Our programs empower individuals to live as well and as long as possible by offering emotional support, self-care resources, and conventional and complementary choices in healing. Workshops and retreats led by experts focus on time-tested wellness techniques such as health-supportive nutrition, creative expression, personal reflection, stress reduction, and other healthy choices that enhance emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing.
Our programs are tailored to the needs of people affected by cancer. However, many of the classes we offer are also useful to a broader audience interested in wellness and integrative health and are therefore open to the whole community.
Our perspective on healing
Smith Center programs focus on the concept of healing at its broadest level: as an integrative process that encompasses the entire spectrum of our existence — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. We believe that the healing process is unique for every individual. There is no one “right” answer or formula for everyone.
Our programs focus on cultivating each person’s innate ability to heal, helping participants explore meaning and maintain hope — even in the face of life’s challenges.
We welcome you to join us for programs, visit us at our U Street Center and Art Gallery, or contact us to learn more.
Healing evokes our innate potential for wholeness. Physically, promoting health makes our bodies stronger and more resilient. Emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, we can explore meaning and our most fulfilling ways of being, relating, and creating in the world. Engaging in the process of healing can broaden our perspectives and enhance our senses of well-being and inner peace.
Program categories
- Cooking & Nutrition
- Creativity
- Gentle Yoga
- Healing Circles
- Movement & Meditation
- Support Groups
- DC Young Adult Cancer Community
- Cancer Retreats
- Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery Programs
- Artist-in-Residence Programs
At Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, we advocate for an integrative approach to cancer care that treats the whole person – mind, body, and spirit — by combining the best medical interventions with complementary and supportive therapies. We offer educational, therapeutic, supportive programs here at Smith Center that can help you be an active participant in your own healing.
(See our current program calendar)
In addition, the following resources may be useful to you as you chart your course and make decisions about your care and the way you want to live through your experience with cancer. There are hundreds of good resources available to help you, but cancer is overwhelming enough. We recommend you start by exploring one category at a time. You will see that small changes can change your experience and your wellbeing significantly.
Please note that the following links and resources are listed for your information and convenience only. We have attempted to include the highest quality information and tools available, but do not specifically endorse any organization or their approach. Please discuss all treatment decisions with your physician.
1. Getting Started & Setting a Course
As you prepare to begin treatment for cancer, it is important to take some time to set your intentions, define your priorities, and identify opportunities for healing and support.
More about getting started
2. Explore Stress Reduction Practices
Science tells us that psychological stress can affect the immune system, the body’s defense against infection and disease, including cancer. Reducing stress benefits us physically, mentally, and emotionally. The following resources may be useful in helping you practice relaxation and positive affirmation on your own.
- Shanti’s Guided Yoga MP3
- Shanti’s Progressive Relaxation (PDF)
- Health Journeys – Guided imagery recordings on cancer, chemotherapy, radiation, and general wellness.
More stress reduction resources
3. Nourish Yourself with Healthy Foods
Eating well is one of the most fundamental and accessible ways of promoting good health and living well through cancer treatment and beyond.
- Smith Center Cooking & Nutrition Classes with Chef Laura Pole and other great teachers
- AICR Nutrition Hotline – 800.843.8114
- Environmental Working Group – Publishes the “Dirty Dozen” list of top foods to buy organic each year.
Cookbooks & Cancer Diet Information
- A Taste of Smith Farm Center – Laura Pole (read it at our library!)
- Cancer Fighting Kitchen – Rebecca Katz w/ Mat Edelson
- Soul Savory Cookbook– Smith Center, Ed. Laura Pole (order from Smith Center)
- What to Eat If You Have Cancer: Healing Foods that Boost Your Immune System – Daniella Chace and Maureen Keane, MS
More nutrition & nourishment resources
4. Soak Up Wisdom, Find Inspiration
We recommend the following books and journals to help you gain perspective or dive deeper into various aspects of living with illness.
- Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer, by Michael Lerner, PhD
- Healing Outside the Margins: The Survivors Guide to Integrative Cancer Care, by Carole O’Toole with Carolyn B. Hendricks, MD
- Anticancer: A New Way of Life, by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD
- Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal, by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
- The Definitive Guide to Cancer, Third Edition: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment, and Healing, (Alternative Medicine Guides) by Lise N. Alschuler, ND and Karolyn A. Gazella
- Cancer as a Turning Point: A Handbook for People with Cancer, Their Families, and Health Professionals, by Lawrence LeShan, Ph.D
- Life Over Cancer, by Keith Block, MD
5. Prioritize Emotional Support
The mental and emotional stress of living with cancer and undergoing treatment can be a serious challenge for both patients and caregivers — sometimes leading to greater problems in the long term. In 2008, the National Institute of Health set a new standard of care that includes psychosocial support through all stages of treatment. Caring for yourself emotionally is one of the most important things you can do to support yourself during and after a cancer experience.
- Join a Support Group or Cancer Retreat here at Smith Center
- Find a counselor, social worker, or psychiatrist with expertise in cancer-related distress through the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (866.276.7443) or Psychology Today’s – Find a Therapist DC website
- Find a local support group
More on emotional support and local support groups
6. Consider Complementary and Supportive Therapies
Many people find improved well-being, stress reduction, and relief of symptoms and treatment side effects through complementary therapies such as acupuncture, naturopathy, yoga, and massage. You can learn more about Complementary Therapies at our Retreats and Navigating Cancer Programs or online at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
- Acupuncture – Acupuncture is often sought by those undergoing conventional cancer treatment to lessen side effects, including nausea and fatigue. It can be a useful adjunct to pain medication and some evidence points to increased immune function. Patients report improved sleep, digestion and appetite.
- Bodywork & Oncology Massage – There are many forms of bodywork, each with its own benefits. These include Alexander Technique, Cranio-sacral Therapy, massage, Polarity Therapy, Rolfing, and Shiatsu.
Note: Concern has been expressed over the use of vigorous bodywork in the presence of metastatic disease. Please consult with your oncologist prior to starting any bodywork. - Naturopathy – Naturopathy focuses considerable attention on nutrition to improve immune function and strengthen the body, can help reduce the side effects of treatment, relieves the burden of minor illnesses, and can relieve depression and anxiety.
- Reiki & Energy Healing – Reiki is one form of energy healing, along with healing touch, therapeutic touch, Barbara Brennan Energy Healing and others. Anecdotal reports credit this modality with decreasing stress and anxiety, reducing fatigue, increasing stamina, and deepening emotional and spiritual growth. It is also reported to aid in the recovery of emotional and physical trauma and may minimize the side effects of conventional cancer treatments.
- Yoga, Meditation, QiGong & Tai Chi – In general, these practices can improve relaxation and reduce stress, ease anxiety and depression, support the immune system, decrease pain, improve alignment, circulation and flexibility, and lower heart and respiration rates.
More information about choosing complementary therapies
HEALING CIRCLES & SUPPORT GROUPS
RECURRING PROGRAMS
YOUNG ADULT CANCER PROGRAMS
What is Integrative Cancer Care?
At Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, we believe that every individual has the ability and right to thrive, find meaning, and maintain hope even in the face of life’s most difficult challenges.
Through the Institute for Integrative Oncology Navigation, we support those affected by cancer and train navigators across the country with these principles in mind. Our unique model of navigation contains elements of psychosocial support, experiential instruction in complementary modalities, and holistic practices while including more traditional navigation strategies.
The concept of integrative cancer care is gaining ground through institutional interest, patient demand and research demonstrating its personal and economic value in healthcare.
Integrative oncology has been defined by the Society for Integrative Oncology as “a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilizes mind and body practices, natural products, and/or lifestyle modifications from different traditions alongside conventional cancer treatments. Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum and to empower people to prevent cancer and become active participants before, during, and beyond cancer treatment.” (Clinical Practice Guidelines for Integrative Oncology)
Integrative cancer care involves the appropriate use of adjunctive, evidence-based complementary therapies in the care and support of cancer patients.
