Job Description

The Support Group Facilitator is responsible for the facilitation of support groups for people affected by cancer at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley (CSC). Support Group Facilitators are expected to represent CSC’s mission, core concepts, and philosophy.

Key Responsibilities

Facilitator Role Overview

· Complete introductory training to become versed in CSC philosophy and model; reading Facilitator Training Manual; and attending a Clinical Team Meeting. Additional meetings with the Program and Clinical Director will be scheduled to discuss observations and review training manual;

· Facilitate one or more support group for people affected by cancer (patient, friends & family, bereavement, children’s corner). Groups that currently need coverage are: 

• Monday in person Early Stage Breast Cancer Support Group (in Sierra Madre) from 6:00pm - 7:30pm
• Monday virtual Patient Group from 11:00am - 12:30pm
• Thursday virtual Early Stage Breast Cancer Support Group from 11:30am - 1:00pm
• Thursday in person Patient Group (in Sierra Madre) from 6:00pm - 7:30pm

· Attend weekly 90-minute Clinical Team Meeting, scheduled on Mondays from 1pm to 2:30pm;

· Model professionalism to training program attendees and facilitator colleagues;

· When facilitating a Support Group, take informal notes to follow group progress;

· Communicate regularly via phone, email, and/or video meetings with CSC administrative and clinical staff;

· Manage CSC-related communications with support group members, healthcare professionals, and potential attendees;

· Be responsible for finding substitute coverage for any planned absences. Notify Program and Clinical Director of absences due to illness/emergency/unplanned absences. Coverage requests are discussed in Clinical Team Meeting;

Group Facilitation in CSC Model

· Within the framework of the Cancer Support Community model, help group members share their cancer related experiences in regularly scheduled group meetings;

· Assist groups of people affected by cancer to explore positive and negative emotions, better understand and reduce distress, and improve their quality of life;

· Help to assure that members gain knowledge and information from one another to become more active in their cancer treatment and recovery (Patient Active Model);

· Does not serve or present oneself as an expert in cancer or cancer treatment; and

· Overall, helps CSC participants discover ways to reduce their sense of isolation, regain a sense of control, and find hope so that they can cope with and hopefully recover from their cancer

Skills & Experience

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Successful candidates must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university; must be licensed in the state of California through the Board of Psychology or Board of Behavioral Sciences (e.g., LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, PhD, or PsyD). A minimum of 1-3 years of experience in group facilitation is preferred.