Virtual Support Groups

The Virtual Support Groups are currently for anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, is seeking support and community and resonates with a session topic. In the near future, we hope to expand this offering to caregivers — stay tuned!

We encourage those who attend to be comfortable with having their cameras turned on, even if they don’t feel comfortable with speaking or sharing — it really helps contribute to a safe space for others, especially in this virtual setting. We are all here together.

Please note that these group sessions are not a replacement for individual therapy, but are meant to help equip you with a toolkit that you can use to support yourself, provide support from a mental health professional and create a safe space for connecting with others who get it.

The Virtual Support Groups are currently hosted on Zoom in a private room. The link to the Zoom room is different each time and is only sent out to those who have registered for the session.

We aim to have at least 2 sessions a month covering different topics. The sessions are often hosted at 1:00pm EST and 7:00pm EST. The duration of a session is typically an hour and a half.

We have put together a guide for how you can help contribute to a safe space for yourself and others, which can be accessed below. As someone attending a Virtual Support Group, this is so important to maintaining the integrity of the space and honouring everyone who is present to ensure everyone gets the most out of the session. We really appreciate it if you can read the guide before attending!

Here’s a link to our tips for how you can get the best experience out of the Virtual Support Group and what you can do to help foster a safe space. We highly encourage you to read it before joining a session.

In a given session, there will always be a facilitator (social worker or psychotherapist from the Healing Collective) and a Rethink team member. The number of participants can be anywhere from 3 to 25 depending on the session and who ends up being able to show up.

No. The main difference is that our Virtual Support Groups are led by psychotherapists and social workers from our Healing Collective, whereas Mentoring Matters is led by trained peer support volunteers who have lived experience. Virtual Support Groups are a good place to get professional psychosocial support and education and Mentoring Matters is a good place to get support from peers and build community.

Yes! The support you get from each program will be different, but complementary.  While some topics will be the same or similar between the programs, the approach and discussion will be different. Topics for sessions are communicated ahead of time, so you can choose what kind of support you need and from where, based on your personal need.

Sign up to receive Rethink’s emails to be the first to know about these sessions below. Sessions fill up incredibly fast, and there is often a waitlist. Given the nature of these sessions and intention to connect, we do have to limit the amount of seats available, but the sessions are ongoing, so we’re confident you’ll get in the next one!

Please cancel your registration on Eventbrite so the next person in line on the waitlist can be notified and attend the session in your place! If you have any questions or trouble doing this, please email support@rethinkbreastcancer.com