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
![Grief Circle](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NDQ3OjQxNA==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgODAwIDgwMCIgd2lkdGg9IjgwMCIgaGVpZ2h0PSI4MDAiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+)
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
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 Rachel Ress, MSW, LICSW
![](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NTAwOjU2OQ==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMzUyMiA3NzgiIHdpZHRoPSIzNTIyIiBoZWlnaHQ9Ijc3OCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4=)
![Survivorship Support Group](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NTAxOjE4MA==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgODk4IDQ5OSIgd2lkdGg9Ijg5OCIgaGVpZ2h0PSI0OTkiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+)
This group is designed for cancer survivors who have completed their primary cancer treatment(s) and are now either post-treatment or on maintenance medication (such as hormonal therapy). Cancer can be emotionally and physically draining — many times we aren’t able to fully process the experience until after treatment is over and we are trying to get back to our “normal” lives. The struggle and expectation to find “normal” again can also be an overwhelming process. This group is a space where you can talk openly about these issues and process the trauma of cancer with other survivors.
The Survivorship Support Group will meet Monthly on the 2nd Tuesday from 6:30-7:30pm ET.
About Rachel Ress, MSW, LICSW
![Rachel Ress](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NTEwOjE4MA==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMzc5IDM3MCIgd2lkdGg9IjM3OSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzNzAiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+)
Rachel is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker serving as Cancer Support Community Washington DC’s (CSC DC) Community Navigator. Prior to working at CSC DC, Rachel was an oncology social worker with the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital for three years. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice where she interned at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Rachel uses an eclectic approach in providing support and compassion to cancer patients and their families, and she is passionate about the intersection of chronic illness and mental health.
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 Rachel Ress, MSW, LICSW
![](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NTk3OjU2OQ==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMzUyMiA3NzgiIHdpZHRoPSIzNTIyIiBoZWlnaHQ9Ijc3OCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4=)
![Survivorship Support Group](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NTk4OjE4MA==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgODk4IDQ5OSIgd2lkdGg9Ijg5OCIgaGVpZ2h0PSI0OTkiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+)
This group is designed for cancer survivors who have completed their primary cancer treatment(s) and are now either post-treatment or on maintenance medication (such as hormonal therapy). Cancer can be emotionally and physically draining — many times we aren’t able to fully process the experience until after treatment is over and we are trying to get back to our “normal” lives. The struggle and expectation to find “normal” again can also be an overwhelming process. This group is a space where you can talk openly about these issues and process the trauma of cancer with other survivors.
The Survivorship Support Group will meet Monthly on the 2nd Tuesday from 6:30-7:30pm ET.
About Rachel Ress, MSW, LICSW
![Rachel Ress](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NjA3OjE4MA==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMzc5IDM3MCIgd2lkdGg9IjM3OSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzNzAiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+)
Rachel is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker serving as Cancer Support Community Washington DC’s (CSC DC) Community Navigator. Prior to working at CSC DC, Rachel was an oncology social worker with the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital for three years. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice where she interned at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Rachel uses an eclectic approach in providing support and compassion to cancer patients and their families, and she is passionate about the intersection of chronic illness and mental health.
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 Rachel Ress, MSW, LICSW
![](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=Njk0OjU2OQ==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMzUyMiA3NzgiIHdpZHRoPSIzNTIyIiBoZWlnaHQ9Ijc3OCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4=)
![Survivorship Support Group](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=Njk1OjE4MA==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgODk4IDQ5OSIgd2lkdGg9Ijg5OCIgaGVpZ2h0PSI0OTkiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+)
This group is designed for cancer survivors who have completed their primary cancer treatment(s) and are now either post-treatment or on maintenance medication (such as hormonal therapy). Cancer can be emotionally and physically draining — many times we aren’t able to fully process the experience until after treatment is over and we are trying to get back to our “normal” lives. The struggle and expectation to find “normal” again can also be an overwhelming process. This group is a space where you can talk openly about these issues and process the trauma of cancer with other survivors.
The Survivorship Support Group will meet Monthly on the 2nd Tuesday from 6:30-7:30pm ET.
About Rachel Ress, MSW, LICSW
![Rachel Ress](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NzA0OjE4MA==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMzc5IDM3MCIgd2lkdGg9IjM3OSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzNzAiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+)
Rachel is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker serving as Cancer Support Community Washington DC’s (CSC DC) Community Navigator. Prior to working at CSC DC, Rachel was an oncology social worker with the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital for three years. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice where she interned at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Rachel uses an eclectic approach in providing support and compassion to cancer patients and their families, and she is passionate about the intersection of chronic illness and mental health.