This program is hosted virtually via Zoom. No prior registration required.

In Partnership with Susan Salek. Hosted by IMCW.

Come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit. 

We will settle in for a few minutes, then meditation (guided and silence) for 20 minutes and end with around the virtual circle with a few words of gratitude.


Join Zoom meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87127603045?pwd=WnRxdE43VWI3bDFjdVIyS1grOVBhQT09

Meeting ID: 871 2760 3045
Passcode: 108108

One tap mobile
+13017158592,,87127603045#,,,,*108108#US (Washington DC)
+16465588656,,87127603045#,,,,*108108#US (New York)

Note: Because this is an online sit, participants are encouraged to find space of relative quiet, limiting the amount of interaction with others in the environment as much as possible. Participants may join by internet or via phone. 


For more information, please visit:

https://events.imcw.org/event/?eventId=752&startDate=2021-07-20T11:30:00.000Z

This program is hosted virtually via Zoom. No prior registration required.

In Partnership with Susan Salek. Hosted by IMCW.

Come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit. 

We will settle in for a few minutes, then meditation (guided and silence) for 20 minutes and end with around the virtual circle with a few words of gratitude.


Join Zoom meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87127603045?pwd=WnRxdE43VWI3bDFjdVIyS1grOVBhQT09

Meeting ID: 871 2760 3045
Passcode: 108108

One tap mobile
+13017158592,,87127603045#,,,,*108108#US (Washington DC)
+16465588656,,87127603045#,,,,*108108#US (New York)

Note: Because this is an online sit, participants are encouraged to find space of relative quiet, limiting the amount of interaction with others in the environment as much as possible. Participants may join by internet or via phone. 


For more information, please visit:

https://events.imcw.org/event/?eventId=752&startDate=2021-07-20T11:30:00.000Z

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 Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef

Nourishment for Life with Chefnurcian Laura Pole

Join Chef, Oncology Nurse and Musician (Chefnurcian) Laura Pole on Wednesday, June 15 from 12-1:30pm for a program tailored to anyone who has received a Metastatic Breast Cancer diagnosis. We’re going to have a great time exploring how foods and eating habits can nourish you and help you nurture a body that’s less hospitable to cancer.

 

Chefnurcian Laura will tailor the class to your questions and interests about nourishment. She will also present a food prep demo based on what most of you are interested in learning. Please send in your questions and recommendations ahead of time to programs@smithcenter.org.

Suggested Donation: $10


About Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef

Laura Pole

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 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 Lauren Trosch, PT, DPT, OCS

How to Support Your Pelvic Floor

Problems with your pelvic floor can contribute to urinary leaking, difficulty going to the bathroom, and pain with intimacy. You can experience pelvic floor problems throughout your lifetime, from childhood through adulthood. Illness, medications, and surgeries may also contribute to embarrassing pelvic floor issues.

 

To better understand and manage your pelvic floor problems, join us for our talk!

 

What we’ll talk about:

  • Common pelvic floor problems like urinary and bowel incontinence, constipation, and painful sex
  • Why are they happening?
  • What can you do to help with these embarrassing issues

About Lauren Trosch, PT, DPT, OCS

Lauren Trosch

Lauren is a pelvic floor physical therapist and orthopedic clinical specialist who helps those with pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, and bowel and bladder dysfunction in the DC Metro region.
She is very active in the local and international pelvic health community, and serves as the Multimedia Education Manager for the Academy of Pelvic Health. She helps to educate pelvic floor providers through the Academy of Pelvic Health, International Pelvic Pain Society, and the international pelvic floor education platform – My Pelvic Floor Muscles. She also hosts a local scientific journal club for DMV pelvic floor providers.

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 Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef

Healing in the Kitchen with Laura: Picnic TIme!

Healing in the Kitchen with Laura

Picnic Time!

Outdoor picnics, wherever they may be, are a great way to nourish yourself with food, companionship and nature.

