Support Groups

Are you tired of bouncing checks, paying late fees and having creditors knocking at your door? Debtors Anonymous is a 12-step support group for compulsive spenders, debtors and underearners. Call 303-430-2811 for meeting information. The Rafael Spiritual Healing Center, a program of Jewish Family Service of Colorado, provides counseling and support for people who are grieving, living with chronic illness or caring for someone who is ill. Spiritual Healing Bereavement support group meets weekly. Call 303-597-7777, ext. 392, for next start date. Strength Through Sharing, for families who have an adult child, spouse or adult family member with chronic mental illness, meets two Thursday mornings each month. Info: 303-597-7777, ext. 307. Support groups run eight weeks, cost $10 per session, and incorporate both spiritual and psychological counseling. For more information about Rafael Spiritual Healing Center programs and resources, contact Cynthia Heller, Healing Center coordinator, at 303-597-5000, ext. 392, cheller@jewishfamilyservice.org, or Rabbi Eliot Baskin, Jewish community chaplain, at 303-597-5000, ext. 351, ebaskin@ jewishfamilyservice.org. A Recovery Group for addicts to assist other addicts in achieving and maintaining sobriety meets the second Monday of each month, 7:30p.m., at First Universalist Church, 4101 E. Hampden Ave. Since some people struggle with traditional ideas about god or a higher power, this group encourages people to openly explore and discuss issues of faith, god and spirituality in less traditional ways; it is an addition to 12-step programs, not a replacement. Info: 303-759-2770, ext. 25, or email: paul@firstuniversalist.org. The Englewood Meridian Parkinson’s Disease Support Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month, 10a.m.-noon, at 3455 S. Corona St. (8th floor), to share information and offer mutual support in a spirit of self-acceptance. For information, call 303-843-0147. Drug problem? Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a non-profit fellowship of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. Recovering addicts meet regularly to help each other stay clean. To find out more, call 303-832-DRUG (3784) or visit www.nadenver.com. The Eating Disorder Foundation offers two free support groups. A gathering of family and friends meets the first and third Thursday of every month, 6-8p.m. For those struggling with an eating disorder themselves, meetings take place the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, 6-8p.m. All groups meet in the lower level conference room at 3003 E. 3rd Ave. Info: 303-322-3373. Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous is a 12-step program for individuals who want to recover from eating addictively. No dues, fees or weigh-ins. Meetings are held in Denver on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7-8:30p.m. For information and meeting location, call Robin, 303-425-9691, or Janet, 303-847-1314. Life can be fun again. Denver Family Institute offers group counseling in treatment of depression, anxiety, grief/loss, divorce/remarriage, dating issues, school worries, family conflicts, low self-esteem or other individual or relational problems. Info: 303-756-3340 or www.denverfamilyinstitute.org. Schizophrenia Anonymous, a group for persons diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder, meets weekly on Mondays, 7-8p.m., at the Mental Health Center of Denver, 4141 E. Dickenson Pl. (near Yale Ave. and Colorado Blvd.). Info: 303-717-8808. ACEP Caregivers Support Group meets the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 6:30-8p.m. at Malley Senior Center, 3380 S. Lincoln St., 6:30-8p.m. ACEP (Adult Children/Caregivers of Elderly Parents) meetings provide information, resources and networking for caregivers of elderly parents, spouse or friends, along with monthly speakers and events with eldercare professionals. Free to the public. Info: visit www.acepsupport.com or call 720-272-2846. Workaholics Anonymous: Do you have a problem overworking or overscheduling? Have your long work hours hurt your family or other relationships? Workaholics Anonymous is open to everyone who wants to stop working compulsively. No dues, fees or requirements. Meetings are every Tuesday, 5:45p.m., at Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church, 11th Ave. and Fillmore St. Info: 720-565-9799 or www.workaholics-anonymous.org. Meetings of Marijuana Anonymous, 3021 S. University Blvd. (south door, church). Tuesday, 7:30p.m. (open meeting). Sunday, 5:30p.m. (closed, for addicts only). Tuedays: meetings at 600 Gilpin St. (at 6th Ave., church). North-most door on Gilpin. Open meeting at 