Research has shown that modalities such as acupuncture, bodywork, nutrition, mind-body skills, and emotional counseling, used alongside conventional western medicine, can offer patients a deeper level of support through the challenges of cancer.
These therapies offer a wide range of benefits, from therapeutic anti-cancer effects and treatment side effect management to reducing stress and anxiety and supporting patients emotionally and spiritually through their cancer experience.
The mission is to ensure all people facing cancer and their caregivers are assisted by trained navigators who:
- Provide skilled whole-person support along the entire cancer continuum and
- Facilitate access to appropriate, evidence-based integrative cancer care resources in conjunction with their medical care
Our goals are to:
- Educate navigators in the provision of quality integrative cancer care and whole-person navigation,
- Establish integrative navigation as the standard of care for oncology navigation programs nationwide, and
- Raise awareness of integrative oncology navigation within the medical profession, cancer survivor community, and the general public.
I am grateful for the opportunity
to witness the power of a paradigm.
Smith Center is setting the standard
for what integrative navigation can be,
a paradigm for the field to follow.
– Kent, Training Participant
At Smith Center, our integrative navigators focus on engaging people in using their innate healing abilities to live better and potentially longer lives. Our goal is to empower each person to take a more active role in their healing and well-being through education, information, connection to community, assistance with resources, and emotional support.
We create a safe confidential space for individuals to explore their personal challenges in living with cancer, wherever they are on their journey – newly diagnosed, moving through treatment, focused on recovery, or dealing with a recurrence. We work alongside you to make your experience less stressful and more in alignment with your life so that your unique needs and circumstances are addressed.
Our integrative navigation model advocates the use of integrative therapies that can support the individual physically in better coping with the side effects of cancer and its treatments as well as supporting recovery and overall wellness. We also offer many creative resources that address the emotional and spiritual issues raised by a cancer diagnosis, offering opportunities for healing on all levels.
Meet our Navigation Team
To request navigation services, simply complete the Navigation Services Request Form or call Smith Center at 202-483-8600 during business hours.
At Smith Center, we are deeply committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. We recognize the unique challenges faced by individuals within this population, especially when navigating health and wellness, and we are proud to offer a variety of programs specifically designed to meet their needs.
LGBTQIA+ Cancer Support Group
Monthly on the 4th Wednesday of each month from 6-7pm EST (on Zoom)
Designed for adults diagnosed with cancer who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Facilitated by a culturally competent social worker. Caregivers are welcome to attend with their loved one.
A Healing Circle – Support Group for Gay Men with Prostate Cancer
Monthly on the 4th Thursday of each month from 7-8:30pm EST (on Zoom)
A peer-led community of gay men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer or are recovering from treatment.
LGBTQIA+ Morning Meditation
Weekly on Tuesdays from 7:30-8am EST (on Zoom)
We come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit.
Healing Circle: Grupo de Apoyo LGBTQIA+ con Cáncer de Próstata Para Hispanoparlantes (en Español)
Primer lunes de cada mes de 13:30 a 15:00 EST (en Zoom)
Este grupo en castellano va dirigido al colectivo LGBTQIA+ con cáncer de próstata con el objetivo de dar apoyo y compartir experiencias a lo largo del proceso.
We also invite you to check out our other free cancer support and wellness programs including gentle yoga, support groups, expressive arts, cooking, and short-term therapy.
For more information and to register, visit www.smithcenter.org or email [email protected].
Please feel free to share these opportunities with anyone in your network who may be interested.
Click on the buttons below to download PDFs of each flyer:
Our Sponsors:
Our work in integrative patient navigation has received generous financial support over the years from national and local organizations, including Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Palette Fund, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, the Quality Health Foundation and the DC Cancer Consortium.
Special thanks to The Palette Fund, honoring the work of Rand Harlan Skolnick through innovative, collaborative programs in Patient Navigation, Nutrition and Wellness, and supporting the LGBTQIA Community.
1632 U St NW
Washington DC 20009
[email protected]
202.483.8600
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