 

Emerge from the winter with Chef Laura and prepare a picnic meal with those long-awaited just-picked vegetables and fruits of spring. Who knows… you might even get a virtual glimpse of one of her favorite picnic spots in the Blue Ridge mountains.

 

Carrots and sugar snap peas love to dip into Asparagus Tapenade.

Tender lettuce and arugula get along great with radishes and fennel in a Spring Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette.

How about some Black Bean and Forbidden Rice Patties?

They’re going to make their way along with sliced avocadoes and Chipotle Dressing between the whole grain bun of your choice, or if you prefer, sandwiched in savoy cabbage leaves.

Let’s finish the meal with some Fresh Strawberries Topped Off with Whipped Coconut Cream.

Suggested Donation: $10


About Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef

Laura Pole

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.

To register for this program, please visit: http://ow.ly/5AFF50Hzo09

In Partnership with Life with Cancer and Hope Connections

Hot Topics for Young Adults : Let's Talk About Sex AND Pleasure

For young adults, sex is an important topic, and pleasure may be the most important aspect of sex. For young adults with cancer, there are unique questions and concerns about sex and sexual health that the medical team may not be adequately answering, and pleasure is likely never discussed. Join us as we have a frank and honest conversation, and provide accurate information to help support a safe, healthy, and pleasurable approach to sex and cancer.


About Hope Connections

Hope Connections for Cancer Support

Our mission: To help people with cancer and their loved ones deal with the emotional and physical impact of cancer through participation in professionally facilitated programs of emotional support, education, wellness, and hope.

About

About Life with Cancer

Inova Life with Cancer

Life with Cancer, a program of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, has become Northern Virginia’s leading cancer education and support organization. We offer a variety of programs and services for patients, survivors, and their family members to help individuals cope with cancer, its treatments, and survivorship in the best possible way.

About Us

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.

Featuring Anthony Hyatt, Caleb Hacker, Nina, Scott Stoner, Tamara Wellons, Tiffany Carmouche and Turner Houston. Hosted by Lisa Simms Booth.

2021 Marks the 25th Anniversary of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

Patient & Participant in Our Artist-in-Residence Program

Smith Center 25th Anniversary Conversation Series

Signature Programs: Artist-in-Residence Program

The year 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. In celebration of this momentous achievement, we are launching a series of special conversations. Across the course of the coming year, members of our Smith Center family will join us to reflect upon Smith Center’s roots, examine its present programs and impact, and imagine what the future may hold for us at Smith Center and the larger world of integrative healing.

Our next collection of conversations, focused on Smith Center’s Signature Programs, will resume on Monday, February 28th from 6 – 7:30 pm (Eastern Time). Highlighting our Artist-in-Residence Programs, we are honored to welcome a few of our program administrators, artists and care recipients: Anthony Hyatt, Caleb Hacker, Nina, Scott Stoner, Tamara Wellons Tiffany Carmouche, and Turner Houston. The panel will be interviewed by Smith Center’s Executive Director, Lisa Simms Booth.

We hope you will join us for the conversations in this special series. Please feel free to circulate this announcement and share with others the details of this upcoming conversation.

This program is being offered to support Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary. Participants are encouraged to donate $25 (or whatever amount you can afford) to support our work.


Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary Conversation Series will be hosted throughout 2021.

Selected Themes:

  • Visionary Leaders in Integrative Care
  • Smith Center’s Signature Programs
  • Participants’ Perspectives
  • Envisioning the Future

All donations for the 25th Anniversary Conversation Series will support Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary Fund. Suggested Donation: $25.


About Anthony Hyatt

Anthony Hyatt

Anthony Hyatt is a violinist who incorporates singing and movement in his work at many Washington, DC area health and human service organizations. Also a teaching artist, he is well-versed across music genres and improvisation practices. He adheres to “The Art of Presence” as a means for engaging patients, caregivers and staff in arts-based healing experiences. He is currently working on a book about his Arts in Healthcare experiences. 

