Meet Our Staff - Group Facilitators
Not all, but the majority of our facilitators are themselves cancer survivors; if not, they are the loved ones of survivors.  In addition to their professional training, they carry the experience and empathy of ones who have walked the walk.
Mary Burke, Co-Founder 

Our beloved Co-Founder leads the following groups:
  • Post Graduates for Breast cancer survivors
  • In Common for women with cancer related edema
  • Danbury New Voices for men and women who have had a laryngectomy
  • Coffee & Conversation for senior women
Mary’s gentle and abiding concern for her clients inspires the entire staff.
Tammy Conley, MSOB

Tammy sought the services of Ann’s Place when she was dealing with her own breast cancer diagnosis.  She found the Women Together support group to be a safe place to work through the roller coaster of her emotions with women who were recently in the same situation. “I found the women in the support group to be a great comfort as well as a source of relevant information about issues I was dealing with.  It gave me a sense of control at a time when I was feeling things were very out of my control.” 
Over time, Tammy became a Bridges volunteer and took over as facilitator of the Women Together support group in February 2008.  Tammy has been a member of New Pond Farm’s staff in varying positions for over 12 years. She’s been a beekeeper since 1998 and a member of the board of the Backyard Beekeepers Association since 2000.  She’s also a member of the Ridgebury Garden Club.
James Coffey, MA

Jim leads our very active monthly Men Together group for men living with prostate cancer on the first Wednesday evenings of the month.  This group is active in continuing education and enjoys bringing in guest speakers. It is also affiliated with the national prostate cancer group – US Too. An avid golfer and two time cancer survivor, Jim is retired from a career in education and counseling. He came to Ann’s Place in 2004.
 

Barbara Cole, MS, NCC

Barbara began volunteering at Ann's Place in 2007 as a Master Reiki practitioner. While here, she was inspired to return to school to get her Master's in Counseling. Barbara spent part of her internship at Ann's Place and co-facilitated several groups, including Transitions, our bereavement group. Barbara, who completed her Master's degree and is a nationally certified counselor, is now the facilitator for the Transistions group.
Jean Conover, MA

Jean has served cancer patients at Ann’s Place faithfully since 1996, after her retirement from school counseling. She currently leads the Daytime support group for mixed diagnoses, as well as the Blood Cancer group Just Us and provides individual counseling. Jean is a former as co-chair of the Quilter’s Corner for our Festival of Trees & Traditions since 2003. Jean also does vacation relief for clinical office staff.
Cindy Corn, MSW, LCSW

Cindy has an Masters in Social Work from Boston University and has worked in mental health facilities in Massachusetts and New York . After a cancer diagnosis in 2005, Cindy joined a support group at Ann's Place and has been involved there ever since. In 2008, she began facilitating the Parent's Group. 

 "Our group is unique at Ann's Place because our members are younger. They are forced to face their future with a cancer diagnosis before they have had a chance to fully actualize the dreams & expectations they had for their lives and they feel isolated from their contemporaries. We give them a voice to share feelings and ideas with others who understand this. They help one another to navigate their way through their illness."

laura donnelly  

Laura Donnelly, MSW

Laura joins us as a volunteer facilitator. She has recently relocated to this area with her family from Pennsylvania. Laura received her Masters in Social Work from the Widener University Center for Social Work Education in PA. She has experience as a medical social worker at the Chester County Hospital in PA where she provided psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention and community referrals. Laura has also worked individually with adults and children and has facilitated bereavement groups.
     
     
Esther (Pat) Goldman, MS

Pat came to us in 1999 after retiring from a rewarding career helping children and their families at the Danbury Regional Child Advocacy Center.  She facilitated the Woman Together Graduates group for Breast cancer survivors, post treatment, through Dec. 2010. Pat notes that women living with breast cancer still have important issues to deal with after their initial treatments have been completed.

Pat now volunteers for special projects such as group training.
Paula LeFebvre, MS, LMHC

Paula came to Ann’s Place as an Intern while working on her Master’s degree in Counseling, then joined our staff after graduation in 2000.  Paula is a certified Reiki master and schedules Reiki sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays. She does individual counseling and co-facilitates the Caring Group for family members, as well as Keeping On for chronic or recurring cancers.
Dorothy McCarty, MS, MATS, NCC

Dorothy McCarty first came to Ann’s Place in 2008 as a counseling student intern from Western CT. State University.

Dorothy has brought her creativity and skills to Family Days and Kids Kan. She currently co-facilitates our Young Adult Group and the Transitions Grads group for people who are further along in the bereavement journey. Dorothy also has a thriving private practice called Focused Solutions Counseling.
 
Val
Valerie O’Rourke, MSW

Valerie works for the Department of Social Services and is facilitating a group for partners of Prostate Cancer survivors.
Ellen Seidman, MSW

Since November 2001, Ellen has run various groups and training sessions and fills in when the need arises for group coverage due to vacations or illness.  Ellen’s clinical skills, as well as her caring and her humor are very much appreciated.
Carol Woodruff, MFT

Carol, a therapist, joined us in 1996. She leads the Women Together Graduates Group; she also co-facilitates the Caring Group for family members and friends who have a loved one living with cancer.
Dr. Marc Rappaport

Dr. Marc Rappaport is an oncologist at Praxair Cancer Center. He co-facilitates the Young Adult Group at Ann’s Place for cancer survivors ares 18-40.

Marc graduated from the University of Rochester. He attended Western University of Health Sciences – College of Osteopathic Medicine of Pacific, where he earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. Marc’s Internship & Residency were completed at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Jacobi Medical Center in New York. His Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology was at the prestigious Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.