Overeaters Anonymous
Are you looking for a more effective means than last year to deal with extra weight? Overeaters Anonymous has the solution. We are a free 12 step recovery program where people find a way to enjoy life in appropriate sized bodies for years at a time – imagine that! Call OA at 781-641-2303 or visit our local website at www.oambi.org.
Cancer
The Wellness Community of Greater Boston, 1039 Chestnut St., Newton Upper Falls, offers a range of cancer support programs and networking groups. All programs are free to adults with a cancer diagnosis and their caregivers, and are held at The Wellness Community. For more information, call 617-332-1919.
Adoptive Families Together
Adoptive Families Together announces the following parent groups, parent-run confidential groups that share personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting:
Brookline Group – group leaders are Lori Bakshi and Heidi Schliesske, at Brookline Public Library, Main Branch, 361 Washington St., second floor conference room. Fourth Wednesday of each month, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Cambridge Group – group leaders are Nora O’Farrell and Randi Schalet, at Harvest Co-op, second floor community room, 581 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Third Friday of each month, 7 to 9 p.m.
For more information, call Lori Bakshi at 617-587-1522.
Working Moms Group
The Watertown Working Moms Group meets the first Wednesday evening of every month, 7:45-9:30 p.m. at the Watertown Family Network, 460 Main St. Phone 617-926-1661. From September to June, we meet once a month at the Network, including one book discussion, usually in January; in the summer we have weekend family playgroups and several mothers’ nights out at local restaurants.
No need to pre-register. Drop-ins, new and prospective members welcome. Infants gladly seen (although please leave older children at home). We have members of a variety of professions, working schedules, and children’s ages. This is an informal discussion group coordinated by volunteer peer moms; no professional facilitators are involved.
Bereavement
VNA Care Network’s hospice program, Hospice of Cambridge, offers a free bereavement support group from 6 to 8 p.m. on alternate Thursdays at the Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle St., Cambridge, near the Harvard Square T Station. Meetings are in Sherrill Hall, classroom 1E.
The group is open to adults who are coping with the loss of a loved one due to death. For more information, call Webb Brown, hospice chaplain, at 617-972-1702, ext. 3463.
Co-dependents Anonymous
Co-dependents Anonymous, a support group for women who seek healthy relationships with self and others, meets Saturdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 80 Mount Auburn St. Meetings are in the young adult room. Call Edie S. at 781-891-4767.
Eating disorders
The Massachusetts Eating Disorder Association, a non-profit agency, has support groups to help individuals who suspect themselves or a friend of suffering from eating disorder.
C-T-R, Connect-to-Recovery groups, are weekly support groups lead by trained facilitators who themselves have fully recovered from an eating disorder. There’s no limit on how often participants can attend. To find out more, call MEDA at 617-558-1881, or visit the Web site at medainc.org.
Music Stay-and-Play classes
Registration is open for the winter/spring series of Music Stay-and-Play classes at WarmLines, 225 Nevada St., Newton. WarmLines invites young children from 3 months to 3.5 years, along with their adult partners, to gather for music and movement followed by playtime for informal fun with friends. Classes are Thursday or Friday mornings.
Register online at www.warmlines.org or call 617-244-INFO for more information.
Families Anonymous
Families Anonymous is a 12-step, self-help support program for parents, grandparents, relatives and friends who are concerned about and affected by the substance abuse or behavioral problems of a loved one. Meetings take place on Sundays, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 6 Eddy St., Waltham. Meetings are open to the public, but “the person with the problem” or children under 15 are discouraged from attending. The meetings are not wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 800-736-9805 or go to FamiliesAnonymous.org.
Have you lost someone to suicide?
Safe Place is a free, ongoing and confidential support group for people who have lost loved ones to suicide. Meetings take place the first and third Thursday of each month from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Grace Episcopal Church, 160 High St., Medford. Each Safe Place meeting is facilitated by trained volunteers who have also lost a loved one to suicide. The meetings are sponsored by the Samaritans and provide survivors with a forum to grieve, share difficulties and remember loved ones. It offers a space to share their stories and receive support and understanding.
For directions and more information, call Kim Kates at 617-536-2460.
Medically Induced Trauma
Medically Induced Trauma Support Services, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support to patients, family members, and health care professionals affected by medical trauma and adverse medical outcomes, is offering a support group. The group meets at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Outpatient Services in Brookline on Tuesday evenings. MITSS is headquartered in Mansfield and services the greater Boston area. For more information on services or upcoming support groups, call 888-36-MITSS or visit mitss.org.
