Cancer often initiates an intense transformational process that can raise more questions than answers, leading us to re-examine our beliefs and approach to life. We may feel called to explore opportunities for spiritual growth, feeling a desire to connect with the sacred in a more conscious way and define more deeply life’s meaning in the face of cancer.
Regardless of your personal beliefs or faith system, working with a spiritual companion offers you an opportunity to reflect with another on what is going on for you spiritually, and explore how to integrate your cancer experience with your personal beliefs.
Spiritual Companions:
Provide a safe, trusting environment that invites stillness and reflection.
Support your spiritual growth and exploration, your unique and personal journey.
Listen, deeply and with compassion, honoring your sacred story. This deep listening helps you to connect with your most authentic self and illuminate your unique spiritual path.
“Your soul already knows the way to wholeness and healing, but often speaks to us in a small, still voice. In our time together, we create a nest for your soul to rest awhile, allowing space for your sacred truth to be revealed.”
Carole invites you to explore with her how to make meaning of your cancer experience and to look for where the holy is in your life. Currently, limited space is available for new clients. Individual appointments are available via Zoom or by telephone and are free of charge.
Suggested Donation: $15
About Carole O’Toole
Retreats, Integrative Navigation and Spiritual Companioning Consultant
Carole, a survivor of advanced cancer since 1994, is the author of two books on integrative cancer care: “Cancer Community Healing Network”, and “Healing Outside the Margins”. She began her work with Smith Center in 2006, creating our integrative cancer care navigation model, and introducing integrative navigation services to Howard University Cancer Center and the city’s medically underserved community. Carole went on to develop and direct the Center’s Institute for Integrative Oncology Navigation, and co-created and led our professional training program in integrative cancer care navigation, offered to navigators nationwide and now available online through our partnership with the Maryland University of Integrative Health.
Carole has been an integral part of Smith Center’s Cancer Retreat Programs throughout her tenure, staffing the weeklong residential retreats for many years and leading one day retreats at our offices. Carole assumed leadership of the retreat program in 2015, where she developed our 3 day in-person retreats and 6-week virtual retreat programs.
Carole continues her retreat work alongside her coaching individuals on integrative cancer care decision-making and complementary resources. Most recently, Carole became a certified Spiritual Director, offering spiritual companioning services to adults with cancer and their loved ones.
To learn more about Carole and her work in integrative navigation and spiritual companioning, visit her website: www.cohealing.net.
Cancer often initiates an intense transformational process that can raise more questions than answers, leading us to re-examine our beliefs and approach to life. We may feel called to explore opportunities for spiritual growth, feeling a desire to connect with the sacred in a more conscious way and define more deeply life’s meaning in the face of cancer.
Regardless of your personal beliefs or faith system, working with a spiritual companion offers you an opportunity to reflect with another on what is going on for you spiritually, and explore how to integrate your cancer experience with your personal beliefs.
Spiritual Companions:
Provide a safe, trusting environment that invites stillness and reflection.
Support your spiritual growth and exploration, your unique and personal journey.
Listen, deeply and with compassion, honoring your sacred story. This deep listening helps you to connect with your most authentic self and illuminate your unique spiritual path.
“Your soul already knows the way to wholeness and healing, but often speaks to us in a small, still voice. In our time together, we create a nest for your soul to rest awhile, allowing space for your sacred truth to be revealed.”
Carole invites you to explore with her how to make meaning of your cancer experience and to look for where the holy is in your life. Currently, limited space is available for new clients. Individual appointments are available via Zoom or by telephone and are free of charge.
Suggested Donation: $15
About Carole O’Toole
Retreats, Integrative Navigation and Spiritual Companioning Consultant
Carole, a survivor of advanced cancer since 1994, is the author of two books on integrative cancer care: “Cancer Community Healing Network”, and “Healing Outside the Margins”. She began her work with Smith Center in 2006, creating our integrative cancer care navigation model, and introducing integrative navigation services to Howard University Cancer Center and the city’s medically underserved community. Carole went on to develop and direct the Center’s Institute for Integrative Oncology Navigation, and co-created and led our professional training program in integrative cancer care navigation, offered to navigators nationwide and now available online through our partnership with the Maryland University of Integrative Health.
Carole has been an integral part of Smith Center’s Cancer Retreat Programs throughout her tenure, staffing the weeklong residential retreats for many years and leading one day retreats at our offices. Carole assumed leadership of the retreat program in 2015, where she developed our 3 day in-person retreats and 6-week virtual retreat programs.
