This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by emailing stephanie@hopeconnectionsforcancer.org.
with Paula Ernst, LMSW
Paula Ernst, LMSW will explore what children understand and
experience at different ages, tips for having a good conversation,
resources for helping your child thrive through this time, and more.
This program is offering in partnership with Hope Connections for Cancer Support.
About Paula Ernst, LMSW
Paula Ernst is a licensed social worker with extensive experience working with children and families, specializing in guiding them through difficult conversations and challenging situations. Her work started in child protection services, where she supported children in understanding and processing trauma, while coaching families on improving their circumstances. In 2018 she transitioned to working with individuals and families facing cancer by providing wellness services that support their healing journey.
Currently, Paula serves as the Wellness Program Manager at Adventist HealthCare and focuses on providing whole-person care. In this role, Paula strives to ensure that families feel fully supported in all areas of life—physical, mental, and emotional well-being—alongside their medical treatment. Paula oversees programs that include education, movement, nutrition, support groups, counseling, and more, all designed to help families navigate the complexities of a cancer diagnosis. Additionally, Paula works one-on-one with children in order to help them process their emotions and build resilience skills to face life’s challenges.
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 Lauren Sauer & Tracy Stefak
offered in partnership with:
Healing Circles for Parents with Cancer is a peer led virtual support group for parents who are newly diagnosed, in active treatment or in survivorship who experiencing challenges with their role as a parent during their cancer journey. As this is a peer led support group the co-facilitators can best support parents who have children from 0-18 years old.
This group is not about giving advice (although facilitators will share resources after group and encourage this type of sharing outside of group). Instead it is about sharing our stories (the heart ache that comes from parenting with cancer) without judgment and listening with love. There will also be periodic in-person playdates for parents, partners and their kids in the DMV.
What is a Healing Circle?
Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom. Healing Circles 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.
Beginning in March 2024, the Healing Circle for Parents with Cancer meets Monthly on the 4th Tuesday of each month from 12:00-1:00pm ET.
About Lauren Sauer
Lauren Sauer is a two-time osteosarcoma cancer survivor first diagnosed in 2017 when her daughter was 22 months old, and diagnosed with a recurrence in 2022 when her daughter was 6 years old. Her daughter will be 8 in September. Lauren finished active treatment in September 2022. It took Lauren a long time after her active cancer treatment 2017-2018 to know that she was enough for her daughter during treatment and accept that her village parented her child during that time period. She says that she looks forward to the opportunity to accompany others on their journey as they deal with parent guilt and parent grief. She also looks forward to the opportunity to use Circles principles (creating safe spaces for people to share and be heard) to help facilitate this group. She looks forward to walking with you in your cancer journey.
About Tracy Stefak
Tracy Steffek was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2021 at four-months postpartum. Immediately after she completed treatment, she was subsequently diagnosed with a secondary cancer of the tongue in October 2023. Tracy completed three life altering surgeries and active head and neck cancer treatment in March 2023. Her experience with two different cancers back-to-back was eye opening because the support and resources varied greatly. Today, she is an advocate for stronger community-health systems coordination and transformation. Originally from New Jersey, Tracy currently lives with her husband, two daughters, grandmother, and two dogs in Virginia. She works full-time and serves on multiple boards and advisory committees, including Bright Spot Network’s Parent Advisory Board. She recognizes that healing from the emotional and medical trauma of cancer will be a lifelong journey, and as a co-facilitator, she looks forward to creating an authentic, non-judgemental space to cultivate shared connection.
This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. Please click <here> to register for this circle.
with members of the Grief Team from Healing Circles Global
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 12-1:30pm EST for 6 weeks.
Grief Circle Dates:
- Wednesdays – July 17, 24, 31
- Wednesday, August 7, 14, 21
