Navigating Your Vasculitis Journey Course
About the Course
Navigating the mental, physical, and emotional aspects of a new vasculitis diagnosis can be overwhelming. The Navigating Your Vasculitis Journey guidebook is designed to provide participants with tools that empower them to build routines that support their emotional and physical health needs as they navigate life with a chronic illness
The course is a live, six-week virtual learning opportunity for people who have been recently diagnosed with vasculitis to explore the lessons in the guidebook and learn these tools together.
The current course is full, but will be offered again in the future. If you’d like to receive an email notification when registration for the next course opens, please complete the form below.
You can learn more about topics covered, eligbility, and course structure below.
Topics Covered in the Guidebook
- Mindfulness
- Self-Compassion
- Nervous System Regulation
- Your Health Story & Care Plan
- Identifying Physical Needs: Sleep, Nutrition, Movement
- Identifying Psychological Needs: Preferences & Values
- The Change Process
- Managing Time & Resources
- Dynamics of Relationships & Roles
Topics Covered in the Course
Each week we will explore concepts and share tools from the Navigating Your Vasculitis Journey guidebook that will help you learn new behaviors and create routines that support you in your journey.
Week 1 Mindful Awareness
Week 2 Window of Tolerance: Linking Physical and Mental Well-Being
Week 3 Responding to Dysregulation with Self-Compassion
Week 4 Reconnecting with Yourself Post-Diagnosis: Identifying and reconnecting with the people, activities, and purposes that matter most
Week 5 Prioritizing Your Well-Being: Making an EASY shift that is important to you
Week 6 Maintaining changes that support you
Topics Not Covered in the Course
The course teaches behavioral strategies. In this course, we will not review medical information or give individual psychological advice. This course does not cover:
- Detailed information about each form of vasculitis
- Vasculitis treatments and medications
It is also important to note that while this course can provide you with tools that help you control what is within your circle of control and find peace with what you cannot control, there are many things about vasculitis that you cannot control including:
- Whether or not you will have a flare
- Whether or not you can remain in remission without any maintenance medications
- Whether or not you completely regain your former level of function
- Be able to attend the weekly live Zoom meeting throughout the 6-week course. (We recognize that something unexpected may occur which could prevent you from attending a meeting.)
- Have a diagnosis of vasculitis.
- Been diagnosed within the last 4 years.
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Currently the guidebook and course are only offered in English.
Participant selection will be based on
- Completion and submission of questionnaire.
- Availability and commitment to attend the course dates.
- Then by lottery for available spaces.
Is this a support group?
No, this is an opportunity to learn and practice concrete tools that may help you better navigate your vasculitis diagnosis.
We do offer weekly and monthly virtual support groups. LEARN MORE
Who leads this course?
The course is led by volunteer facilitators. Facilitators have participated in the course previously and have received additional training. The facilitator is a guide who helps manage the flow of the course and the group as they work together to learn and practice concepts from the Navigating Your Vasculitis Journey Guidebook. Facilitators are not healthcare providers or mental health experts.
Why is participation limited to people who have been diagnosed with vasculitis within the last 4 years?
This course is designed to help people learn tools and techniques that can help them throughout their vasculitis journey, but much of the information is especially helpful to people near the beginning of their vasculitis journey.
Due to limited class size and availability, we are currently offering this course to those who have been more recently diagnosed so that we can reach those who have the most critical need.
The Navigating Your Vasculitis Journey Guidebook is designed to be self-guiding and is available to everyone.
