Center For Psychology Of Cancer

Our mission is to help cancer patients and their family members achieve and maintain a quality of life that is productive, fulfilling, rewarding, successful and happy, by providing no-charge psychological services.

In 2000 a dream came true. Fran’s Place – Center for Cancer Counseling was developed as a safe and comfortable place where all cancer patients and their families receive valuable support, education and the tools to cope with the feelings surrounding the diagnosis, treatment and side effects of cancer. Created by 2-time cancer survivor, Dr. Fran Baumgarten, the Center has been serving clients for 22 years.

For us at the Center, knowledge is power. Understanding how our bodies are changing, how the treatments affect all parts of our lives, including our relationships, functioning levels at work, home and elsewhere, frees us to organize our lives around what is possible for us to do successfully and happily. The Center also helps family members understand what we are going through and what are realistic expectations of us during this time period, and assists them in expressing their feelings, concerns and worries.

- Expanded services to the entire state of California, via Telehealth
- Added new clinicians to expand services to cancer patients and their families
- Increased service hours provided by 22% over prior year, to meet increased demand

We need to:
- Broaden our base of support to all of southern California.
- Increase donations so that we can continue to increase service hours to meet the urgent needs of cancer patients and their families.
- Increase awareness of Fran's Place to ensure that the medical community understands the unique nature of our service model (providing LICENSED therapists, one-on-one, at no-charge to clients in need)

We serve the entire state of California.

In 1993 I found myself dealing with a recurrence of the breast cancer I had originally treated in 1989. The difference this time was that it had metastasized. My only chance of survival was to have several surgeries, intensive chemotherapy, a stem cell replacement and radiation.
Even though I had practiced psychology for over 15 years, in both psychological and medical settings, I was unprepared to deal with my emotional state and certainly couldn’t touch the pain of my family and friends.

There was no one I could talk with about the enormous amount of fear, pain and discomfort that accompanied me all along this journey. It was even more isolating for my children and family. Everybody tried to be stoic for each other; we all suffered silently. No one in the medical community was prepared to ask about what I was going through; what my family was going through.

I began to dream about a center where all cancer patients and their family members can get better prepared to deal with the enormous challenges of this disease. I didn’t want anyone to have to suffer in silence.

My dream was to have a place that offers cancer patients and their family members the emotional help, education and guidance so desperately needed. A place where it is safe for you to release your deepest, darkest thoughts and have someone like me, a trained professional who understands cancer inside and out, to help you manage them.

Imagine a place where all cancer patients, family members, partners, children, teens, friends, coworkers can learn how to express feelings and develop strong coping skills and strategies –a safe, comfortable place where you and your family learn how to maintain a quality of life that is worthwhile, rewarding, fulfilling, successful and happy. A place available to everyone who asks for our help, and cost is not an issue.

In 2000, we realized my dream, and created Fran’s Place - The Center for Cancer Counseling.

Dr. Fran Baumgarten