held at Dayspring Retreat Center, set on a serene, relaxing reserve of over 200 acres in Germantown, Maryland.
The cost for the three-day program is $850 per person including individual accommodations (private bedroom and shared hall bathroom) at the retreat center. All meals (two on Friday, three on Saturday and two on Sunday) are included.
Please note that participants’ fees cover just a portion of the cost to Smith Center to offer this retreat. The fee is generously supplemented by contributions from past participants and other friends who help us keep the price as reasonable as possible.
Spouses and other close support people are welcome to enroll at the same fee and with full participation in the retreat program.
We do have limited scholarship funds available, however, requests generally exceed our resources. In most cases, scholarship awards are offered in the amount of $250. Awards are made on a first come-first served basis. We encourage submittal of your application as early as possible.
To be considered for a scholarship, you must submit a completed retreat application and a separate scholarship application (included at the end of the online retreat application).
Once we receive your completed application, the Retreat Director will schedule a telephone conversation with you and we can discuss any individual scholarship needs at this time.
For more information
Retreats@smithcenter.org
Call: 202.483.8600
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Smith Center for Healing and the Arts is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. (EIN/tax ID number: 52-1977976).