Carole continues her retreat work alongside her coaching individuals on integrative cancer care decision-making and complementary resources. Most recently, Carole became a certified Spiritual Director, offering spiritual companioning services to adults with cancer and their loved ones.
To learn more about Carole and her work in integrative navigation and spiritual companioning, visit her website: www.cohealing.net.
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 programs@smithcenter.org.
You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.
with Julie McCarter
Photo by Julie McCarter
In this two hour workshop, participants will learn the fundamental of an expressive photography practice, one that is grounded in mindfulness and open-hearted awareness. The aim of this practice is to allow photography to become a vehicle for cultivating self-expression, inspiration – as well as a tool for nervous system regulation. We will practice gentle breathwork, mindfulness meditation and creative exploration through photography. You’ll walk away from the workshop having developed your own creative wellness practice that you can use anytime.
Please bring a journal, your phone/camera and your two favorite objects.
Suggested Donation: $15
About Julie McCarter
Julie is a fine art photographer and therapist, offering workshops that blend her two worlds of creative expression and emotional wellness. She is based in the Greater Washington DC area. Her photographic work may be viewed at:jfmccarter.com and juliemccartter.com.
This session has been postponed to May 17th. To register for the new session, register by clicking here or by emailing programs@smithcenter.org.
You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.
with Julie McCarter
Photo by Julie McCarter
In this two hour workshop, participants will learn the fundamental of an expressive photography practice, one that is grounded in mindfulness and open-hearted awareness. The aim of this practice is to allow photography to become a vehicle for cultivating self-expression, inspiration – as well as a tool for nervous system regulation. We will practice gentle breathwork, mindfulness meditation and creative exploration through photography. You’ll walk away from the workshop having developed your own creative wellness practice that you can use anytime.
Please bring a journal, your phone/camera and your two favorite objects.
Suggested Donation: $15
About Julie McCarter
Julie is a fine art photographer and therapist, offering workshops that blend her two worlds of creative expression and emotional wellness. She is based in the Greater Washington DC area. Her photographic work may be viewed at:jfmccarter.com and juliemccartter.com.
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 emailingprograms@smithcenter.org.
You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.
with Lauren Powell, RDN, LDN, GW Cancer Center
Nutrition Club is a chance for patients, survivors, caregivers and providers to get together to discuss nutrition topics and learn more about how nutrition can play a role in cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship. It is hosted and offered in partnership with GW Cancer Center.
Nutrition Club will be hosted Monthly on the 1st Monday from 12-1pm ET.
About Lauren Powell, RDN, LDN
Lauren Powell (RDN, LDN) is a registered dietitian working in the DC area. She has served in many settings including food services, long-term care, rehab facilities, post-surgical, and intensive care units. While working at George Washington University Hospital she found her passion for Oncology Nutrition. She now works as the Dietitian for the GW Cancer Center helping to support the nutrition needs of those undergoing treatment and survivors.
About 2Unstoppable
2Unstoppable is a non-profit whose mission is to encourage and support exercise among women who have had a cancer diagnosis. Free online fitness buddy matching, oncology fitness resources, and community events at www.2unstoppable.org. Please visit https://2unstoppable.org/events/for a list of upcoming events.
This session has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date. To participate in the rescheduled session, please email programs@smithcenter.org.
with Gayle Danley, national & international poetry slam champion
Gayle Performing in Frederick, MD
Slam poetry began in Chicago’s bars and coffeehouses in the late 1980’s. This phenomenal blend of spoken and written word turns every willing soul into a poet while providing relief from the stresses of the day. Master teaching artist Gayle Danley has shared her down-on-the-floor style of performance poetry all over the country in classrooms, lecture halls, theatres and even on CBS’ 60 minutes.
Join her for much laughter, emotion, comfort, understanding and instruction in the art of slam poetry. Her 4-step process has been tried in the fire and proven to be an effective antidote to the blues of the day and the isolation that threatens to drive us mad!
Suggested Donation: $15
Poem for my Sisters With Sons:
Breathe:
Pull a clean fist of air inside your self
and let it rest there
wide and unfrightened inside your belly
asking for nothing
Remember when the baby boy was there
Stirring and fighting and kicking things around
inside of you.
And where is he now?