New Beginnings
New Beginnings of Wellesley Hills is a safe, supportive singles support group for anyone going through loss due to death, divorce or separation. The group meets 52 weeks a year every Thursday, from 6:45 to 9 p.m., at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, 207 Washington St.
For more information, visit singlessupportgroup.org. For weekly updates, call 781-235-8612.
Overeaters Anonymous
Meetings for a 12-step program for recovery from overeating, anorexia and bulimia will take place in Watertown, Mondays from 7 to 8 a.m., at the First Parish Church, 35 Summer St. and at St. John United Methodist Church, 84 Mount Auburn St. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at noon.
For more information about meetings throughout New England, call Overeaters Anonymous offices in Arlington, at 781-641-2303.
PAL Parents
Wayside Youth Family Support Network, 406 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, hosts a free support group for parents of youth affected by mental health challenges. Many topics and areas of interest will be explored, and no commitment is required. Occasional guest speakers will attend.
The group meets the first and third Thursday of each month, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. For more information call Anne Sullivan, parent support coordinator, at 781-643-2580, ext. 123.
Parenting
Are you feeling frustrated or overwhelmed as a parent? We know parenting isn’t easy. That’s why Parents Helping Parents hosts free and confidential parent support groups in many locations throughout Massachusetts. At a parent support group, you will find a caring, non-judgmental community of parents who can offer practical advice and experience. Free child care is provided in some locations. Call toll-free, 1-800-632-8188, for more information on the group nearest you.
Asthma and food allergies
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter, sponsors educational support group programs for people coping with allergies and asthma. Regional support groups that serve Watertown residents meet in Newton and Lexington. Upcoming topics will address allergy testing, food allergy management at school, anxieties in children with food allergies, and an update on research and treatment options.
There is no charge and pre-registration is not required. For more information, or to be notified about meetings and programs, call 781-444-7778 or visit asthmaandallergies.org.
Moms in Touch International
Moms in Touch International is a prayer group for women who care about each other, their children and the schools. The public is invited to join the group the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the Lucia Mastrangelo room at the Watertown Library. Childcare is provided.
For more information, call Denise Passaretti at 508-272-4128 or Kelley Becker at 617-926-5102.
Addison’s Disease
New England Addison’s Disease Support Group. Meets quarterly. Sponsored by the National Adrenal Disease Foundation. For more information, call 617-926-8767.
Parenting a relative’s child
Cambridge Family and Children’s Service offers a weekly support group for people who are parenting a relative’s child. This is a support group for anyone who is caring full-time for the children of their kin. The group meets Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Cambridge Family and Children’s Service, 929 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. The group is free. Call Michelle David at 617-876-4210 for more information.
Polycystic Kidney Disease
The Greater Boston PKD Support Group meets on the first Thursday of the month at the Robbins Library, 700 Mass Ave., Arlington. Join us in meeting other individuals whose lives have been affected by polycystic kidney disease. For more information, contact Sosi Toomajanian at 617-924-7784, or e-mail s.toomajanian@att.net. The group is organized by the Northeast Chapter of the PKD Foundation.
Suicide
The Samaritans of Boston provides a support group for people who have lost loved ones to suicide. Safe Place is facilitated by trained volunteers of the Samaritans of Boston and takes place on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, from 7 to 9 p.m. Group meets at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, fifth floor, Shapiro Building, JCRT Radiation Conference Room. Call 617-536-2460.
The ties that bind
“The Ties That Bind” is an education and support program to help people caring for relatives’ children because of parental alcohol and drug abuse. A cost of mailing handbook is available by calling 212-595-5810, ext. 7763, e-mail ksummer@phoenixhouse.org, or send a self-addressed envelope to: Kiki Samuels, Children of Alcoholics Foundation, 164 West 74th St., New York, NY 10023.
Young widowed group
The young widowed group of Greater Boston, a support group for widows and widowers, meets the fourth Tuesday of each month, 7 to 8:30 p.m., from September through June, at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham in conference room A, lower level.
Those who have been widowed at a young age or widowed in the past but would still benefit from interaction with others in the same situation are welcome to join. This informal support group is open to all men and women regardless of age or length of time widowed.
For information, visit widow.meetup.com/38 or e-mail Olive McMeel at omcmeel07@comcast.net.