A Time to Heal is a 12-week holistic rehabilitation program designed to help women regain their physical, emotional, and spiritual health after breast cancer treatment.
Research and experience have shown that the individual components of A Time to Heal make a positive difference in the well being of breast cancer survivors.
Why is this Essential?
Like someone undergoing cardiac rehab after a heart attack, a woman deserves help in her recovery from breast cancer too.
Participating in A Time to Heal may help you to not only survive, but thrive after breast cancer treatment!
Questions About A Time to Heal
Who can participate?
Women who have competed surgery and chemotherapy and/or radiation for a first diagnosis of breast cancer are eligible. If you are considering reconstructive surgery, please enroll for A Time to Heal during a 12-week period when you won't be having any of your surgeries. Women with additional serious health issues may not be eligible.
What does the program involve?
- Groups meet for about three hours a week.
- Each week, the session begins with gentle stretching designed to promote arm mobility and healthy posture.
- Weekly instructions will include topics such as nutrition, regaining strength, coping, relationships, relaxation, spirituality, femininity, happiness, and intention.
- The group discusses the information together and women work individually by journaling.
- Participants learn and practice relation techniques.
- Each session ends with affirmations and intentions.
- Women who complete at least 10 of the 12 sessions will "graduate."
- Each participant is free to quit the group at any time.
How can I participate?
- Regular participation is important to get the full benefit- you need to be able to commit to attending at least 10 of the 12 sessions of A Time to Heal.
- You will be asked to complete a short interview prior to enrolling to get more information and to let the facilitators get to know you.
- You'll be asked to fill our some questionnaires so the trainers can evaluate whether the program is meeting its goals.
What does it cost?
A Time to Heal is FREE to participants - women who have gone through breast cancer treatment for the first time meet certain criteria.
What are the advantages of participation in A Time to Heal?
Women who participate receive Helpful information about healing, training in coping skills such as relaxation, and opportunities to ask questions and share insights with the facilitators, expert faculty and other survivors. As a result, they may feel better emotionally and physically. Women who have completed the program in the past say they have greater satisfaction with life and stronger feelings of well being.
Are there disadvantages of participating in A Time to Heal?
No serious disadvantages are anticipated. It is possible to hurt yourself during gentle exercising, but every precaution will be taken to prevent that. Some participants can become upset talking about topics related to cancer. To guard against undue stress, the group will be led by trained nursing and medical health professionals, and no participant is forced to take part in discussions.
How to Enroll in A Time to Heal
Founders
Dr. Stephanie Koraleski and Dr. Kay Ryan. Stephanie is a cancer center therapist and the daughter of a breast cancer survivor. Kay is a health care consultant, speaker and trainer and a breast cancer survivor. they are both very familiar with the side effects and after effects of breast cancer treatment. Studying the research on breast cancer survivors has shown that women's who have information, who make healthy choices and who feel able to make a difference in their own lives can do very well after treatment. A Time to Heal gives women access to the tools they need to bell well after breast cancer.