Tag: Education

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 Charity Sade

Coping Through Comedy: Comedy Writing Workshop

Coping Through Comedy’s comedy writing workshop is offered to cancer patients/survivors and their caregivers/family members. The intention of the workshop is to provide a safe and creative environment for those touched by cancer to be able to express themselves and find the humor surrounding the difficulties in life and cancer. No previous comedy writing experience is necessary.

Coping Through Comedy: Comedy Writing Workshop will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00pm ET. 

Participants can attend on a drop-in basis, but prior registration is required.

Upcoming Sessions:

  • November 9
  • December 14

About 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.

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

with Chef Kara Garrett

Join Chef Kara for an informative and interactive hour where she will prepare 2 side dishes & 1 dessert to use in your upcoming Thanksgiving meal.
Chef Kara will demonstrate helpful cooking tips & techniques for these easy recipes to expand your culinary expertise.
Stay tuned for the menu items!

This is an interactive class and you are welcome to simply watch for new ideas or to choose which of the items you would like to prepare along with Chef Kara.

Suggested Donation: $15

About Chef Kara Garrett

Kara Garrett Cancer Support Program Coordinator

Kara is a health-supportive chef based in Washington, DC. Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, she embraced the challenge of finding a balance between her foodie lifestyle and eating well with cancer. She has adopted a flexible diet plan that focuses on plant-based, sustainable whole foods, but does not restrict indulgences of things she loves. She is passionate about working with others to encourage healthier food choices that energize the body and the soul.

Kara graduated in August 2017 from the Chef Training Program at Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC and spent one month as the sous chef at The Ananda Ashram Yoga Society of New York in Monroe, NY. She is currently enrolled in the Developing Healthy Communities: Nutrition, Behavior, and Physical Activity graduate program at Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Part 3/3. This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. 

Registration for this series is closed. If you are interested in attending this series the next time it is offered, please email olivia@smithcenter.org.

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

with Mindy Brodsky, LCSWA

Give Your Voice Life After Death: An Ethical Will Writing Workshop

A typical legal will is about property and assets you will leave behind. But what about the intangible parts of you that you hope your loved ones will remember?

Join us for a program where you will create your own “ethical will,” also known as a legacy letter, love will, or life letter. Share wisdom and feelings with your next of kin, chosen family, or community in writing or any creative medium that speaks to you. These are nonlegal letters to people important to you that reflect your voice, your experiences, your personality and your values. We all experience thinking about and preparing for death in different ways. The ancient practice of crafting an ethical will can be a gift not only for the recipient(s) in the future, but also for you in the present in that it can provide sacred gifts of meaning and spirit.

This three-part workshop series aspires to create a safe space for you to gain confidence in your ability to share your values with loved ones in meaningful ways. Activities will include writing exercises, group discussion, reflective practices, and practical information to help ensure you complete the workshop with a beautiful product that will give your voice life long after death.

Participation is appropriate for adults of all states of health, ages, and faiths. You don’t have to consider yourself a “writer” to participate! Our activities will be fun, simple, and supportive.

Give Your Voice Life After Death: An Ethical Will Writing Workshop will be hosted in three parts. Participants must attend the first session and are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Upon completion of the three parts, participants will have developed a working ethical will. Program limited to 14 participants.
Upcoming program dates:
  • November 8

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Mindy Brodsky, LCSWA

Mindy Brodsky

Mindy Brodsky specializes in trauma-informed, strengths-based counseling with a passion for integrative health and healing. Mindy honors her clients as the experts of their lives, and she strives to provide a supportive and safe environment.
After a career in social justice advocacy and her own challenging health journey, Mindy aspires to meet her clients where they are to help them achieve their goals.

Part 2/3. This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. 

Registration for this series is closed. If you are interested in attending this series the next time it is offered, please email olivia@smithcenter.org.

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

with Mindy Brodsky, LCSWA

Give Your Voice Life After Death: An Ethical Will Writing Workshop

A typical legal will is about property and assets you will leave behind. But what about the intangible parts of you that you hope your loved ones will remember?

Join us for a program where you will create your own “ethical will,” also known as a legacy letter, love will, or life letter. Share wisdom and feelings with your next of kin, chosen family, or community in writing or any creative medium that speaks to you. These are nonlegal letters to people important to you that reflect your voice, your experiences, your personality and your values. We all experience thinking about and preparing for death in different ways. The ancient practice of crafting an ethical will can be a gift not only for the recipient(s) in the future, but also for you in the present in that it can provide sacred gifts of meaning and spirit.

