Support Group Information

Support Group Information If you have cancer, or are taking care of someone who does, you are facing challenges that may leave you feeling overwhelmed, frightened and alone. A support group can help. Support groups provide a place for cancer patients, family members and caregivers to discuss their feelings, share information and talk about coping with cancer.

All support groups at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) are free, and all groups are facilitated by SCCA staff. Groups are open only to SCCA patients and their family members and caregivers.

The Social Work Department is in Room G6-102 on the sixth floor of SCCA. Stop by or call (206) 288-1076. The department provides emotional and practical support throughout the treatment and recovery process. This includes counseling, steering patients and their families to community resources and assistance with applying for various benefits, including health insurance and social security benefits.

Patient and Family/Caregiver Support Group This group for both patients and their family members and caregivers meets in the Sanctuary every 1st and 3rd Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The group is facilitated by a social worker and a transplant chaplains.

Long Term Follow-Up Support Group This support group for patients who have finished cancer treatment meets in Room G1-021, first floor of SCCA, every Thursday from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. The group is facilitated by a social worker and nurses.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) Caregiver Support Group measts at 7:00 - 8:30pm on Thursdays (except the third Thursday of each month), at the Hutch School located in the Pete Gross House Building. Topics to be covered may include: Self-care, communicating with the patient, coping with a stressful situation away from home, and how to talk to family members about what is going on. This group is for caregivers only. Contact Stephen King, 206-288-1099 for more information.

Smoking Cessation Information and Support
Do you want to quit smoking or been thinking about quitting smoking? Have you wondered what approach could help you reach your goal? Have you tried quitting in the past, but ended up going back to smoking? Join us in the Patient and Family Resource Center Library at noon every third Tuesday of the month, for a discussion of state-of-the-art quit smoking strategies. Learn tips for creating a quit smoking plan that works for you. Find out how to manage cravings and avoid slips. Determine if a quit smoking medication might be a helpful tool for you. Talk with others about quitting in a supportive environment. The secret to quitting is to not give up trying: You can do it! For more information please contact Donna Manders (206) 288-7620.

For additional information about support groups, please call a social worker at (206) 288-1430, email socialw@seattlecca.org or SCCA Patient and Family Resource Center 206-288-2081, email sblackmu@seattlecca.org.

Additional Social Services/Support Groups Inside SCCA Parent Organizations

Seattle Children's Resource Line Call for free, confidential answers to your questions about children's and teenagers' health issues. The 24-hour service is staffed by Seattle Children's nurses. Call (206) 526-2500.

Brain Tumor Support Group provides the opportunity to share experiences and to socialize with others in similar situations. A Brain Tumor patient/facilitator assists the group, provides information, and along with the members of the BTSG answers questions regarding their experience with treatments, medications, available resources and other important issues. Guest speakers covering a variety of subjects are frequent participants.
Monthly meetings first Wednesday of each month, 5:30 to 7:30 pm in UWMC Plaza Café rooms A&B

Columbia Legal Services (206) 464-5933. Legal services. Call for screening.

Family Resource Center at Seattle Children's This center is a place for parents to relax, read and learn. The center is staffed daily and offers information on a variety of children's health issues, parenting, nutrition and community resources. Other services include computer workstations, seated massage and a chapel. Call (206) 985-2201 to contact the resource center, or for more information about hours and services, call (206) 985-2000 and select option 3.

Additional Social Services/Support Groups Outside SCCA

Gilda's Club Seattle provides meeting places where men, women and children living with cancer and their families and friends join with others to build emotional, social and educational support as a supplement to medical care. Free of charge and nonprofit, they offer support and networking groups, lectures, workshops and social events in a nonresidential, homelike setting. List of Support Groups at Gilda's Club.

Crisis Clinic The Crisis Clinic offers 24-hour telephone support for people who are in crisis, as well as referrals to community resources. Call (206) 461-3222 (voice and TDD).

Cancer Lifeline Support Groups In Seattle, Cancer Lifeline’s Support Groups work to meet the needs of patients, survivors, caregivers, family and friends. View list of support groups here.

Young Survival Breast Cancer Coalition Support Group Support for women diagnosed under age 40. Polly Halpern - Regional Coordinator pollyhalpern@yahoo.com www.youngsurvival.org.

The Gather Place www.touchedbycancer.org

The Gathering Place is a caring community that supports, educates and empowers individuals and families touched by cancer through programs and services provided free of charge.