Tag: Cancer Support

with Jenna Perkins, RN, WHNP-BC

Please join us for a discussion as we explore the ways that a cancer diagnosis can affect your sex life. You can expect to learn about tools that can help prevent and treat common conditions that contribute to discomfort with intercourse. We will discuss both medication and lifestyle management options. Come prepared with questions you and your partner have but haven’t had the opportunity to discuss with your healthcare providers. Patients and partners are welcome to attend!

About Jenna Perkins

Jenna Perkins, RN, WHNP-BC, is a board certified WomenGÇÖs Health and Gender Related Nurse Practitioner. Originally from Detroit, MI, Jenna completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked on a number of research studies as an undergraduate and became a clinical trials research nurse after graduating. In this role she worked on infectious disease protocols including Gene Therapy trials investigating the cure for HIV. She went on to complete her Masters in WomenGÇÖs Health and Gender Related Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania Jenna joined the MFA as the Pelvic Floor Nurse Practitioner. She manages all areas of female urology. Among these are frequent UTIs, Overactive Bladder, Incontinence, Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Pelvic Pain, and Female Sexual dysfunction. She provides non-surgical treatment for these conditions and offers alternatives to medication management where available. Jenna also provides teaching for clinic patients helping patients to learn things such as self-catheterization and correct kegel exercise. Jenna is an active member of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA) and Nurse Practitioners in WomenGÇÖs Health (NPWH).

with Jonathan Gilbert, L.Ac.

Regardless of how strong we are able to be, a cancer diagnosis creates a fundamental shift in our lives. Be it a patient, a caregiver or a colleague; the stress of this change can be difficult.

Jonathan Gilbert will be looking at this stress through the lens of ancient Chinese medical philosophy, examining strategies that enable us to cope more fully with this change.

About Jonathan Gilbert, L.Ac.

Mr. Gilbert’s journey into Asian philosophy began with martial arts at the age of 9. By 13 he began training in movement and meditation at the Kitaido School of Movement in England, under the guidance of Head Instructor Ken Waight. From the ages of 16-18 Jonathan also studied Shiatsu massage, a Japanese form of healing, and earned his diploma from the British School of Oriental Therapy and Movement in 1988.

In 1991, Jonathan Gilbert enrolled at the London Academy of Oriental Medicine London (LAOM), England, one of the foremost schools of Oriental Medicine in Europe. Graduating from the Vietnamese school in 1995, Mr. Gilbert pursued a masters study in “Stems and Branches Theory” with world-renowned Professor Truong Thin, the Director of Traditional Medicine for South Vietnam. Jonathan lived in Vietnam while completing his post-graduate training at The Traditional Medical Institute (TMI), a 500-bed state teaching hospital Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. At TMI, Jonathan worked in collaboration with Western-trained medical doctors, observing the blending of Oriental Medicine with Western medicine.

Jonathan’s first private practice as an Oriental Medicine physician began in London in 1996. In 1998, he moved to the United States and eventually set up practices in Towson, MD, and Arlington, VA. Board-certified in the U.S. in both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), Mr. Gilbert has served as the Senior Consultant of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Jonathan’s passion for creating an integrated medical clinic came to fruition in 2005, with the opening of The Gilbert Clinic in the Bethesda area, near Washington, D.C. The clinic blended Western Medicine with TCM and psychotherapy by using traditional Asian medical principles. For 5 years this model proved incredibly powerful in the treatment of chronic illness.

Since 2011, The Gilbert Clinic’s focus has been dedicated to providing excellent traditional Vietnamese / Chinese herbology and acupuncture, Jonathan’s Gilbert’s expertise and passion.

 

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.

NEXT THREE-DAY RETREAT: MARCH 15-17, 2019

Who Attends a Three-Day Retreat?

Retreat Attendees

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.

What is a Retreat like?

Retreat Attendees

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.

