INFORMATION SIMONTON PROGRAM SOUTH AFRICA – OCTOBER 9 - 15 2011

A dream came true. The renowned Simonton Program will be established in South Africa. A first group of people, four South Africans and three Dutchmen, came together for a first session last April. In a beautiful and healing retreat at Bergplaas Nature Reserve that proved to be thé perfect place to connect with nature and the healing power of mind, body and spirit. You can now register for the next session that will start on Sunday October 9 and ends Saturday October 15.

People from all over the world are invited to this mind-twisting program, a 6 day course, that is so soothing, supportive and healing. This program increases quality of life and can influence the course of a disease like cancer. The healing power of nature can be experienced at Bergplaas and will enhance the impact of the program.

Simonton Center

The Simonton Center is an international non profit organization based in the United States ( California). The Center is dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients and their families through psycho-social oncology. Founded by Dr O. Carl Simonton (1942-2009) the Simonton Center was the first cancer counseling program to recognize the role and importance of family and social support and to include them in the treatment plan.

The Center teaches the renowned Simonton method for increasing survival, decreasing tumor growth and most importantly improving the quality of life for individuals. The courses are based on the successful model for emotional intervention and support which Dr Simonton pioneered in the treatment of cancer patients. It evolved from the concepts that beliefs, feelings, attitudes and lifestyle are important factors affecting health.

The program is a 6-day educational and psychotherapeutic session during which these concepts are explored in a safe, supportive atmosphere conducive to learning and a positive change. The program focuses on beliefs and belief systems. Participants learn techniques for enriching their lives in order to promote their health; lifestyle counselling; relaxation and mental imagery or creative thinking exercises. Additionally participants explore the importance of gentleness, and the role of stress and secondary gain. Recurrence and death are also examined. By delving into these topics through the use of the group process patients are enabled to implement these methods in their daily lives.

The approach is comprehensive because it directly addresses all spheres of human existence: emotional, cognitive, behavioral, social and spiritual integrated in an internally consistent program. The therapeutic interventions are based on modern learning theory as well as ancient teachings. These include individual, group, family and social counselling as well as education in self-help skills that patients and their support persons may use to effectively resolve problems in all areas of their lives.

The training experience is very enriching for therapists of different orientations and can also easily be applied by people, each and every one of us, who want to develop an attitude towards life and health that is supportive towards our health and happiness.

Questions and Answers

For whom is the Simonton Program?

The Simonton Program in South Africa is meant for people dealing with cancer and their support persons as well as for people either interested in being trained in the Simonton method or interested in learning to develop a new attitude towards life and health.

Ideally a patient attends together with a support person, possibly a spouse, sibling or friend. If it’s not possible to bring a support person, we can talk about attending alone.

If you are interested in the Training Program you don’t need to go for full certification (which would mean to participate at least three times in a course to become certified as a Simonton Counselor) – you can also attend once. Great benefit can be gained by participating during just one session/week. This counts for therapists, nurses or doctors but also for people not dealing with cancer in a professional way.

Again, if you are interested in personal growth and want to develop your way of thinking about your health and life & death, this program is ideal.

It must be noted that medical care is not available on the premises. The closest physician lives in Graaff Reinet which is a 75 minute drive from the guesthouse. If you expect to need medical help, this is not the right course for you. Also Bergplaas is situated at an altitude of 1.600 meters so if you have any problem with heights in terms of worsening your condition or danger to your breathing, again this is not the place you want to be.

Lastly, the program is given in a private nature reserve so we can benefit from the pureness of nature. And more so if you are able to walk. We´re not talking about long or intense walks, you may but it´s not necessary, but a little bit of walking in rocky area will be part of the program.

How do I know it´s right for me to participate in the program?

If you feel this program could be beneficial to you, please surf on the internet to www.simontoncenter.com and www.bergplaas.com . Also you can read the books of Dr O. Carl Simonton “Getting well again” or “The Healing Journey”. If you have questions or want to get a feeling by talking to someone on the phone you can send us an email or give us a call. We can set a time to have a meeting by phone in which all your questions can be answered.

How can I prepare myself to participate in the Simonton Program at Bergplaas?

We do ask you to have read the book written by O. Carl Simonton ´Getting well again´ before arrival and begin the relaxation-mental imagery and self-help processes described in the book. It is also recommended to read ´The Healing Journey´. You can order these books as well as meditation tapes through www.simontoncenter.com .

What does Bergplaas offer as a location?

