Groups
Patients of the McMaster Family Health Team have access to a number of patient groups that run multiple times a year. These groups are led by members of our interprofessional clinicians’ teams at each site and cover topics such as living a healthy lifestyle, mental health, pain, and more.
Browse the groups below to see when the next series is running. Some of our groups require specific criteria to join; talk to your healthcare team to see if you qualify! If a group says “self-referrals accepted,” it means the group is open to any interested patients and you can sign yourself up without involving your healthcare team.
For more information about upcoming groups or to register, contact Katherine at 905-525-9140 x21540 or by email at halek2@mcmaster.ca. If the group you are interested in does not have any upcoming dates, contact Katherine to be put on the waitlist and we will notify you when we run it next.
*Note: Groups are open to McMaster Family Health Team patients only (Stonechurch Family Health Centre and McMaster Family Practice)
**currently postponed**
In this class learn about:
- Healthy foods to improve your cholesterol and blood pressure
- Planning healthy meals and snacks
- Make a plan for change
Self-referrals accepted!
**currently postponed**
Learn about how food can impact your health and well being.
This class is for you if you:
- Have always wanted to improve your diet
- Struggle with your weight
- Have been told you have pre-diabetes
- Want to learn how to eat to maintain your health
Self-referrals accepted!
The Exercise is Medicine (EIM) group is for patients who would like to add light to moderate exercise into their regular routine. The group is run by our in-house physiotherapists. Each class as an education session followed by a low-intensity exercise component. Self-referrals accepted!
Next group dates TBD!
Learn how to manage sleep difficulties and have a better quality of life during the day.
These sessions are for you if you:
- Experience issues with chronic insomnia
- Want to learn skills to achieve a better sleep and wean off sleep medications
Self-referrals accepted!
Next group dates TBD!
Next group dates TBD!
Bone Health teaches patients living with low bone density how to exercise safely (osteopenia or osteoporosis). The classes are a mix of education from members of our interprofessional team (physio, occupational therapy, dietician, pharmacy) and gentle exercise.
*Next series to be confirmed*
The goal of this group is to teach participants the many non-pharmaceutical (without using medicines) means of managing daily activities despite the experience of pain.
An opportunity to learn new skills and to optimize skills that you have already learned to help you manage your chronic pain and achieve your goals.
The group has an interprofessional approach including input from an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, social worker, dietician, pharmacist, a family medicine pain consultant and a narrative medicine consultant.
Self-referrals accepted!
Next group dates TBD!
Learn self-management strategies for living with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip and attend free exercise classes.
Do you have painful knees and hips from Osteoarthritis?
Would you like to learn how to manage your pain with exercise taught by physiotherapists?
Then this 7 week program is for you!
This program incorporates what patients have learned in the Chronic Pain classes and brings it to the next level. This group is specifically for patients who have completed the Chronic Pain classes and want a review of self-management strategies and a free exercise component.
Next group dates TBD!
This is a 6 week CBT structured educational group that is open to all adults 18 and over. This group will look at depression and ways to decrease low mood and tools to enhance emotional and physical wellbeing. Topics include: activity planning, nutrition and exercise, as well as tools to help challenge and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours.
Self-referrals accepted!
Next group dates TBD!
Explore where anxiety comes from, thinking and anxiety, relaxation strategies, how to manage a panic attack, self-esteem, communication skills, emotions and anxiety, sleep, diet and exercise.
The Anxiety Group is based on weekly sessions to help people in developing strategies to better manage anxiety.
Self-referrals accepted!
The Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Group is available to patients who have completed one of our other group programs. This group will review skills for managing anxiety and will set bi-weekly SMART goals. This is a drop-in group; registration is not required, and patients are not required to attend every session.
**currently postponed**
The SMYLE Group focuses on emotional regulation and is based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills during 12 week sessions. DBT was developed to help people with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