About Caleb Hacker

Caleb Hacker

Caleb Hacker is a singer-songwriter, born and raised in northern Virginia. His unique voice and style helped him grow a loyal fan base worldwide through posting covers and originals on his YouTube channel – including recognition by top artists like Snoop Dogg and Christina Aguilera. He is building a local fanbase in the DMV, performing at an array of venues throughout the area, is currently gearing up to release an EP of all new original music.

About Scott Stoner

Scott Stoner

Scott Stoner serves as advisor and an artist in residence for Smith Center’s AIR Program. He has devoted his career to advancing the arts as a catalyst for social change, conflict resolution, and healing in communities nationally and internationally. Since 1999, he has recruited, trained, and supervised multi-disciplinary teams of artists for Smith Center’s Artist in Residence Programs. He holds graduate level degrees in Art Education and in Mental Health Sciences (Art Therapy), and as a visual artist, Scott works with mixed media.

About Tamara Wellons

Tamara Wellons

Tamara Wellons is the program manager for Smith Center’s Air Program. She is a professional vocal music artist with over a decade of experience in the recording industry and a diverse career as a performer and a recording artist. Prior to Smith Center, Tamara worked as a singer-in-residence for the Arts and Humanities Program (AHP) at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at MedStar’s Georgetown University Hospital. Tamara is Vice President of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Recording Academy.

About Tiffany Carmouche

Tiffany Carmouche

Tiffany Carmouche is a social conscious sculptor, author, and advocate devoted to art and creativity as an essential means of healing ourselves, our communities, and to foster social change. She has employed her creative skills to lead workshops and retreats that integrated music, dance, and visual arts to inspire and empower others to embrace self-expression, innovation and living life without regret. 

About Turner Houston

Turner Houston

Turner Houston blogs about creativity and her various passions as a photographer, a writer, a painter, and teacher of knitting and collage-making for health and healing. Formerly an art director and executive producer at The National Geographic Society,  she pursued the design and production of educational CD-ROMs in California–most notably with the Walt Disney Company. She currently devotes her time to her art, and to using art to bring a sense of calm and healing for patients, staff and caregivers at Inova Schar Cancer Institute.

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 Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef

Healing in the Kitchen with Laura

Healing in the Kitchen with Laura

Are you ready to get creative with Chef Laura and riff with a twist on a few Thanksgiving favorites? What about all those leftovers that are longing for a transformation between the storage container and your plate?

 

Join us on November 6 for a fun class that’ll give you new menu ideas for your Thanksgiving Day and the day after and the day after that!

 

What might be on the menu? It depends on what leftovers Chef Laura finds. Hint: You’re likely see winter squashes, kale, and cranberries transformed before your very eyes!

Suggested Donation: $10


About Laura Pole, RN, MSN, Chef

Laura Pole

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 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.

In Partnership with Life with Cancer and Hope Connections

Hot Topics for Young Adults: I Swear You Aren’t Crazy: Impacts of a Young Adult Cancer Diagnosis on Your Mental Health

Receiving a cancer diagnosis at any age is a shock to the system. But for a young adult, it is even more unexpected, traumatic, and often finds us stumbling in the dark. Explore the impact that a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship has on a young adult. We will also review the unique barriers to the young adult cancer population, what’s “normal,” and when to ask for help. Learn some basic coping strategies for dealing with life when it feels like you are struggling just to tread water every day. Facilitated by Oncology Certified Social Worker, Courtney Weaver, LSCW. Courtney is an oncology clinical therapist with Inova’s Life with Cancer program.


About Hope Connections

Hope Connections for Cancer Support

Our mission: To help people with cancer and their loved ones deal with the emotional and physical impact of cancer through participation in professionally facilitated programs of emotional support, education, wellness, and hope.

