Yes, Wellspring’s Breast Cancer Support Group is a professionally facilitated, 8-week program specifically for women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer or currently in treatment, designed to create a genuine community of people who truly understand what you’re facing. Sessions run weekly for 8 weeks for 90 minutes each and are led by a professional group leader, often co-facilitated by a trained breast cancer survivor who brings her own lived experience into the room alongside professional guidance. You are invited to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with — common topics that come up across the 8 weeks include coping with treatment, body image, relationships, work, anxiety, and the deep sense of isolation that breast cancer can bring. As one participant put it: “I felt less alone after being a part of this program.”
Wellspring offers a dedicated Young Women’s Breast Cancer Support Group for patients aged 18 to 39, recognizing that breast cancer at a young age brings a distinct set of challenges that a general support group may not fully address. Concerns about fertility, the impact of treatment on reproductive health, body image, romantic relationships, and the feeling of being out of step with peers who can’t fully understand your experience are all central to what this group explores. The program runs for 8 weeks with weekly 90-minute sessions facilitated by a professional group leader, giving younger women a space to speak candidly with others at the same life stage who genuinely get it. Research consistently shows that this kind of peer support improves quality of life, reduces anxiety and depression, and reduces the isolation that many young women with breast cancer describe as one of the hardest parts of the diagnosis. consistently shows that this kind of peer support improves quality of life, reduces anxiety and depression, and reduces the isolation that many young women with breast cancer describe as one of the hardest parts of the diagnosis.
The Breast Cancer Support Group covers the full range of challenges that breast cancer brings — not just the medical side, but the emotional, relational, and practical dimensions that are often harder to talk about elsewhere. Common topics that arise across the program include coping with treatment side effects, navigating changes to body image and self-worth, work and disability concerns, shifts in relationships, anxiety, sleep, and feelings of isolation. Each 90-minute session is facilitated by a professional group leader and, when available, co-led by a trained breast cancer survivor — creating a space that is both professionally supported and grounded in real, lived experience. You share only what you feel comfortable sharing, and there is no pressure to disclose more than feels right for you.
The evidence behind breast cancer support groups is substantial and well-established. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated that professionally facilitated support groups for women with breast cancer lead to measurable improvements in quality of life, reduced pain, depression, and anxiety, stronger coping strategies, and in some cases improvements in immune function, treatment compliance, and family relationships. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology specifically examined the effectiveness of psychoeducational support groups for women with breast cancer and found meaningful benefits across both emotional and functional outcomes. Beyond the research, participants in Wellspring’s program consistently describe feeling less alone, better equipped to cope, and more connected to others who understand their experience in a way that friends and family sometimes cannot.
Yes, in addition to its structured support groups, Wellspring offers a growing library of self-paced video resources specifically for breast cancer patients and survivors, covering topics that are often difficult to find clear, compassionate information about. Available topics include breast cancer basics, genetic testing, adjuvant anti-hormonal therapy, survivorship and surveillance, mental health in breast survivorship, sexual health after breast cancer, restorative areola tattooing, and mindfulness for managing sexual health changes. There is also a resource specifically designed for young women navigating breast cancer survivorship, addressing the unique concerns of women diagnosed earlier in life. These resources are available on the Wellspring website and can be accessed at any time, on your own schedule. Visit Wellspring’s Self-Paced Resources page to browse the full video library and find the topics most relevant to where you are in your journey.