This three-part workshop series aspires to create a safe space for you to gain confidence in your ability to share your values with loved ones in meaningful ways. Activities will include writing exercises, group discussion, reflective practices, and practical information to help ensure you complete the workshop with a beautiful product that will give your voice life long after death.

Participation is appropriate for adults of all states of health, ages, and faiths. You don’t have to consider yourself a “writer” to participate! Our activities will be fun, simple, and supportive.

Give Your Voice Life After Death: An Ethical Will Writing Workshop will be hosted in three parts. Participants must attend the first session and are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Upon completion of the three parts, participants will have developed a working ethical will. Program limited to 14 participants.
Upcoming program dates:
  • November 1 & 8

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Mindy Brodsky, LCSWA

Mindy Brodsky

Mindy Brodsky specializes in trauma-informed, strengths-based counseling with a passion for integrative health and healing. Mindy honors her clients as the experts of their lives, and she strives to provide a supportive and safe environment.
After a career in social justice advocacy and her own challenging health journey, Mindy aspires to meet her clients where they are to help them achieve their goals.

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 Charity Sade

Coping Through Comedy: Comedy Writing Workshop

Coping Through Comedy’s comedy writing workshop is offered to cancer patients/survivors and their caregivers/family members. The intention of the workshop is to provide a safe and creative environment for those touched by cancer to be able to express themselves and find the humor surrounding the difficulties in life and cancer. No previous comedy writing experience is necessary.

Coping Through Comedy: Comedy Writing Workshop will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00pm ET. 

Participants can attend on a drop-in basis, but prior registration is required.

Upcoming Sessions:

  • October 12
  • November 9
  • December 14

About 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.

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 olivia@smithcenter.org.

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

with Dr. Rachel Rubin & Dr. Lauren Trosch (In Partnership with Hope Connections)

Your urinary and sexual health are topics that aren’t often talked about, but can have a huge impact on your health and quality of life. Difficulties with sexual function, painful intercourse, urinary incontinence, and urinary tract infections are quite common and do not need to be endured in silence. Dr. Rachel Rubin, board-certified urologist and sexual medicine specialist with fellowship training in sexual medicine and Dr. Lauren Trosch, pelvic health physical therapist and orthopedic clinical specialist, will discuss common genitourinary problems and ways to find help. This talk is open for people of all genders who experience urinary or sexual health concerns.

About Dr. Rachel Rubin

Dr. Rachel S. Rubin is a board certified urologist with fellowship training in sexual medicine. She is an assistant clinical professor in urology at Georgetown University and owns her own practice in Washington DC. Dr. Rubin provides comprehensive care to men and women. She treats issues such as pelvic pain, menopause, erectile dysfunction, and low libido. Dr. Rubin is currently the education chair for the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH) and an associate editor for the journal Sexual Medicine Reviews. She was named a Washingtonian Top Doctor in 2019-2022.

About Dr. Lauren Trosch

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.

with Anne Kelemen

At a Death Cafe people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.

Our objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.

A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counseling session.

Part 1/3. This program series is being offered virtually through Zoom. 

Registration for this series is closed. If you are interested in attending this series the next time it is offered, please email olivia@smithcenter.org.

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

with Mindy Brodsky, LCSWA

Give Your Voice Life After Death: An Ethical Will Writing Workshop

A typical legal will is about property and assets you will leave behind. But what about the intangible parts of you that you hope your loved ones will remember?

Join us for a program where you will create your own “ethical will,” also known as a legacy letter, love will, or life letter. Share wisdom and feelings with your next of kin, chosen family, or community in writing or any creative medium that speaks to you. These are nonlegal letters to people important to you that reflect your voice, your experiences, your personality and your values. We all experience thinking about and preparing for death in different ways. The ancient practice of crafting an ethical will can be a gift not only for the recipient(s) in the future, but also for you in the present in that it can provide sacred gifts of meaning and spirit.

This three-part workshop series aspires to create a safe space for you to gain confidence in your ability to share your values with loved ones in meaningful ways. Activities will include writing exercises, group discussion, reflective practices, and practical information to help ensure you complete the workshop with a beautiful product that will give your voice life long after death.

