Cancer Support Groups
Open Spirit is pleased to offer groups for people living with cancer and support groups for caregivers who are supporting people living with cancer. These are open, professionally facilitated groups offered at no charge to the participants. The groups offer a safe space to meet others facing similar challenges and a place to find comfort and companionship and to learn new ways to cope.
The support groups offered at OpenSpirit are facilitated by Nancy Gaulin, Psy.D., MBA and Jacqueline Harris.
Dr. Gaulin is a psychologist with a specialization in health psychology who has twenty-five years of experience in the Greater Boston area. She has worked in hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, community mental health and school settings working with children and adults. Dr. Gaulin received clinical training at The Wellness Community–Greater Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – Jimmy Fund Clinic and Boston Children’s Hospital. She co-founded Facing Cancer Together (FCT), a non-profit dedicated to providing support, education and wellness to people with cancer and their family members in 2009. She was Executive Director of FCT until 2019. Dr. Gaulin has a private practice on the grounds of Open Spirit. She offers individual, couples and family psychotherapy and facilitates many groups in the community. She is a Certificate Community Connector for the MetroWest Nonprofit Network Nonprofit Certificate program where she previously held positions as Board President and Board Member. She is also active on the Leadership team of Open Spirit.
Jacqueline Harris was a Boston Public Schools educator for thirty-one years. After a cancer diagnosis seventeen years ago, she began her association with Dr. Gaulin and Facing Cancer Together. She served as Board President, and facilitated cancer support groups at FCT in Newton and Brighton, the Roxbury Multiservice Center, and the Dorchester YMCA. She joined Dr. Gaulin’s private practice in 2023 where she provides group support for people with cancer, during and after treatment. She currently leads Writing for Healing workshops at Open Spirit for those processing illness, loss, or significant life changes.
Groups are free to all.
Cancer support at Open Spirit is offered weekly on Thursdays 2:00-4:00 pm via Zoom or the 2nd and 3rd Wednesdays from 6-8 pm in person. Intakes are required to attend these groups.
Caregiver support at Surviving Breast Cancer.org is offered the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom. Please register at: https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/event-details/the-caregiver-huddle-2025-09-16-19-00
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Inflammatory Breast Cancer Group at Surviving Breast Cancer.org is offered the 2nd Thursdays of the month from 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom. Please register at: https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/event-details/thursday-night-thrivers-ibc-meetup-2025-09-11-19-00
Metastatic Breast Cancer Group at Surviving Breast Cancer.org is offered the 3nd Thursdays of the month from 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom. Please register at: https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/event-details/mbc-support-group-with-nancy-gaulin-2025-09-18-19-00
For more information, please contact Nancy Gaulin at gaulinnancy@gmail.com or 617-584-5425.