There are many support groups for cancer patients. Look online and you’ll be staring at dozens within minutes. But what about the young mother diagnosed with breast cancer who wants to help her kids through this emotional, scary and uncertain time? Or the teen with bone cancer who is concerned about his younger siblings?

 “I kept seeing gaps in the support services offered for cancer patients,” said Moira Mulhern, co-founder and executive director of Turning Point in Kansas City. “I couldn’t find any time-limited, psychologically-oriented educational programs.”

So she started her own program in 2001.

“I literally woke up one morning, opened my eyes and this little voice in my head said, ‘it’s time to start this place’,” said Mulhern. “Traditional support groups are loosely structured. I wanted a place with a structured curriculum that was supportive in nature.”

In looking for a name, Mulhern came across a book titled Cancer as A Turning Point.

“I told a friend that would be a great name, but it was already taken,” Mulhern said. “She said, well, why not just call it Turning Point? Which was perfect.”

When someone is diagnosed with cancer or chronic illness, it stops them in their tracks, literally changing the course of their lives. It is a transformational experience. It is a turning point.

“We have 150 different programs that run for two, three or eight weeks each,” Mulhern said. “It’s more than education. There is a heavy support component, but the most important thing we do is provide people with the tools they need to transform their lives, to bend or bounce without breaking.”

The adult division is overseen by Mulhern. The children’s division is run by her partner, Liz Paugoulatos.

The underlying philosophy at Turning Point is resilience. Mulhern has identified 10 different facets that contribute to resiliency, and each of her programs trains one of these facets. They are:

1.  Ability to self calm

2.  Ability to self replenish

3.  Hope

4.  Sense of coherence

5.  Hardiness

6.  Exercise and other self care

7.  Optimism

8.  Emotional expressiveness

9.  Social support

10. Non-perfectionism 

“We use the model of hope that was created by author Rick Snyder,” said Mulhern. “Let’s say someone is diagnosed, they have a goal and they plan to reach it. But halfway through they find out they won’t get better. Then they need to change their goal to living well as opposed to living a long time. They can still have hope.”

To teach optimism, Mulhern starts with facts: optimists live longer, they recover from surgery faster. She helps patients identify their pessimism and try to change it. Patients learn to name three good things that happen in one day. Not what they’re grateful for, just three good things. A fresh breeze.  A cup of hot coffee. An unexpected smile.

Mulhern’s perks are plentiful, and they happen every day. Like the woman who came in and told Mulhern she was in turmoil and didn’t know how to express her feelings. She was a ball of anxiety and couldn’t settle down.

“In just one session, she found her way to inner peace,” said Mulhern. “And she has continued to grow with every program she has taken. She turned to me one day and said, ‘I found happy again.’ Those are the moments that make this worthwhile.”