Support Programs

Professionally facilitated weekly support groups and monthly networking groups.

Group support provides you opportunities for connection with others who are sharing a similar experience and the comfort in knowing you are not alone. Gilda’s Club hosts more than 18 weekly support groups facilitated by licensed mental health professionals.

Our open groups are conducted drop-in style, which means participants can attend whenever they’re able to. However, each person should still sign up in advance for any support group sessions they plan to attend. Zoom links will be emailed to participants prior to each session.

Weekly Support

What makes our groups unique?

  • They meet weekly and are ongoing
  • They’re focused on circumstance rather than diagnosis or prognosis
  • They’re small, typically between 8-10 members
  • They’re not “drop-in” and require members to go through a process to be placed into a group
  • Their members make a commitment to attend as regularly as possible

The following weekly groups are for adults only:

  • Living with Cancer  For people with any type of cancer, at any stage, who are currently undergoing treatment, living with a chronic cancer or recurrence, or choosing no treatment as an option. 
  • Young Adults Living with Cancer Young adults, 18-35, living with cancer, in post-treatment or who are survivors. 
  • Family & Friends Individuals supporting or caring for adult spouses, siblings, a family member or a friend.
  • Living with Loss Adults who are grieving the death of an adult child, spouse or partner, parent, sibling or close friend due to cancer. 
  • Post-treatment   Adults who have completed active treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy) and are looking for support as they move forward to life beyond cancer.  
  • Art therapy For individuals who are seeking an alternative to traditional support groups, our art therapists and graduate interns use art as a means to explore emotion, gain insight and seek creative connection with others.

We also offer some specialty support series throughout the year:

  • Early-Stage Survivorship: A six-week series designed to help cancer survivors diagnosed stage 0 – 2 make the transition from active treatment to post-treatment care, featuring expert panelists including physicians, nutritionists, and fitness experts.
  • Meaning-Centered Support: An eight-week series for individuals living with advanced, metastatic, chronic, or life-limiting cancers to help find and connect to sources of meaning and purpose in life.
  • Redefining Identity: This program confronts the concept of identity loss after diagnosis, taking participants through a process of self-discovery and rewriting your own narrative.

Our monthly drop-in groups currently include:

  • Living with Chronic Cancer Group – Virtual
    Every fourth Monday of the month from 6:30 – 8:00 pm
    This monthly drop-in group is meant for members who do not feel the need to attend one of our weekly Living with Cancer groups, but need some support around living their life with the chronic condition of cancer. Members are welcome to attend intermittently or every month for a chance to talk to others in a similar life situation.

Outside support organizations hosted at Gilda’s Club

Gilda’s Club hosts outside groups in our clubhouse, such as Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), Young Survival Coalition (YSC), and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Blood Cancer Support Group. These peer-led groups meet at the Gilda’s Clubhouse, but are not run by Gilda’s Club. See our calendar for meeting times.

Great! How do I join a support group?

To join a support group, you must first attend a New Member Meeting and create a Customized Membership Plan (CMP). This is a wonderful opportunity to connect one-on-one with a licensed mental health professional, explore which parts of our program are ideal for you and learn about additional resources. While weekly support groups may not be right for all members, many members find they provide essential lifelines and an opportunity to spend time with people who understand.

To learn more about becoming a member, visit our Getting Started page. Sign up for one of our bi-weekly New Member Meetings here.

To schedule a CMP meeting with one of our licensed mental health professionals, call 612.227.2147.

The Five Cornerstones of Our Program of Support

Learn about the foundations of this proven model: 

Support  |  Healthy Lifestyle  |  Education  |  Social  |  Information & Referral