Kicking at air
asking for everything
Defiance rippling on the edge of his skin
Beautiful as water
And do not worry if your brown boy
doesn’t smile enough
as long as he still smiles at you:
over dinner
over the news
from beneath a curtain of hair tangled and sprawled,
it is enough
Does he still know your name?
Good.
Does he still reach for you when there is blood
Does he still make you want to kill him on Monday mornings
Soon after crushing the competition at Asheville’s National Poetry Slam in 1994, Gayle Danley entered America’s classrooms teaching thousands of children how to access their emotions through the force of words. She performed and taught her way from Maryland Young Audience’s Artist of the Year, to National Young Audience’s Artist of the Year. She’s also both a former national and international poetry slam champion. CBS 60 Minutes profiled her work with middle schoolers as well as the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and New York Times.
For the past five years, Gayle’s Grieffriend sessions have helped women who are living with AIDS, widows, incarcerated youth and those struggling with drug addiction and recovery use poetry to cope and bravely face life’s challenges.
Gayle was recently named Maryland Library Association Poet of the Year.
This program is being offered virtually through Zoom.Please click <here> to register for this circle.
with David & Veronica
Please join us in a series Healing Circles for Grief “to discover the extent and limits of what is lost, what is left and what is possible.” – John Schneider
If you have lost a loved one, this is an opportunity to share what is on your heart and mind right now, to listen and be listened to deeply and generously. Together we create a safe space for listening to messages from our inner experience.
Our healing circles are a safe and supportive space to walk with each other through these times. Each circle is a blend of sharing and silence, compassion, and curiosity. Our agreements ensure acceptance and confidentiality. We honor our own unique paths to healing and respect the choices of others.
Some Assumptions about Grief
The experience of grief is unique for each individual. While we can make some general assumptions, there is no template that describes the experience for all people.
Grief is cumulative. That is, each time loss is grieved, the grief encompasses the lifetime of loss and the remnants of each experience.
Grief following a significant loss is most often a lifelong process, with each pivotal point in life bringing the grief back up to be processed from a new perspective.
Grief, loss and suffering fundamentally changes and reshapes the individual.
Grief is not about forgetting or disconnecting. Rather, healthy grief is about remembering the parts of self that get lost amidst the experience and reorienting the individual in their relationship with self, the world and others.
Grief is a whole body experience: emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual. Each have a wide range of expression which can cue us that grief is present.
While grief and trauma are often intertwined there are significant differences between them. Trauma should be addressed with trauma specific interventions that often go beyond what is possible in circles.
Adapted from Khris Ford
Grieving Together Healing Circle will meet Weekly on Wednesdays from 11:00am-12:30pm EST for 6 weeks.
Grief Circle Dates:
Wednesdays – May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Wednesday, June 5
This hike was originally scheduled for 03/23 and was rescheduled to this date due to weather.
Join other young adult cancer survivors (those in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s) for a morning of hiking at Klingle Valley Trail and Tregaron Conservancy in DC.
The hike is suitable for all levels and will end with a bring your own picnic lunch – so pack something delicious to eat (we’ll have a cooler to store it). Plan to wear comfortable walking shoes, athletic pants, and non-cotton layers. Bring plenty of water and a hat and sunglasses for added sun protection, in addition to sunscreen.
The event will run until approximately 12:00pm (we plan to finish the hike around 11:00am and enjoy a picnic lunch for an hour). For more information about the meeting location, please RSVP.
*NOTE: This hike is open to young adult cancer survivors in their 20s, 30s and early 40s and their guests (friends and family welcome to attend with their loved one).
Project Koru enriches lives through community and the outdoors as a way to move forward beyond cancer. Young adults diagnosed with cancer face a unique set of challenges. With the right support, the weight of these challenges can be mitigated; that’s why we exist!
This program is also offered in partnership with:
. .
Social Distance and Mask Policy
For this hike and picnic, we will be outside the entire time and encourage participants to maintain adequate physical distance during the program. We encourage those who are unvaccinated to wear a mask while participating in the hike. For those that are vaccinated, masks are optional based on your comfort level.
Cancer often initiates an intense transformational process that can raise more questions than answers, leading us to re-examine our beliefs and approach to life. We may feel called to explore opportunities for spiritual growth, feeling a desire to connect with the sacred in a more conscious way and define more deeply life’s meaning in the face of cancer.
Regardless of your personal beliefs or faith system, working with a spiritual companion offers you an opportunity to reflect with another on what is going on for you spiritually, and explore how to integrate your cancer experience with your personal beliefs.
