Virtual IOP for people affected by cancer
Three Rivers Mental Health's virtual IOP is a structured, group-based mental health program for adults 18+ who are living with cancer, and for the partners, family members and friends caring for them. Groups meet by secure video three days a week, so you can get intensive support from home, between treatments and appointments. Based in Acton, Massachusetts, we offer virtual IOP care statewide, so eligible adults can access support without traveling to our office.
Joining the waitlist does not enroll you in the program.
At a glance
See the schedule- Who it’s for
- Adults 18+ with cancer at any stage and adult caregivers
- Where
- Massachusetts
- Format
- Live group therapy by secure video
- Patient track
- Mon, Wed & FriCaregiver track: Mon, Wed & Fri
Program length, insurance & team
- Program length
- 4–6 weeks · 4-week cycle
- Insurance
- Out of network; we check your benefits and bill your plan for you
- Founder
- Nina Abelowitz, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, who oversees the program’s clinical content. She’s a dual board-certified nurse practitioner whose oncology experience spans decades.
- Clinical lead & group leaders
- Coming soon
What is a virtual IOP?
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is a level of mental health care with more support than weekly therapy, but without a hospital stay. You attend several therapy groups each week, learn practical skills, and go back to your day. Our IOP runs entirely online, which matters when fatigue, immune risk or a treatment schedule makes travel hard.
Weekly therapy
About an hour a week with one therapist
Virtual IOP (Highlighted level)
Several groups across three mornings a week
Hospital program
Care during a stay in a hospital or residential setting
Built for the mental health side of cancer
Cancer can affect sleep, mood, relationships and your sense of the future. This psycho-oncology program focuses on those mental health needs. Every group is shaped around what people with cancer, and those who love them, actually face.
- Scan anxiety
- Fear of recurrence
- Treatment fatigue
- Body changes
- Uncertainty
- The strain of caregiving
Who the program helps
People living with cancer
Adults at any stage: newly diagnosed, in active treatment, finishing treatment, living with metastatic disease, or in survivorship.Caregivers and loved ones
Partners, adult children, parents and close friends who are struggling with their own mental health. Caregivers are clients in their own right, with their own track, assessment and treatment plan.
You may benefit from IOP if…
- Depression, anxiety or panic is making it hard to get through treatment or daily life.
- Fear of recurrence or scan anxiety is taking over your days.
- You can't sleep, or exhaustion is affecting your mood and relationships.
- Weekly therapy isn't enough right now.
- You're a caregiver who is burning out, grieving, or carrying more than you can say out loud.
Conditions We Treat
Depression during and after cancer
Persistent sadness, numbness, loss of interest, or hopelessness that goes beyond normal grief over a diagnosis.
Anxiety, scanxiety and fear of recurrence
Racing thoughts before scans, panic waiting for results, and constant worry that the cancer will come back.
Trauma and PTSD after cancer
Flashbacks, avoidance or feeling on edge after a diagnosis, surgery, ICU stay or difficult treatment.
Caregiver burnout and anticipatory grief
Exhaustion, resentment, guilt and grief for a loss that hasn't happened yet, in people caring for someone with cancer.
Sleep problems, fatigue and chemo brain
Insomnia, cancer-related fatigue that rest doesn't fix, and trouble thinking clearly during or after treatment.
What to expect
What a group feels like
A place to talk about what’s hard, learn practical skills, and hear from people who understand life with cancer.
A clinician guides the conversation
Group leaders adjust the pace to the room and how members are feeling that day. You’ll hear from people at different stages of cancer, from new diagnosis to survivorship.
You can listen before you share
You never have to share more than you want. Passing is always okay.
Skills for everyday moments
Work on ways to manage scan anxiety, difficult emotions, sleep and relationships. Each theme session includes a concrete strategy to try that week.
Explore the therapy groups
Patient track
DBT Skills Group
Practical distress-tolerance and emotion-regulation skills for scan days, procedure waits and hard phone calls.
Process / Support Group
A space to be heard by others who understand, at every stage of illness.
Sleep & Fatigue Group (CBT-I)
Evidence-based insomnia techniques plus pacing for cancer-related fatigue.
Rotating Theme Group
Fear of recurrence, living with uncertainty, communication and relationships, and finding what matters.
Expressive Arts & Body Image Group
Creative, no-skill-needed work on body changes, identity and self-compassion.
Caregiver track
Caregiver Skills: Stress & Emotion Regulation
Skills for calming stress in the moment and handling guilt, resentment and exhaustion.
Caregiver Process Group
A space to talk with other caregivers who understand what you’re carrying.
Practical Skills & Planning
Boundaries, asking for help, and a plan for looking after yourself.
Rotating Theme: Relationships & Role
How caregiving changes your relationships and your sense of who you are.
Mind-Body & Expressive
Relaxation, body-based practices and simple creative work. No art skills needed.
Grief, Meaning & Looking Ahead
Anticipatory grief, what gives your life meaning now, and support that lasts.
Psychiatric care and individual therapy with our team.
A week in the program
The patient track meets three days a week. Caregivers have their own track. All sessions happen by secure video.
| Eastern Time | Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30–10:45am | MondayDBT Skills Group | WednesdayProcess / Support Group | FridaySleep & Fatigue Group (CBT-I) |
| 11:00am–12:15pm | MondayRotating Theme Group | WednesdayExpressive Arts & Body Image Group | FridayRotating Theme Group |
| Eastern Time | Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30–10:45am | MondayCaregiver Skills: Stress & Emotion Regulation | WednesdayCaregiver Process Group | FridayPractical Skills & Planning |
| 11:00am–12:15pm | MondayRotating Theme: Relationships & Role | WednesdayMind-Body & Expressive | FridayGrief, Meaning & Looking Ahead |
Program length: 4–6 weeks. A topic cycle is not the length of someone’s treatment.
Why Three Rivers
Clinical Experience in Oncology and Psychiatry
Founder Nina Abelowitz, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, is board-certified as both an adult nurse practitioner and a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. Her background includes oncology practice at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2017 to 2023 and service as Team Lead for Advanced Practice Nurses in Hematology/Oncology from 2020 to 2022. That experience helps explain Three Rivers’ focus on the emotional effects of cancer and caregiving.
One coordinated team. Group leaders, therapists and prescribers share one chart and can coordinate with your oncology team.
Care can continue afterward. When the program ends, you can continue outpatient care with the same practice.
More about the practice
Separate groups mean everyone gets space to speak freely.
At our Acton office, the practice also offers medication management, TMS, SPRAVATO and GeneSight testing.
A founder who understands cancer and caregiving
Nina’s interest in psycho-oncology is also personal. After caring for her mother, Alice Meltzer, through breast cancer, she helped publish her mother’s comic collection, Laughter Is the Best Medicine. The Oncology Nursing Society and Boston 25 News covered the project and its connection to her work with people affected by cancer.
Virtual IOP waitlist
Let us know you’re interested.
For adults living with cancer, cancer survivors, and caregivers in Massachusetts.
Joining the waitlist does not enroll you in the program.
Talk it through with us
Have a question about the program? Call the practice.
Common questions
If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or go to your nearest emergency room. The IOP is not an emergency service.