Frequently Asked Questions

The mission of Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT is to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community. We create welcoming communities of free support for everyone living with cancer – men, women, teens, children and families. Our innovative programs are an essential complement to medical care, providing individual counseling, support groups, workshops, education and social activities. Since 2001, Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT has offered support for people whose lives have been touched by cancer… all types of cancer. It’s a warm, inviting place where everyone can come together to share their experiences. Free of charge and non–profit, Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT offers emotional support including group support and individual/family counseling, healthy lifestyle workshops and activities and social events in a nonresidential, yet home–like setting. At Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT, support, information, fellowship and understanding meet.

CSC is a global non-profit network of 175 locations, including CSC and Gilda’s Club centers, hospital and clinic partnerships and satellite locations that deliver more than $50 million in free support and navigation services to patients and families. CSC also conducts cutting-edge research on the emotional, psychological and financial journey of cancer patients and advocate at all levels of government for policies to help individuals whose lives have been disrupted by cancer.

Anyone touched by any type of cancer – women, men, children, teens and their families and friends are welcome at Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT. We also provide support to anyone who has experienced a cancer-related loss. Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT offers information, friendship, support and community in a warm, home-like environment.

Getting started is easy. Become a member by visiting the “Join Our Community” tab on our website. You will be asked to share basic information about yourself and your cancer experience and then invited to attend a New Member Orientation to learn more about all of our free supportive programs and services. You do not need a medical referral to join or participate. 

No. Everything is absolutely free of charge. Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT relies entirely on donations, fundraising and grants to fund all of our free programs.

The best time to come to Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT depends on you and where you are in your cancer journey. Some members come to us right after a diagnosis or a loss while others come to us later in their journey. The primary purpose of Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT services is to provide support to members throughout their cancer journey. This journey looks different for everyone and can be through active treatment, maintenance treatment, remission for a period of up to 18 months or after the loss of a loved one to cancer. If you are looking for support during your cancer journey, Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT has a variety of active treatment, post-treatment, and bereavement programs that can support you. We encourage you to speak with an Oncology Social Worker who can recommend the services that will best support you.

At a New Member Orientation, you will be joined by other new members, to meet one of our Oncology Social Workers. We will share information about what programs and services Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT  has to offer including support groups, counseling services, educational workshops, healthy lifestyle classes, and social activities. We will also share about the Cancer Support Community resources available to you as a member of CSCNYCT. At the end of the New Member Meeting, you will be given information on how to sign up for our programs. New Member Meetings are offered weekly. See our calendar for dates and to register.

Are you interested in joining one of our support groups or receiving counseling services? This one-on-one Support Planning Meeting with one of our social workers will give you the opportunity to share your cancer experience and help us match you with the services that will best support you. Please note: Support Planning Meetings are for new members who recently attended a New Member Orientation or for current members who would like to discuss their support options at CSCNYCT.

A distinguished medical board of oncologists, family physicians and therapists support Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT. Visit the Medical Resource Council and Program Task Force for more information. Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT is proud to partner with a number of Hospitals and Medical Groups. Please see our clinical partnerships page for more information Clinical and Community Partnerships.

Even though Gilda Radner had ovarian cancer, Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT is not just for women with ovarian cancer. It’s for men and women of all ages, as well as for teenagers and children. It’s for all people living with all types of cancer, and for their families and friends or those who have experienced a cancer-related loss.

Support groups offer a warm and welcoming space for support and connection throughout your cancer journey. Research suggests that they can even help to reduce the three most significant stressors associated with cancer: unwanted aloneness, loss of control and loss of hope. CSCNYCT offers support groups for individuals living with cancer, those who are post-treatment, caregivers of a loved one with cancer and bereavement groups for those who have lost a loved one to cancer. Support groups are facilitated by a licensed clinician and provide a safe space for you to share your feelings openly with others who are going through a similar cancer journey. At CSCNYCT, we believe community is stronger than cancer and being part of a support group gives you a community to which you can belong. 

Short-term counseling consists of up to six sessions of one-on-one or family sessions with a licensed clinician. These 45-minute sessions are a time to make space and to help process your cancer experience in an individualized setting. Counseling is proven to help improve communication and manage emotions more effectively.

After a parent or guardian attended the New Member Orientation , you can speak with our Children Teens and Families Manager to discuss support options for your child/teen.

Consider attending our  “How to talk to Kids” workshops or chat with a child life specialist,  facilitated by our Children Teens and Families Manager.  You do not need to be a Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT member to join the meeting. 

These workshops can be found on our calendar: HERE 

Once you have attended a New Member meeting, you can begin to sign up for any healthy lifestyle classes and educational programs listed on our calendar. Go to our calendar HERE. You can register for the event right from the calendar. You will receive a confirmation and the link to the zoom meeting.

All of the information you provide is confidential and is not shared outside of Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT. We ask for demographic information and information about your cancer and/or loss in order to plan programs that are helpful to members. We also provide statistics to funders so that we can keep all of our programs and services free of charge. These statistics never contain any identifying information.

Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT depends on volunteers to sustain and support our organization. If you’re interested in volunteering at Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT, please contact us at 914.644.8844 or fill the volunteer application Volunteer Application.

CSCNYCT is funded by the generous monetary and in-kind donations of private individuals, corporations and foundations as well as through several special events that take place throughout the year. CSCNYCT also receives funding and support from grants and community partners to provide programming. To support us, please visit our Donate page. All proceeds directly benefit members of Cancer Support Community Greater NY & CT.