Spiritual Companions:
Provide a safe, trusting environment that invites stillness and reflection.
Support your spiritual growth and exploration, your unique and personal journey.
Listen, deeply and with compassion, honoring your sacred story. This deep listening helps you to connect with your most authentic self and illuminate your unique spiritual path.
“Your soul already knows the way to wholeness and healing, but often speaks to us in a small, still voice. In our time together, we create a nest for your soul to rest awhile, allowing space for your sacred truth to be revealed.”
Carole invites you to explore with her how to make meaning of your cancer experience and to look for where the holy is in your life. Currently, limited space is available for new clients. Individual appointments are available via Zoom or by telephone and are free of charge.
Suggested Donation: $15
About Carole O’Toole
Retreats, Integrative Navigation and Spiritual Companioning Consultant
Carole, a survivor of advanced cancer since 1994, is the author of two books on integrative cancer care: “Cancer Community Healing Network”, and “Healing Outside the Margins”. She began her work with Smith Center in 2006, creating our integrative cancer care navigation model, and introducing integrative navigation services to Howard University Cancer Center and the city’s medically underserved community. Carole went on to develop and direct the Center’s Institute for Integrative Oncology Navigation, and co-created and led our professional training program in integrative cancer care navigation, offered to navigators nationwide and now available online through our partnership with the Maryland University of Integrative Health.
Carole has been an integral part of Smith Center’s Cancer Retreat Programs throughout her tenure, staffing the weeklong residential retreats for many years and leading one day retreats at our offices. Carole assumed leadership of the retreat program in 2015, where she developed our 3 day in-person retreats and 6-week virtual retreat programs.
Carole continues her retreat work alongside her coaching individuals on integrative cancer care decision-making and complementary resources. Most recently, Carole became a certified Spiritual Director, offering spiritual companioning services to adults with cancer and their loved ones.
To learn more about Carole and her work in integrative navigation and spiritual companioning, visit her website: www.cohealing.net.
Cancer often initiates an intense transformational process that can raise more questions than answers, leading us to re-examine our beliefs and approach to life. We may feel called to explore opportunities for spiritual growth, feeling a desire to connect with the sacred in a more conscious way and define more deeply life’s meaning in the face of cancer.
Regardless of your personal beliefs or faith system, working with a spiritual companion offers you an opportunity to reflect with another on what is going on for you spiritually, and explore how to integrate your cancer experience with your personal beliefs.
Spiritual Companions:
Provide a safe, trusting environment that invites stillness and reflection.
Support your spiritual growth and exploration, your unique and personal journey.
Listen, deeply and with compassion, honoring your sacred story. This deep listening helps you to connect with your most authentic self and illuminate your unique spiritual path.
“Your soul already knows the way to wholeness and healing, but often speaks to us in a small, still voice. In our time together, we create a nest for your soul to rest awhile, allowing space for your sacred truth to be revealed.”
Carole invites you to explore with her how to make meaning of your cancer experience and to look for where the holy is in your life. Currently, limited space is available for new clients. Individual appointments are available via Zoom or by telephone and are free of charge.
Suggested Donation: $15
About Carole O’Toole
Retreats, Integrative Navigation and Spiritual Companioning Consultant
Carole, a survivor of advanced cancer since 1994, is the author of two books on integrative cancer care: “Cancer Community Healing Network”, and “Healing Outside the Margins”. She began her work with Smith Center in 2006, creating our integrative cancer care navigation model, and introducing integrative navigation services to Howard University Cancer Center and the city’s medically underserved community. Carole went on to develop and direct the Center’s Institute for Integrative Oncology Navigation, and co-created and led our professional training program in integrative cancer care navigation, offered to navigators nationwide and now available online through our partnership with the Maryland University of Integrative Health.
Carole has been an integral part of Smith Center’s Cancer Retreat Programs throughout her tenure, staffing the weeklong residential retreats for many years and leading one day retreats at our offices. Carole assumed leadership of the retreat program in 2015, where she developed our 3 day in-person retreats and 6-week virtual retreat programs.
Carole continues her retreat work alongside her coaching individuals on integrative cancer care decision-making and complementary resources. Most recently, Carole became a certified Spiritual Director, offering spiritual companioning services to adults with cancer and their loved ones.
To learn more about Carole and her work in integrative navigation and spiritual companioning, visit her website: www.cohealing.net.