6p.m.; Women’s meeting at 7:30p.m. Arrive early; doors are locked at meeting start time. Help-line: 303-607-7516. If you desire to quit marijuana, come to a meeting. An Alanon meeting, Family Serenity, with a wonderful playroom and shared childcare by members, meets at noon on Tuesdays at 1991 S. Oneida St., Cross of Glory Lutheran Church. Info: Kate, 303-300-0410 or Tom, 303-364-0086. T.O.P.S., your guide to Take Off Pounds Sensibly, invites everyone to have fun while learning to take off weight with a healthy lifestyle. Meets Tuesdays, 9:30a.m., program 10-11a.m., at Cook Park Recreation Center, 7100 Cherry Creek Dr. S. First visit free, low fee thereafter. “Glendale Hope,” a chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous, meets Sundays, 7-9p.m., in the North Glendale Community Center, 5050 E. Center Ave. (across from Mir Park). Co-Dependents Anonymous: A 12-step program to learn about people pleasing, feeling “good enough,” relationships, emotions, behaviors, addictions, yourself, tools of recovery. Begin by sharing about life; then slowly learn to see what you need to see. Meeting info-line: 303-592-3936. If you have MS (or you know someone who has it) and would like to talk to other people who have MS or want to learn more about the disease, contact the National MS Society – Colorado Chapter for information on counseling, support groups, workshops and more: 303- 831-0700. Young and Positive, a support group for young people living with HIV, meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 4p.m. For location or questions, call Myles Mendoza at 1-888-837-7358, ext. 2. The CHIP Youth Project provides treatment for youth ages 13-24. For details, visit www.chipteam.org. The Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group meets the fourth Thursday of the month, 6p.m., in the American Cancer Society Conference Center, 2253 S. Oneida St. The group serves to educate and provide support for those who have prostate cancer and is open to men of all ages and those who care about them. Parking and entrance at the rear of the building. Info: 303-758-2030, ext. 416. American Chronic Pain Association Support Group meets on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at Swedish Medical Center, 501 E. Hampden. The group is for people who suffer from chronic pain (of at least six months’ duration). The purpose of the group is to find ways to live productively with the pain and to lessen the influence pain has on your life. Info: 303-781-5914. Chronic Pain Support Group meets weekly, 1st and 4th Mondays and 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays, at Pain Solutions, 3600 E. Alameda Ave., Suite 200. Meet and bond with other chronic pain survivors. Info: Jody Faletta, 720-941-1226, info@painsolutionsinc.com. An ovarian cancer support group meets monthly at Swedish Medical Center, 501 E. Hampden Ave., third Wednesdays, 6:15-7:45p.m., in conference room Spruce B. No charge. For more information or to RSVP, call Kelly Topf, 303-788-4668. LifeRing Secular Recovery is a non-profit, abstinence-based peer support group for recovering alcoholics and addicts. Meetings are held Mondays and Thursdays, 6-7p.m., at Washington Park United Church of Christ, 400 S. Williams (alley entrance). Info: call 303-830-0358 or visit www.unhooked.com. Hep C Connection offers free monthly support groups to people living with hepatitis C, as well as their family members. Call 303-860-0800 for locations and times. The University of Denver Psychology Dept.’s couples clinic is now open for its 15th year, at sliding scale fees. Couples who want to improve their communication and conflict management skills can benefit; services are also offered to individuals whose partners are not willing to attend. Dr. Howard Markman supervises D.U. graduate students who staff the clinic. Info: 303-871-3306. The Couples Clinic is held every Saturday at Denver Family Institute, 7200 E. Hampden Ave., Suite 301. Couples and individuals with relationship concerns are welcome. All intimate relationships share many common problems and solutions; learn more through taking a short assessment. Child custody, divorce issues, depression, anxiety and other diagnostics are all incorporated into our services. For info or appointment, call Kyle Laxson at 303-838-5790. A free Breast Cancer support group is available for women interested in alternative therapies. The group meets weekly and is hosted by Julie Lovely-Ross, who has been an alternative health practitioner for more than a decade and has been dealing with her own breast cancer since October of 1993. Women in all stages of treatment and recovery are welcome. For information, call 303-777-1166.