Our Three-Day Retreats offer:

  • A respite from the stresses of daily life with a cancer diagnosis in a nurturing environment for mind, body, and spirit
  • An opportunity to learn about and personally explore choices in healing
  • Gentle, therapeutic yoga and other relaxation techniques
  • Delicious whole-foods, health-supportive meals and valuable information about the connection between diet and good health
  • Group sessions with a licensed psychotherapist
  • A creativity session offering another pathway to greater self-understanding
  • Skills and tools to support you in living with cancer
  • An opportunity to connect with others on a similar journey of healing

Cancer retreats provide a non-medical, educational, hands-on experience for participants. They are not a cancer therapy or treatment program.

How do I register?

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 been diagnosed with cancer and are interested in attending a retreat, please fill out this application.
  • If you are a caregiver or companion who would like to accompany a cancer survivor on a retreat, please fill out this application.

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.

What is the Three-Day Retreat schedule like?

Cancer Retreat Stroll

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.

Who staffs the Retreats?

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.

Where are the Three-Day Retreats held?

Dayspring Retreat Center

 

Our three-day retreats are held at Dayspring Retreat Center, set on a serene, relaxing reserve of over 200 acres in Germantown, Maryland.

Driving directions to Dayspring Retreat Center

What is the cost of the Three-Day Retreat?

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

“This [retreat] caused an unexplainable shift in my disease. I am so much more at peace…I cannot imagine this experience being better.”

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The Shanti Norris Cancer Retreat Fund
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With Varahi Kelsang, MD, MA, MS

Grief is an essential thread in the fabric of our life. It is there both individually and in the context of our community.  It has the power to change us. At best grief will awaken a person. However  we need to heal in order to move forward. This workshop will  give participants ways to understand grief so that they can heal and transform this painful event.

About Varahi Kelsang

Varahi is a physician with CenseoHealth performing in house assessments and exams for the elderly and chronically ill.  She is a bereavement counselor at Capital Caring Hospice in Virginia and DC and is known for her ability to present with clarity and humor.  In addition, she has served as a chaplain fellow at Capital Caring Halquist in the In Patient Hospice Unit in VA and has spent over 15 years as a resident teacher at the Vajrayogini Buddhist Center in Washington, DC.     

With Wendy Miller & Larry Kanter

This ongoing healing circle series will focus on the unique needs of those experiencing the loss, recently or not, of a spouse or partner. No matter where you find yourself in your journey with grief, a chance to be with others who have lost a spouse or partner can lead to profound learning and healing.

Come join us in our healing circle of collaborative conversations.

Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom.  A Healing Circle is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.

Pre-registration is required prior to attending your first group.  Please RSVP to Kiersten at 202.483.8600 or email her at kiersten@smithcenter.org.

This Healing Circle meets on Thursdays twice per month from 4:30pm – 6:00pm. Upcoming sessions:

About Wendy Miller

Moving here many years ago from the SF Bay Area, my relationship with Commonweal led me to Barbara Smith Coleman. I am proud to have been part of an early group of people with Shanti Norris who met with Barbara to envision the cancer retreats, a healing center, and gallery for Smith Center. Years later when my late husband Gene Cohen was facing metastatic prostate cancer, he went to Commonweal for his cancer retreat.  The gift of community support, reflection, and care guided the choices we made through the many years of living with cancer in our family body. I became a widow in 2009.

Wendy Miller is an expressive arts therapist, artist, and writer living in Kensington Md. In 2016, she published the book, Sky Above Clouds: Finding our way through creativity, aging, and illness, about her life and work with her late husband.  It is a spiritual treatise on love and creativity during life’s major transitions.

About Larry Kanter

My late wife, Alex Todorovich, passed away in 2009 from breast cancer.  My work with the Smith Center began in 2007 when Alex and I attended the Center’s week-long retreat, which marked a turning point in our understanding of what it means to really live, to love life, and to live in the embrace of a healing community.  After Alex’s passing the Center’s Hisaoaka Gallery mounted a show of Alex’s art entitled “How to Leave a Well-Traveled Road” which documented her life, her fears, her loves and the path she chose at its end.

