Information Resources > From the Director

Groups: Who Needs Them!?

Anne Coscarelli, Ph.D.

"When I was diagnosed with cancer, I felt an overwhelming sense of fear. As I made my way through my medical appointments, I learned about the Resource Center. I was never one to join a group, but I decided to try it. I am amazed by how much I look forward to that hour and a half each week when I can sit in a room with others who truly understand what I am going through. The women I have met have been so special, and I don't feel so alone. In this room with our leader and my comrades, I have the courage to face life and death and to laugh again."

This statement describes a common experience. The diagnosis of cancer suddenly and swiftly alters a woman's life. She is faced with a broad range of new experiences, decisions, and changes that she must act upon and assimilate. With these new experiences come a host of emotions including anxiety, loss, sadness, depression, and worry, just to name a few. It is common to need to talk to someone about these experiences. Since most individuals have not had a cancer experience, they have a lot to learn about the disease, its treatment and how to cope with all that is involved. Women often find that they have the opportunity to go beyond "coping" with the disease and its treatment to finding ways to grow personally from the experience. In fact, research studies conducted at UCLA (Ganz, Coscarelli, and Fred, Kahn, Polinsky, and Petersen; 1996) and at medical centers in Washington D.C. (Ganz, Rowland, Desmond, Meyerowitz and Wyatt; 1998) have found that women survivors of cancer reported a greater appreciation for life after cancer, closer family relationships, a more positive outlook on life, and for the first time, felt entitled to put their own needs first. As one survivor said, "I feel the cancer experience made me take a deep soul-searching look into my life and made me face things instead of just letting them continue as usual. It has given me strength to do what I need to do."

While recognizing that growth can be a positive outcome from this experience, all these women also acknowledged the emotional and physical pain and losses that they endured. They indicated that they would not have chosen this path for growth, but when it presented itself, it became their opportunity.

The cancer journey is unique for each woman. There are, however, many common pathways and experiences. Sharing these experiences is one way that a woman can derive meaning from having a life-threatening illness and turn the experience into one that has positive aspects. For many women, participating in a support group has provided the opportunity for this healing and transition. Behind closed doors, thoughts are shared, tears are shed, laughter resounds, scars are revealed, hats and wigs are removed, journals are filled, drawings and sculptures are created, meditations are echoed, hugs are exchanged and soulful communications take place. These experiences help facilitate a woman's ability to endure the cancer treatments, to integrate the changes into her life and to come to terms with her future.

Joining a support group is a decision that each woman must make for herself; I want to encourage all women, however, to look at the range of groups as options. At our Center, we offer a multitude of group opportunities because we know that different women will benefit from different types of group experiences. Some women have benefited from our traditional support groups in which a well-trained leader facilitates women talking about their experiences and learning from others. Our art therapy and journal writing groups have offered other methods of communication and exploration. We also offer groups that are conducted more like classes in which we teach specific information or skills such as meditation, relaxation, stress management, and coping with cancer and its treatments. These different types of group experiences are designed to speak to the diversity of need in our patient population, and I hope that women will try one or more of these groups.

Group experiences can be beneficial at different times during the cancer experience. They allow women at similar phases of the disease and treatment to join together and share their experiences. For example, some of the groups that we offer are specifically for women who are newly diagnosed, who have metastatic disease, or who are surviving without treatment and have no evidence of disease. The focus in each of these groups is somewhat different because of the phase of disease involved.

Cancer is a turning point for family members as well as for patients. For this reason, we offer specific groups for spouses and family and friends to help facilitate their coping, understanding and growth.

Unfortunately, too often groups are underutilized, and women and family members are deprived of the benefits that they offer. Some of the reasons people do not enroll in group programs are that they believe they will not benefit from the group, they don't need it, they are not the group type or they do not have the time. Over the years I have learned that when individuals try groups with an open mind, they find that they have more to offer than they imagined. It sometimes requires a leap of faith and the ability to invest in several meetings before the potential benefits are visible.

When formulating a treatment plan for cancer, it is important to include plans to respond to the psychological distress that is a normal part of the cancer experience. I believe that it also is essential to find ways to bring psychological healing and growth into the experience. Research studies have shown that people who participate in groups tend to live longer and have a better quality of life. Groups can help change survivors into thrivers.

The questions listed below can help evaluate whether or not you would benefit from a group experience. Please take a few minutes to read and answer them.

• Do you sometimes wish you had access to a network of people who have had cancer?

• Are you anxious or worried?

• Do you feel sad, lonely or blue?

• Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the cancer and/or its treatment?

• Do you sometimes feel that others do not understand what you are going through?

• Do you ever feel like you would like to bounce your ideas off someone who has been through this?

• Do you ever wish you had a professional person who can help guide you on a regular basis?

• Do you have problems associated with the treatment or the disease that you would like to resolve?

• Do you have the potential to find good in difficult experiences?

• Do you have some insight or understanding that might benefit others going through the same experience?

• Do you sometimes keep your feelings inside instead of sharing them with friends or family because you are afraid of upsetting them?

• Do you need additional information about cancer, stress reduction, coping, and/or treatment?

• Do you ever feel stress and wish that you could reduce it in some way?

• Do you wish that you and your spouse (or other family members) could talk about the impact of cancer in a different way?

• Have you thought about writing or creating art as a means of expressing your cancer experience?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions then you probably would benefit from one of our groups. Please review our listing of groups and contact us about joining. Our staff will discuss your individual needs and help you to select an appropriate group experience for you and/or your family members.

Anne Coscarelli, Ph.D.

Wallis Annenberg Director’s Initiative in Psychosocial Oncology

© Anne Coscarelli, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

 

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