The group format will vary from program to program depending on the needs or desires of the community and the available resources to conduct the program.

The typical group format is a two-hour meeting held on a monthly basis. There are usually two parts to the meeting, an education presentation and a support and sharing session.

• Educational Presentation by a health care professional on a pre-selected topic followed by a question and answer session. The question and answer period after the speaker's presentation is often the most popular segment of the meeting. To ensure that helpful information emerges from this part of the meeting, members are encouraged to refrain from asking the speaker for medical advice.
• Support and Sharing in small group sessions led by trained facilitators. The sessions start with men and their partners introducing themselves and giving a brief account of their personal experience with prostate cancer. Discussion takes place around the common questions, concerns, and feelings of the group.

The American Cancer Society offers a visitation program to help men and their partners cope with prostate cancer. Man to Man Visitation Provides:

• One-on-one education and support from specially selected and trained prostate cancer survivors.
• Personal visits in a comfortable setting such as your own home or on the telephone.
• Willingness and ability to engage in open and candid discussions with you, and possibly your partner.
• No medical advice. Medical questions will be answered by your doctor. We will, however, help you phrase your question(s) so that you are more likely to receive the information you want.

Every community’s program is different, but many offer other services, as well. To learn more about the program or find to a volunteer where you live, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.

Revised: 4/4/07