Larry Kanter is a graphic designer living in Washington, DC and is a Smith Center friend and an ardent supporter of Center’s work.

with Dr. Mikhail Kogan, MD, Deidre Orceyre, ND MSOM Lac, and Paula Querido Kahn

Cannabis is becoming more widely available as a medicine in the United States as well as throughout the world. Although its medicinal use dates back thousands of years, health care providers trained in modern times during cannabis prohibition and stigmatization have very little knowledge regarding the pharmacology, benefits and risks, and dosing recommendations. Oncology patients are increasingly relying on on-line testimonials or advice from cannabis dispensaries to determine if cannabis may be useful for them. Recent surveys have shown that at least 50% of oncologists would like to have their patients try medical cannabis, but few actively prescribe – mostly due to lack of education on the topic.

This session will outline the basics of the system of cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids, review clinical situations where cannabis may be a useful intervention and discuss and demonstrate some of the currently available delivery systems.

The topic is extremely important because of the global increase in the use of medical cannabis. It is being increasingly requested by a variety of different oncology patients. Medical cannabis is in the news on a daily basis and physicians are confronted with a paucity of knowledge and evidence to employ in discussion with their patients, In addition, many may face an ethical dilemma about making a recommendation to use cannabis to their patients in view of its overall illegal status globally. There is also a taboo associated with its consumption which prohibits many patients from discussing it with their physicians. The knowledge gap in this area for both physicians and patients is significant.

Objectives

Objective 1: Enumerate the clinical situations which have the best evidence to support the use of medicinal cannabis as it relates to oncology patients.

Objective 2: Discuss the effects obtained from different strains and modes of delivery of medicinal cannabis

Objective 3: Understand basics of the process of obtaining medical cannabis in the Washington DC and surrounding area.

Enrollment space is limited and we expect this workshop to fill quickly,  so register early to guarantee your place! To RSVP, please click the link at the top of this page, call 202.483.8600 or email programs@smithcenter.org.

About Mikhail (Misha) Kogan, MD, ABIOM, RCST

Dr Kogan is a leader in the newly-established field of Integrative Geriatrics.  He is the chief editor of the first definitive textbook of the field entitled “Integrative Geriatric Medicine”, published by Oxford University Press as part of Andrew Weil Integrative Medicine Library series and is frequent speaker at a variety of international conferences on the topics of Integrative Medicine and Geriatrics, healthy aging, and geriatrics, as well as neurodegenerative diseases, and use of medical cannabis.  Additionally, he has published in both Integrative and Geriatric topics in leading US-based journals.

Dr. Kogan currently serves as medical director of the GW Center for Integrative Medicine and associate director of the Geriatrics Fellowship Program.  He is the founder and director of the George Washington University Integrative Geriatrics Fellowship Track and the director of the Integrative Medicine Track program at the George Washington University School of Medicine, as well as serving as part-time faculty member of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, and the GW Center for Aging, Health and Humanities.

In addition to his academic roles at George Washington University Dr. Kogan serves on a number of national boards and organizations including: the American Board of Integrative Medicine within the American Board of Physician Subspecialists (ABPS), ProCure Art, PlantMed, and others.  Dr Kogan is also the founder and the chair of the board of AIM Health Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that provides integrative medicine services to low-income and terminally ill patients regardless of their ability to pay.

In 2017, after a decade of applying integrative approaches to patients with Alzheimer’s disease and optimizing comprehensive metabolic approach, Dr. Kogan founded the MK Cognition Institute (MKCI), dedicated to helping patients with Alzheimer’s disease identify and correct underlying metabolic driverswork, which is primarily based on Dr. Dale Bredesen’s research and newly created ReCode protocol.

For Dr. Mikhail Kogan, the practice of medicine, much like the rest of his life, has been a journey spanning many miles and many cultures, with valuable new learning and different perspectives accruing from each stage along the way. Those many experiences – here and abroad, in the classroom and the clinic, professionally and personally – have  given Dr. Kogan the skills, , openness, and inquisitiveness that set him apart, and distinguish him as a committed and caring practitioner within integrative medicine.

Born in Moscow, in the former Soviet Union, Dr. Kogan emigrated with his family  in his teens, first to Israel,and then to the United States, where he obtained his medical degree from the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He followed a Primary Care and Social Medicine Track residency in Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., which led to a position as an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care.

