MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT PROGRAMS

Nueva Vida offers a comprehensive mental health program designed to meet the individual needs of Latinas with breast and cervical cancer living in the Washington metropolitan area. The program addresses these issues by promoting a sense of well-being and self-efficacy to improve the quality of life of cancer patients by means of support groups, individual counseling, and peer support. Mental Health Support takes into consideration the cultural and social stressors that exacerbate anxiety, depression, fatigue and pain during treatment.

Support Groups

“When I come to the groups, I feel liberated and confident because I know someone is listening. It means a lot to me to be able to share with other women. The group has helped me with my disease and my problems. It means a lot to women like me who need help and don’t have economic resources”.

-- Support Group Participant.

General Support Group:
This group brings together women at different stages after diagnosis and is professionally facilitated. Sessions are designed to give participants tools to reduce stress, manage anxiety, improve self-esteem and develop skills to better work with their health care providers and caregivers. Session topics typically include: nutrition, cancer and the family, cancer and sexuality, and body image after surgery.. Women at all stages post diagnosis and long-term survivors are invited to participate in the general group that meets on the first Saturday of each month at the Washington Hospital Center.

Stress Reduction Support Group:
This group focuses on stress reduction techniques such as deep relaxation, therapeutic dance and guided imagery, providing women with tools to cope with their anxieties. The Stress Reduction Group meets once a month at Washington Hospital Center.

Women in Treatment Support Group:
“Nueva Vida is one of the good things that cancer brought to my life. Participating in the group for women in treatment gave me strength and confidence as a survivor and hope for the future. Thank you, friends”.

-- Treatment Support Group Participant

This group for diagnosed women who are in active treatment meets at our Dupont Circle office 3 times a month. It addresses relevant topics such as treatment symptoms, fears, self-image, sexuality, effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment on the family and other significant relationships, and lifestyle changes. Guided relaxation and guided imagery techniques are used to help prepare women for treatment sessions and surgery.

Individual Counseling

Short-term individual counseling is available to women with advanced disease or to women going through a period of crisis. Professional counselors make home, hospital and phone visits, as appropriate, and the intervention lasts between 2 and 3 months. The delicate nature of a breast cancer diagnosis coupled with the vulnerability of many immigrant Latinas makes crisis intervention a critical component of Nueva Vida’s services.

Peer Support

“I became a volunteer peer counselor after seeing the compassion that Nueva Vida staff offer to women battling cancer. The support given to me is an experience I will always cherish. I volunteer in this organization because of its commitment to help Hispanic women in the Washington DC metropolitan area".

-- Former participant in support groups and current Compañera de Apoyo

Most women living with cancer express a desire to talk to someone who has had a similar experience. In some cases, a conversation with a trained peer is useful during the decision making process about surgery and/or treatment, peer counselors make follow-up calls to check on the woman’s recovery and to offer short-term support. The peer counselors themselves are survivors for whom becoming involved and helping others is a part of their own healing. Peer counselors are carefully selected, trained and supported. Note: To be eligible for training, survivors must have completed one year after treatment, have a desire to serve, and be recommended by one of the support group facilitators.

Open House

A variety of activities, such as individual needs assessment, orientation for the newly diagnosed and volunteer activities take place on Saturday mornings. These activities make our Resource Center more available to working women and facilitate participation in the support groups.

ACCESS AND NAVIGATION SUPPORT PROGRAM

Nueva Vida helps Latinas with breast and cervical cancer in their interactions with the healthcare system to obtain life-saving treatments. Latinas without English-proficiency are assisted in Spanish, making it possible for them to communicate with health care providers. The Navigation Support Program locates the public and private health care agencies and professionals that can provide care to our uninsured clients. Nueva Vida assists with applications and eligibility for Medicaid, screening, and cancer control programs and assistance at the county, state and federal level.

Outreach

Nueva Vida engages in year-round outreach by participating in community events, networking with healthcare providers and community agencies, media relations, and ongoing communication with our members. The Outreach Program educates and links greater number of Latina cancer patients to appropriate cancer care information and resources.

RESOURCE CENTER

The Resource Center offers multimedia materials on prevention, detection, treatment, and living with cancer, in both Spanish and English. It is open and available year-round for Nueva Vida clients and anyone in need of information about breast cancer and other forms of cancer affecting women. The Resource Center is family-friendly, containing books, videos and toys to occupy children and spouses while the woman is at the Center participating in. support sessions.

EDUCATION

Guest expert speakers are invited to address special topics relevant to Latinas striving to overcome cancer, our peer counselors and our volunteers, to further advance their training and advocacy potential.

ADVOCACY

Nueva Vida raises awareness of the issues Latinas face in attempting to survive cancer. Nueva Vida’s voice brings the Latina experience to agencies and institutions that set policy and determine research agendas.

Member, Board of Directors, National Breast Cancer Coalition
Member, Integration Panel, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program