About

About Life with Cancer

Inova Life with Cancer

Life with Cancer, a program of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, has become Northern Virginia’s leading cancer education and support organization. We offer a variety of programs and services for patients, survivors, and their family members to help individuals cope with cancer, its treatments, and survivorship in the best possible way.

About Us

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.

Featuring Cara Scharf, Charity Sade, Erin Price, LICSW, OSW-C, Kimberly Parekh, and Tyler Jachetta. Hosted by Lisa Simms Booth.

2021 Marks the 25th Anniversary of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

Smith Center 25th Anniversary Conversation Series

Signature Programs: DC Young Adult Cancer Community

The year 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. In celebration of this momentous achievement, we are launching a series of special conversations. Across the course of the coming year, members of our Smith Center family will join us to reflect upon Smith Center’s roots, examine its present programs and impact, and imagine what the future may hold for us at Smith Center and the larger world of integrative healing.

Our next collection of conversations, focused on Smith Center’s Signature Programs, will resume on Monday, October 25th from 6 – 7:30 pm (Eastern Time). Highlighting our DC Young Adult Cancer Community and programs, we are honored to welcome a few of our young adult cancer survivors: Cara Scharf, Charity Sade, Erin Price, Kimberly Parekh, and Tyler Jachetta. The panel will be interviewed by Smith Center’s Executive Director, Lisa Simms Booth.

We hope you will join us for the conversations in this special series. Please feel free to circulate this announcement and share with others the details of this upcoming conversation.

This program is being offered to support Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary. Participants are encouraged to donate $25 (or whatever amount you can afford) to support our work.


Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary Conversation Series will be hosted throughout 2021.

Selected Themes:

  • Visionary Leaders in Integrative Care
  • Smith Center’s Signature Programs
  • Participants’ Perspectives
  • Envisioning the Future

All donations for the 25th Anniversary Conversation Series will support Smith Center’s 25th Anniversary Fund. Suggested Donation: $25.


Cara Scharf

Cara Scharf

At age 21, right after graduating college, Cara learned that she had the BRCA 1 gene mutation, which she was tested for because of a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer. At age 25, her first screening MRI picked up stage 1 triple-negative breast cancer, which she treated with a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. Ten years later, at age 36, Cara feels fortunate to remain cancer-free and to have space and time to reflect on her experience and how it changed her understanding of her life, her relationships, and the world. In the past ten years, Cara participated in and led many young adult-focused support communities through organizations such as Young Survival Coalition, as well as co-founded her own support community in her hometown of Philadelphia called Young Adult Cancer Connection. Her day job is Assistant Director for Community-Based Learning at Drexel University, where she helps college students develop identities as active and engaged citizens, but she considers her most important work to be organizing around social justice issues in her community. In her free time she enjoys exploring Philadelphia’s parks and cultural assets, listening to Broadway musicals, and playing her ukulele. 

Charity Sade

Charity Sade

Charity Sad​e​ is an up and coming comedian from Indiana, but has resided in Washington, D.C. for the last 8 years.

She has performed across the country, and won a new comic competition at Greenwich Village Comedy Club. ​Within her first year of comedy, Charity made her festival debut at the 2018 DC Comedy Festival as well as the Chicago Women’s Funny Festival.

She has always used humor to get through difficult moments in her life, including her breast cancer diagnosis at age 27. ​On stage, she takes her difficult life experiences and turns them into relatable, humorous tales. Her comedic superpower is her ability to make you simultaneously laugh and cringe.

Charity is the creator and founder of Comedic Relief: Coping Through Comedy. You can catch Charity hosting, producing, and performing on shows across the DMV.

Erin Price

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 ten-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 the Association of Oncology Social Workers, the Young Survival Coalition, the Georgetown Breast Cancer Advocates, and the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

Kimberly Parekh

Tyler Jachetta

Tyler was diagnosed with grade III brain cancer in 2018, and has been supported by the Smith Center’s Young Adult program in a variety of ways since.