Bergplaas is transformative healing land and the land is a co-teacher in any program that takes place here. More practically Bergplaas has a guesthouse, a beautifully restored farmhouse with wooden floors, cosy fireplaces and lazy lounges. Rooms are found in 3 buildings: the Hill Cottage has 2 rooms who share one bathroom, the Kraal has 3 rooms who share 2 bathrooms and the former farmhouse has 3 rooms with ensuite bathrooms and another 3 rooms who share 2 bathrooms. A Simonton Group will stay in the guesthouse exclusively. Staff will stay on the premises as well.

What kind of food is served at Bergplaas?

An incredible variety of vegetarian dishes are served daily. A cook will be on the grounds for the duration of the session and she is helped by 2 persons of the Bergplaas staff. All meals are freshly cooked including freshly baked bread in the morning and a sweet and savoury tart in the afternoon. Meals are healthy and since shoppings are done especially for the Simonton group all requests will be taken into account. Alcohol is not served at the premises. If you have any (dietary) requests, please send them to us together with your application.

Where will the trainings be held?

The Training Hall at the Kraal offers a lovely group learning environment. Housed in a converted barn where sheep were shorn in days gone by, the main hall is now a warm, light-filled and welcoming space which lends itself to all kinds of course work. Sessions are also held outdoors in the sunny courtyard of the Kraal on nice days, in full view of the Sneeuberg mountains. Since nature at Bergplaas will have an important role in the program we will be creative in finding ways to teach outside where possible.

Who conducts the sessions and how many trained Simonton staff will be there?

The sessions are led by a team of staff therapists who have been with the Simonton Cancer Center for many years. Patricia Palmer (US) will lead the session. Patricia is a Psychotherapist, holds a doctorate degree in counseling (EdD) and worked - besides her general psychotherapy practice - intensively with people facing cancer and those in their lives most intimately affected by the illness. Her deep interest and commitment arose from her own experience with cancer. Her experience as Psychotherapist / Counselor counts over 40 years.

Barbara de Beukelaar (NL) will be co-Teacher. Barbara works as a consultant in executive search and is trainer in leadership programs. She holds a master in Public Administration (drs). Barbara was introduced to the Simonton Program in 1999, being a support person to her father who dealt with cancer. She became Certified Simonton Counselor in 2006 and Teacher in 2010. Deeply inspired by the land and the people in South Africa she decided to bring the Simonton Program to this country.

There will be South African staff in the near future. The Simonton Program is newly brought to South Africa and already South African staff are being trained since April 2011. Since Bergplaas is not a suitable location for all people - f.e. if you cannot move around and/or need medical help - we hope to train South African Simonton Counselors who can support people around the country. Bergplaas is a perfect training location to realize this.

Being in training, the first session is just for yourself, the second one is used to work with patients while being supervised, and during the third session one gets more responsibility in working with patients, still under supervision. One can reach the counseling therapist level after successful completion of three patient sessions. Sometimes a fourth session or individual work is needed to reach certification.

If you are interested in being trained (either one session as an introduction to the program or several times possibly leading to certification), please read the books, surf on the internet or contact us personally. A more elaborate description of the training program is to be found on www.simontoncenter.com .

How many participants will be in a session?

At least 8 rooms will be available for patients and their support persons or for trainees. At maximum 16 people will be in a course. People need to be willing to share bathrooms. A patient and support person will share a room. When a patient attends alone, he or she gets a private room. Trainees will, if possible, also have a private room and if this is not possible we will let you know before you arrive.

What is the cost of a session?

The total fee for South-African passport holders is 13.500 ZAR per session for 2 persons, this is a couple of patient and support person. It is our policy that a support person does not pay a fee.

Participants from other countries pay a fee of € 1.970,= or $ 2.560.

Price for a trainee is for the first session the same as for a couple patient & support person. There is a discount for a second and following sessions.

We are busy fundraising in order to be able to give scholarships. If the price is a difficulty please let us know. We can give no guarantees but try to find ways to be of financial support.

All prices mentioned are exclusive of travel costs which you have to pay for yourself. Your travel arrangements also need to be organized by yourself although of course we are very willing to give advice. Once at Bergplaas you don´t need to make any extra costs.

How can I register?

To register for the Simonton Program please email to Barbara. Due to the limited number of participants we can accommodate in each session, your space will be saved only after we have received a deposit of 30%. If your deposit is received after a session is full, you will be notified of your place on the waiting list. There is no tuition charge for spouse or support persons.

Contact in SA: Cindy Maspero | info@bergplaas.com |phone (0027) (0) 498411 367

Contact in the NL´s: Barbara de Beukelaar | barbaradebeukelaar@terragroep.nl |phone (0031) (0) 654 77 38 95 (cell) or (0031) (0) 35 625 00 50 (office)