Participation is appropriate for adults of all states of health, ages, and faiths. You don’t have to consider yourself a “writer” to participate! Our activities will be fun, simple, and supportive.

Give Your Voice Life After Death: An Ethical Will Writing Workshop will be hosted in three parts. Participants must attend the first session and are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Upon completion of the three parts, participants will have developed a working ethical will. Program limited to 14 participants.
Program dates:
  • October 25
  • November 1 & 8

Suggested Donation: $10/session or $25/series

About Mindy Brodsky, LCSWA

Mindy Brodsky

Mindy Brodsky specializes in trauma-informed, strengths-based counseling with a passion for integrative health and healing. Mindy honors her clients as the experts of their lives, and she strives to provide a supportive and safe environment.
After a career in social justice advocacy and her own challenging health journey, Mindy aspires to meet her clients where they are to help them achieve their goals.

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

with Chef Cathryn Pethick

Soothe Seasonal Change with a Harvest Feast! An Ayurvedic Approach to Autumn:

Balancing Vata: As summer’s heat and humidity fade, Vata’s transition arises with autumn; it’s qualities of cool, dry, windy, rough, mobile and subtle begin to rule the days. The air is so clear, leaves swirl, their colors rich and mellow.
Our autumn menu balances this season of Vata dosha with the richness of sweet roots, vivid late season leafy greens, earthy lentils, and sweet, astringent tree fruits. Rich soups, stews and warming spices soothe our senses, encourage us to pause and savor the tastes, scents and sights of beautiful autumn. What looks, smells and tastes like autumn to you? Roasting squashes, apples, plums; rich lentil soups; the perfume of pumpkin bread just out of the oven, redolent with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger…Join the Feast! Recipes will be shared, and we will look in depth at our best practices for soothing this transition into Vata-dominant season.
Suggested donation: $15

About Cathryn Pethick

Chef Cathryn Pethick

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.

POSTPONED – 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 olivia@smithcenter.org.

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

with Nancy Novack

Nancy's List - Coping with Financial Stress for Cancer Patients and Their Families

Coping with Financial Stress:

For Cancer Patients and Their Families

Join Nancy Novack, PhD, for a discussion about the financial challenges that many experience when living with cancer. 
Nancy has a unique perspective on the relentless cancer-related financial pressures both as a clinical psychologist serving hundreds of cancer patients and in her own personal life as an ovarian cancer patient. She started Nancy’s List as a tool to disseminate information about financial resources for the cancer community.
Some questions that will be addressed will include: 
  • What do I do about money when I’ve been diagnosed?
  • What do I do when bills come?
  • How do I find money in the time of Covid?
  • How can I relieve stress?
  • How can I navigate Nancy’s List of resources?

Submit your questions for Nancy with your registration, so that we may be certain to answer your special questions/concerns. You may email your questions to Kiersten at kiersten@smithcenter.org.

About Nancy Novack

Nancy Novack

On the evening of my first meeting with my oncologist, he said to me, “This is a challenging diagnosis. The prognosis is bleak. But I do believe I can help you. I am with you.” Those four words sustained me whenever I was in fear. They directed my understanding of the power of relationship in my healing process. I was able to open my heart and receive the love and generosity of family and friends and oftentimes strangers who were there to hold my hand and my heart.
When people ask, and they often do, “What happened? How did you make it when so many others do not survive stage 4 ovarian cancer?” I don’t have any answers to that mystery. I do know, for certain, that the opening of my heart, the receiving of the blessings and the love, the sense of abundance of good will coming my way changed my being — during my cancer and forever more.

I am the luckiest lady in the world. I truly enjoy defying medical statistics and being the poster child for Stanford’s Cancer Center.

I made a vow to make a difference for people living with cancer, for those who love and care for them, and for the children who have a cancer diagnosis or love someone who has. My simple and profound wish is that no one will ever go through cancer alone. I started Nancy’s List to help my community cope with the epidemic of cancer.

For me, cancer changed everything. It generated my growth. It taught me the essence of gratitude. I adore the generosity of strangers. It defined my calling and refined my purpose as a psychologist. It gave me the opportunity to offer hope to those who have lost theirs. I found my courage and resilience.

Read Nancy’s full story here: https://nancyslist.org/name-nancy-novack/