In addition to his training in conventional Western medicine, Dr. Kogan has actively pursued a number of other healing arts and practices that have shaped his understanding of and approach to patient care. He is a graduate of a two-year training course in craniosacral therapy–a subtle osteopathic modality that has a wide range of effectiveness for different conditions such as headaches, back pains, and fatigue. He has also completed a four-year program at the Suluk Academy, a teaching center based on the principles and traditions of Sufism, where he learned how to incorporate meditation, mindfulness, and different spiritual practices into his daily life and his work with the patients. Among his many other areas of study are courses in Nutrition, therapeutic use of vitamins, Functional Medicine, botanicals, and other alternative modalities.

Weaving those tools into the fabric of his medical practice has enabled Dr. Kogan to provide innovative and effective treatments to his patients with minimal use of invasive procedures or heavy reliance on medications and to understand the importance of self-exploration, awareness and positive lifestyle changes as essential milestones on his patients’ journeys towards better health.

Dr. Kogan practices Geriatric and Integrative Medicine in a variety of settings:  at the George Washington Hospital, at the GW Center for Integrative medicine and the MKCI, as well as serving patients in home visits

Outside of the clinic Dr. Kogan, together with his wife Angela, stays busy raising young sons Peter and Sebastian. True to his calling as an integrative practitioner, his leisure time is replete with healthy lifestyle activities that nourish both body and spirit : he enjoys vigorous exercise, frequent nature walks with his family (and dog), mind body practices such as weekly Sufi Meditation classes, beekeeping and gardening.

About Deirdre Orceyre, ND, MSOM, LAc

Dr. Deirdre Orceyre is a clinically trained, board certified, licensed naturopathic physician and acupuncturist specializing in Integrative Naturopathic Oncology. Dr. Orceyre serves as Naturopathic Medical Director for the GW Center for Integrative Medicine in Washington DC. In addition to her private clinical practice, Dr. Orceyre offers naturopathic consultations and acupuncture to breast cancer patients at the GW Comprehensive Breast Care Center, is adjunct faculty at Georgetown University and is a contributing author of multiple peer-reviewed integrative oncology publications and presentations. She is an active member of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians (OncANP).

Dr. Orceyre uses diet and lifestyle interventions, herbal medicine, acupuncture, nutritional supplements and homeopathic medicine to help cancer patients minimize side effects of conventional treatments and return to optimal health after treatment. Her goal is to help each individual patient find balance and support – physically, emotionally and spiritually – as they navigate through the cancer diagnosis, treatment, healing process and beyond.

About Paula Querido Kahn

Paula Querido Kahn is Director of Community Engagement at Takoma Wellness Center. She is a licensed occupational therapist and a founding family member of TWC. Paula began her career as a therapeutic recreation specialist with a focus in gerontology. Following employment in adult day health, subacute rehabilitation, and in-patient psychiatry, Paula pursued a master’s degree in occupational therapy at Tufts University. As an occupational therapist, Paula served older adults in rehabilitation and long-term care before joining the family at TWC in January 2014.

with Wendy Miller & Larry Kanter

This healing circle series will focus on the unique needs of those experiencing the loss, recently or not, of a spouse or partner. No matter where you find yourself in your journey with grief, a chance to be with others who have lost a spouse or partner can lead to profound learning and healing.

Come join us in our healing circle of collaborative conversations.

Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom.  A Healing Circle is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.

Please RSVP to Kiersten at 202.483.8600.

This Healing Circle meets on Thursdays twice per month from 4:30pm – 6:00pm. Upcoming sessions: 

About Wendy Miller

Moving here many years ago from the SF Bay Area, my relationship with Commonweal led me to Barbara Smith Coleman. I am proud to have been part of an early group of people with Shanti Norris who met with Barbara to envision the cancer retreats, a healing center, and gallery for Smith Center. Years later when my late husband Gene Cohen was facing metastatic prostate cancer, he went to Commonweal for his cancer retreat.  The gift of community support, reflection, and care guided the choices we made through the many years of living with cancer in our family body. I became a widow in 2009.

