BRCA in BC Virtual Support Group
BRCA in BC, in partnership with InspireHealth presents a series of Virtual Support Group Sessions that are intended to provide a space where carriers can meet to connect, supported by trained counsellors and learn more about topics of interest related to the BRCA genes from experts in the field.
Upcoming sessions:
Starting March 2024, sessions will run every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
Please note: You must to register for each session you plan on attending. Education Sessions are open to anybody interested. Support Group Sessions are only open to people impacted by BRCA for peer to peer connection.
Date: June 20 — Registration Closed
Join us on Thursday June 20th, for an education session titled “Talking about BRCA in the Family.” Our guest speaker will be Melanie O’Loughlin, a genetic counsellor at the BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program and member of the BRCA Support BC team.
Melanie originally trained in Melbourne, Australia, and graduated with a Master’s in Genetic Counselling in 2014. She has worked in Hereditary Cancer and Genomics in Melbourne before moving back to Canada in 2018 to join the BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program. Her current work focuses on providing longterm support for adults with hereditary cancer conditions via the Hereditary Cancer Follow-up Initiative at BC Cancer.
This engaging 90-minute session will discuss how to talk about the BRCA gene mutations in the family and will include a Q&A. Melanie will focus on issues mainly related to speaking about the gene with children and young people in a way that is age-appropriate. She will also touch on how to share information with adult relatives and offer resources to help.
About BRCA in BC
The BRCA in BC Virtual Support Group program includes one virtual education session and one virtual peer-to-peer support group session per month.
Each education session features an expert speaker on various topics of interest, with opportunities for Q&A. The peer-to-peer support group focuses on providing time for those impacted by BRCA, to give and receive peer support, with facilitation from a clinical counsellor or genetic counsellor. A nurse practitioner will be present to answer any health-related questions.
The peer-to-peer support session will be held every 1st Thursday of the month, and the educational session will be held every 3rd Thursday of the month.
Program Objectives
- To offer emotional support and information sharing for people and their families at risk of hereditary cancers.
- To provide education about hereditary cancers and related issues to improve understanding and personal decision-making.
- To collect data to assess the program and its effectiveness for funding continuation.
In partnership with:
