Group
Group for people with secondary breast cancer
You don't have to face secondary breast cancer alone. Join a group and connect with people who understand in a safe, supportive space.
What are Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups?
Secondary breast cancer is full of uncertainties. Our group, Living with Secondary Breast Cancer, is here to offer you support, understanding and a community, no matter what your experience brings.
At our Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups, you'll be able to talk to other people like you and hear from experts. Whether you want to explore wellbeing, side effects, exercise – or just share what’s on your mind with people who understand what it’s really like to live with secondary breast cancer. Qualified counsellors facilitate all our sessions, so you’ll be able to talk, listen and learn.
About our groups
Our monthly Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups provide a safe space where you can share your experience or simply listen. There's no pressure to share and you're welcome to attend as many or as few sessions as you wish.
- In-person groups: Held monthly in easy-to-access locations across the UK. Every 3 months, we welcome an expert speaker to share insights on topics like fatigue, managing side effects or relationships.
- Online groups: Join our monthly online groups from anywhere in the UK. We offer various days and times to help you find a session that fits your schedule.
Are these groups for me?
Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups are for people who have received a secondary breast cancer diagnosis.
If you’re under 45 years old and have a secondary breast cancer diagnosis, we have a group especially for you, where you can meet other younger women with secondary breast cancer.
Find a groupWhat you can expect
Taking part online
In our Living with Secondary Breast Cancer online groups, we encourage you to keep your camera on. It helps everyone to feel more connected. We’ll also invite you to introduce yourself, ask any questions and contribute to group discussions if you want to.
Taking part in person
At Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups offer a chance to connect with others in your local area. Groups take place on a set day each month, usually at a local community centre, hotel or church. You can talk about what you’re going through with people who understand in a safe, supportive environment.
Signing up
You can find a Living with Secondary Breast Cancer group in a location that's suitable for you. Once you’ve signed up, we’ll send you an email confirming your place.
Group size
The groups typically have 6 to 12 people for both in-person and online sessions.
Group leaders
Our Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups are facilitated by qualified counsellors. You'll always be in a supported and knowledgeable environment. Please note that they can’t offer medical treatment or individual medical advice.
Length
Our in-person groups are 2 hours long. When we have a guest speaker, these sessions are 2.5 hours.
Online groups are 1.5 hours.
Privacy
All our groups are confidential, creating a safe and private space for you to share. At the start of every group, we remind everyone that what people share in the group stays in the group.
Refreshments (in-person)
We provide tea, coffee, water and biscuits.
Keeping in touch
Between group meetings, many people choose to keep in touch, but this is entirely up to you.
Getting to a group and accessibility
All in-person Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups take place in venues close to a train station and with parking on-site or nearby. Venues have accessible toilets and disabled car parking. Rooms are located on the ground floor or first floor with lift access.
Our online events take place on Zoom. We’ll send you some guidance about how to set up Zoom on your phone, tablet or laptop before the event. If you’re still having trouble, let us know and someone on the team can talk you through it.
If you need support to take part in an online or in-person group, call our team on 0345 077 1893 or email secondaryservices@breastcancernow.org. We’ll do what we can to make sure you can take part.
Find a groupAttending and cancelling
You don’t need to come along to every session. You're welcome to join as often as feels right for you.
We understand that sometimes you might not feel well enough to attend, plans changed unexpectedly and you might not be able to some anymore and that’s totally OK.
If you need to cancel, please let us know as soon as you can so that we can offer your place to someone on the waiting list. We’ll send you reminders leading up to the event, and you’ll be able to cancel your reservation on our online booking system.
Financial support
We believe everyone should have access to support. All our services are free thanks to our generous supporters.
But if you're worried about costs like travel, our Access Fund can help. Email us at accessfund@breastcancernow.org or call 0345 077 1893. We'll do our best to support you.
Healthcare professional referrals
If you’re a healthcare professional and would like to refer one of your patients to our group for people with secondary breast cancer, please use our dedicated referral form.
Refer nowThe emotional support is so helpful, and you can often find practical support from someone who has experienced the same side effects as you or gone through the same treatment.
More support
-
Talk to our nurses
Whether you’re going through treatment, worried about signs and symptoms or supporting someone you
love. If you’ve got a question, our nurses are here to help. -
Join our forum
Our forum is a safe, confidential, online space where you can talk about what’s on your mind in a with people who understand. Thousands of people affected by breast cancer use our forum. And they’re always
ready to share, listen and support each other.