Support Groups

We offer FREE virtual and in-person support groups and workshops on a variety of topics.  Be sure to register early to ensure space is reserved for you.   ​
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Here are some other community agencies who host free support groups: 

• Community Justice Initiatives
• Self-Help & Peer Support
• Camino 
• Porchlight (Cambridge)
• Crow Shield Lodge
• Community Healthcaring KW​​

Groups 

Open Session Groups (Drop-In)
Register to receive a Zoom link or location information, and join when you can!

Empower50+ In-Person Kitchener Group

​​Date: Monday, June 9 - Every second Monday of the month 
Times: 10am to 11:30am
Location: SASC Office, 151 Frederick St. Kitchener
Refreshments will be provided, and bus tickets will be available. 

Empower50+ is a warm and welcoming in-person support group for female-identified survivors of sexual violence aged 50 and older. This group is a space for connection, empowerment, and solidarity — where lived experience is honoured and healing is shared.

Our goals are to reduce loneliness, build community and empower survivors to lead change against sexual violence and elder abuse

Come as you are — to share, listen, or simply be. Confidential, trauma-informed, and facilitated by trained staff.

This group is made possible thanks to funding from the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program. 

REGISTER NOW

Craft & Chat: Weekly In-Person Kitchener Group

​Date: Weekly on Mondays
Times: 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: SASC Office, 151 Frederick St. Kitchener

Craft & Chat is a weekly in-person craft group for survivors. In this group we provide an informal space to socialize or sit quietly in a caring community of survivors, while exploring new arts and craft activities. Participants are welcome to bring in their own craft projects, use our supplies, or to simply sit and chat. This group is for women, women-identified and non-binary survivors. Registration required

REGISTER NOW

The Art of Healing - Virtual

Date: Every other Thursday
Time:  1:00 - 2:30 PM 
Location: Online

This virtual expressive arts-based program will use various forms of media in hopes of exploring healing themes. No artistic experience is required. You will need a blank canvas (blank, lined paper, canvas, etc) and something to create with (pens, markers, pencil crayons, paint, etc.). Artist Elfie Kalfakis will co-facilitate this group. This group is for women, women-identified and non-binary survivors.

REGISTER NOW

Rainbow of Healing

IN PERSON
Date: Monthly on the 2nd Thursday, from January through June 2025
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. 
Location: SPECTRUM, 283 Duke Street West, Unit 210, Kitchener 
Parking and Accessibility info can be found here: Contact SPECTRUM Waterloo Region or Visit our space (ourspectrum.com) 

VIRTUAL
Date: Monthly on the 4th Thursday, spanning February to April 2025
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Please register to be sent the Zoom Link

Join our monthly support group for 2S and LGBTQIA+ survivors of sexual violence. Facilitated by and for members of the Rainbow community, the Rainbow of Healing welcomes survivors of all sexualities and gender identities over the age of 16 to connect for mutual support and empowerment. 

Each meeting will incorporate discussion and activities dedicated to accessing joy, affirming our Rainbow identities, and building a sense of community with one another as survivors. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

REGISTER NOW

Exploring Movement: 30 Minutes of Gentle Strength & Stability for Survivors - Virtual

​Date: Mondays (paused June through August)
Time: 7:30 - 8:00 PM 
Location: Online/Zoom

This is a 30-minute virtual class for folks who would like to explore adding movement to their day. This class will include a gentle warmup, stretches, and some stability exercises that can be modified to suit every individual. All you need to bring is you!

Facilitated by Meagan Walker from Resilience in Motion

Register Now

PAUSED - Empower Together: Weekly Online Group

​Date: Weekly on Wednesday
Times: 3:30 p.m. to 5pm
Location: Online/Zoom

Empower Together is a weekly online support group for survivors by survivors. Through sharing our lived experience, we connect, heal, and empower together. Topics will range from safety, self-worth, relationships, boundaries, and hope/resilience. This group is for women, women-identified and non-binary survivors. Registration required.

​This group has been paused, you can still register below to be notified when it is active again. 

REGISTER NOW

Closed Session Groups 

Healing Horizons for Black and Racialized Survivors - Summer 2025

Join our 8-week support group for Black and racialized women identifying as survivors of gender-based violence. This group aims to provide a safe and supportive space for sharing experiences and fostering healing, empower participants through community building and mutual support, offer resources and tools for coping with trauma and promoting well-being, facilitate discussions on the unique challenges faced by Black and racialized women, and promote resilience and self-advocacy among participants.

We are proud to partner with Kind Minds Family Wellness to offer this group. 

Date: Thursday, July 3, 2025 for 8 weeks
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Kind Minds Family Wellness - 2 King Street West, Kitchener​
What's Provided: 

• Bus tickets
• Child Care 

• Light Supper 

* Spots are limited, so we encourage early registration to secure your place. 

Healing Horizons is supported by the Racial Equity Fund, the George Chatziz Fund, Weiland Family Foundation, The Moe Norman Memorial Fund, Strahan Chan Community Endowment Fund, and the Donald Lynes Family Fund all held at Waterloo Region Community Foundation

Register Now

Pathfinders Pre-Counselling Group

Date: Fall, 2025
Time: TBD
Hybrid Location: In Person at SASC Office, 151 Frederick Street, Unit 300, Kitchener, Ontario and online via Zoom
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Pathfinders is a 4-week group program designed to help sexual trauma survivors go from isolation to belonging in a healing community. By establishing a foundation of safety and well-being, members will tap into their strengths and abilities to take charge of their healing journey.

Participants are introduced to the effects of trauma on the brain and body, along with how it can impact thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and explore how common trauma reactions such as flight, fright, freeze, and fawn show up in their lives.

Next, new skills and tools are introduced that can help relieve some of the physical, psychological and emotional discomforts that many experience, helping to restore calm, clarity of mind, confidence, improved emotional management, and overall well-being.

Finally, we consider what healing might look like and discuss various resources and services that are available while recognizing that the path to healing looks different for everyone. 

This group is open to survivors of all genders over the age of 16. 

REGISTER NOW

Into The Light: Healing from Childhood Sexual Trauma - Fall 2025

Date: Fall 2025
Time: TBD
Location: TBD

A 12-week virtual group for survivors healing from childhood sexual trauma. As part of a community of survivors we will explore coping tools, sleep, emotional regulation, addiction, shame, the inner child, relationships, boundaries, resilience, acceptance and the sacred path to healing. ​This group is for women, women-identified and non-binary survivors.

Please note that this group is only open to those who live within Waterloo Region (Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, North Dumfries, Woolwich, Wellesley, and Wilmot).

Register NOW

FEEDBACK FROM WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS...

“I found the workshop very organized and well thought out.”

“I liked the flow of the agenda”

“I appreciated the open dynamic. It kept it engaging.”

“I liked the detailed content provided and the inclusiveness.”
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“It’s really nice to know that others struggle with the same things I do.”