Wendy Miller is an expressive arts therapist, artist, and writer living in Kensington Md. In 2016, she published the book, Sky Above Clouds: Finding our way through creativity, aging, and illness, about her life and work with her late husband.  It is a spiritual treatise on love and creativity during life’s major transitions.

About Larry Kanter

My late wife, Alex Todorovich, passed away in 2009 from breast cancer.  My work with the Smith Center began in 2007 when Alex and I attended the Center’s week-long retreat, which marked a turning point in our understanding of what it means to really live, to love life, and to live in the embrace of a healing community.  After Alex’s passing the Center’s Hisaoaka Gallery mounted a show of Alex’s art entitled “How to Leave a Well-Traveled Road” which documented her life, her fears, her loves and the path she chose at its end.

Larry Kanter is a graphic designer living in Washington, DC and is a Smith Center friend and an ardent supporter of Center’s work.

Due to low registration, this program has been canceled for February 2.

In Partnership with George Washington Cancer Center, Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center, and Camp Kesem

If you or a loved one had been diagnosed with cancer, you may have concerns about how younger members of your family are coping.  Kids’ Club is a group of children ages 6 to 12 with parents or grandparents in treatment for cancer.  Teen club is for those ages 13 – 18 with parents or grandparents in treatment for cancer. 

Each session, kids, teens, and parents will enjoy pizza together and then each group will go to separate rooms to talk and make art.  Our topics include communicating feelings, building personal strengths, and developing coping skills.  We invite everyone to share as much or as little as they feel comfortable.

Although we are brought together by our common experiences with cancer, Kids/Teen Club is not a sad or scary place; we have fun! Our goal is to have positive interactions with other families dealing with illness and to learn new ways of expressing and managing feelings. Our facilitators are experienced social workers, counselors, and trained volunteers.

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org.

You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.

with Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT

Mandalas for Managing Stress and Increasing Wellbeing

Mandalas – circular designs that communicate symbolic meaning – have been used for centuries as a form of contemplative practice in many spiritual traditions.

In this brief but focused workshop, we will use mandala imagery, writing, and meditative practice to bring creativity, healing, and an increased sense of grounding and balance into our lives. Absolutely no previous art experience is needed. The workshop is designed for all ranges of artistic experience–you need not consider yourself an artist to attend.

 

Suggested Materials:

  • Paper to draw on – can be any size or color that you like; we usually work with something between 6 x 6 to 12 x 12
  • Art supplies to draw or paint with – E.G. colored pencils, magic markers, chalk or oil pastels, watercolor paints, and/or acrylics
  • Plate or circular shape – to draw an outline of a circle on the paper
  • For those of you who do creative or art journaling, you are welcome to use your journal to create your mandala.

Suggested Donation: $10

About Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT

Rebecca Wilkinson

Rebecca Wilkinson, MA, ATR-BC, is a Registered and Board Certified art therapists with twenty years of experience in mental health and in facilitating training and workshops. She serves as adjunct faculty at George Washington University Graduate Art Therapy Program and provide continuing education and development through the Potomac Art Therapy Association. She facilitates supportive workshops for those affected by life threatening illness and the professional providers working with them. Co-founder of Creative Wellbeing Workshops, LLC, which provides training, consultation, and clinical therapy designed to reduce stress, prevent burnout and increase life satisfaction and wellbeing.

With Kiersten Gallagher and Maura Singer

In this two-day healing workshop, we will explore stress relief techniques, practice qigong, yoga and meditation, work with grief and loss in small groups, and use ritual to process. We will use art, writing, and movement as tools to find our voice and purpose through creativity. We will connect with and draw from the healing power of nature. The format of this group work is based on Healing Circles principles to build companionship, support, and trust in the inherent wisdom and compassion of each individual and of the group. Women ages 20-55 at any stage are welcome.

Workshop is limited to 12 participants; please RVSP early to secure attendance.

Workshop is from 11am – 5pm Saturday, August 5th and Sunday, August 6th.