Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington is offering a 10 week therapeutic support group for survivors of sexual abuse. The group will meet Mondays 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. starting Oct. 17 to Dec. 19 in Arlington. For more information call Patricia Mudd, Victim Assistance Coordinator at 703-841-2530.
The 17th annual Well Spouse Conference will be held Oct. 21-23 at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, 1401 Lee Highway. The three-day conference provides guidance, advice and information for those who care for ill or disabled family members, often a spouse. Conference includes workshops, expert panels and group discussions. Susan Dentzer, award-winning health correspondent for the PBS News Hour, will give the keynote address. A resource fair at the conference has exhibits of products and services that can lighten a caregiver's load and improve the quality of life for ill spouses. Registration is $150. Information and registration forms are available at www.wellspouse.org or by calling 800-838-0879.
Parent to Parent of Arlington Meeting. The grieving process, a natural part of life: how to guide friends and family to receive real support, and talking openly about what is positive in order to move forward. For special needs issues. Oct. 4 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Calvary Methodist Church, 23rd and S. Grant streets in Crystal City. Call Julie Katz at 703-549-0259 or e-mail juliekatz@comcast.net.
Lasik Complications Support Group. Vision Surgery Rehab Network (VSRN), NFP, hosts its annual Washington, D.C. area support group meeting in Arlington on Oct. 15. Meet people who understand the issues of living with failed vision correction surgery, and learn how RGP lenses can help to improve vision after RK, Lasik, PRK, etc. Featured guest will be Dr. David Hartzok, executive director of VSRN and an expert RGP fitter. Free to the public; registration is required. Call toll free 877-666-8776 or e-mail info@visionsurgeryrehab.org.
Parent-to-Parent of Arlington meeting. An occupational therapist will talk about current therapies and research as it applies to young children. For special needs issues. Oct. 20 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Whole Foods Market, 2773 Clarendon Blvd. Meeting room on the upper floor mezzanine. Call Julie Katz at 703-549-0259 or e-mail juliekatz@comcast.net.
Developing Behavioral Plans for Aggressive Children. With Dr. Earle Williams, clinical psychologist. Oct. 28 from 9-4 p.m. at Holiday Inn Rosslyn, 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive. Call 1-866-352-9539 or visit www.lorman.com.
An Epilepsy Awareness Stroll is being held Nov. 5 at Lake Fairfax Park, 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston. Rolling registration begins at 9 a.m.; stroll should end by about noon. Free. Walkers providing donations of $25 or more will receive an event T-shirt. Contact John Lannen, event director, at 703-328-5007 or jwlannen@comcast.net, or visit www.epilepsyfoundation.org/virginia/.
CrisisLink's crisis intervention, suicide prevention and information and referral hotlines foster self-sufficiency by providing those most vulnerable with the tools they need to help themselves. Call 703-527-4077. Also available for the hearing impaired at 703-752-5254. Visit www.crisislink.org.
National Hopeline: 1-800-SUICIDE
National Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
Into Safe Arms helps save the lives of newborns in danger of abandonment and preserves the heath and future of their mothers. 703-752-5262.
Darkness to Light encourages adults to take responsibility in preventing child sexual abuse. 1-866-FOR-LIGHT.
CareRing provides free, daily check-in phone calls to individuals who are alone, aged, disabled or chronically ill. CareRing keeps minor issues from escalating into major emergencies. Visit www.crisislink.org or call 703-516-6764.
NAMI-Arlington support group for individuals who have a parent or sibling diagnosed with a serious mental illness — depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder — will meet Thursday, Sept. 15 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church Ministry Center, 2700 S. 19th St. Contact Christina Kozyn at 703-892-2197 or ckozyn@hotmail.com.
NAMI Arlington General Support Group for parents, friends and significant others meets on the fourth Tuesday each month at 7:30 p.m. at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 1500 N. Glebe Road. Call Frank Gisondi at 703-760-8988.
NAMI Arlington Advocacy meetings have suspended through the summer and will resume in November.
NAMI Arlington sponsors a support group for parents of children, teens and young adults with a psychiatric diagnosis. The group meets on the third Sunday of the month at 1 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 5533 N. 16th St. Contact Naomi Verdugo at 703-862-9588.
Depressive and Manic Depressive Group meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at Sunrise of Falls Church, 200 N. Washington St., Falls Church. Call Marshall Epstein at 703-641-5460.
Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective Disorders Support Group meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, 3302 Gallows Road, Falls Church. Call Loren Booda at 703-524-9474.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Support Groups at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Lane:
* Group for families meets the first Monday of the month, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Call Marie 703-978-6425.
* Group for sufferers meets every Monday, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Call Peter 703-535-6575
Buddhist meditation class Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m. at Tower Villas Office Plaza, Griffin Center, Suite 5, 3800 Fairfax Drive, taught by Buddhist nun Kelsang Varahi of Vajrayogini Buddhist Center. Learn about an authentic practice of meditation and say goodbye to stress. Classes include guided meditations, a talk on Buddhism, question and answer and refreshments. $10. 202-331-2122 or info@meditation-dc.org.
The Epilepsy Foundation of the Chesapeake Region sponsors several support groups for adults diagnosed with seizure disorders and caregivers, free of charge. Call 703-425-6660.
Arlington Public health holds regular anonymous HIV testing, no appointment required. To be tested, visit 1800 N. Edison St. Tuesdays, 4-6 p.m. or Thursdays, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Testing by appointment is also available Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. and 12-1:30 p.m. Call 703-228-5266.
The Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry is launching an effort to provide health education and personal skills for Northern Virginia’s immigrant and migrant populations. NOVAM plans to bring its new RV mobile unit to the streets of immigrant communities. The program will be funded by a $250,000 grant from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Awards. Arlington is among the five counties NOVAM plans to target.
HIV/AIDS Support Groups. Sponsored by the Whitman-Walker Clinic. Includes groups for women, Latinos, heterosexuals and those newly diagnosed. Call Ron Redfoot at 703-531-4979.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Family Support Group. Meets first Monday of the month, 7:30-9:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Lane. Call 703-978-6425 for details.
Odyssey Healthcare, a hospice provider, seeks volunteers in the Northern Virginia community to visit and assist terminally ill patients and their families. Training will be provided. Call Karen Baroody at 703-821-9200 or e-mail kabaroody@odsyhealth.com.
The Parkinson's Disease Support Groups (Patient Discussion, Carepartners and Exercise Classes) meet weekday mornings at the Cherrydale Baptist Church, 3910 Lorcom Lane. The Parkinson Foundation invites persons with PD and their carepartners. Interested participants must call ahead. Call Leon Paparella at 202-966-4450.
The STD Clinic of Arlington now offers confidential HIV and STD testing on Tuesdays 1-3 p.m. The clinic is located at 1800 N. Edison St. The Anonymous HIV Testing Clinic is also open Tuesdays 4-6 p.m. and Thursdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. No appointments necessary. For information call 703-228-5200. To make an appointment, call 703-228-5266. This open clinic is sponsored by the Community Capacity Building Coalition, a coalition of organizations committed to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. In Arlington, 9 percent of the population are African-American but approximately 27 percent of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Arlington are African-American.