Nancee Biank, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Kid Support Curriculum Consultant

Nancee Biank, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., generously allowed Ann Speltz, president and founder of Kid Support, to observe—and to participate as a co-facilitator in—Kid's Group and Teen Talk in 2001-2002 at the Wellness House in Hinsdale, Illinois. The Wellness House is a nonprofit organization that offers psychosocial support to cancer patients and their families.

Kid's Group is a facilitated eight-week program that provides support and education for children ages six to twelve when a family member has cancer, while Teen Talk is a facilitated eight-week support and education group for young people ages 13-17. Nancee developed these programs as part of the Wellness House's groundbreaking Family Matters program for children with cancer in the family.

Nancee shared many ideas and activities from her Kid's Group program with Ann that form the basis of Sessions 1-7 and Session 12 of the Kid Support curriculum.

Nancee was recently invited to conduct a presentation on the Wellness House's Family Matters program for an international audience at the Eighteenth Congress of Psycho-oncology in Normandy France, and again in 2003 at the APOS meeting in Banff, Canada.

Nancee is currently working on a book for professionals, to be titled Tell Them That We Know...Children's Responses to Illness and Loss, and developing a children's book manuscript and CD for helping children cope with stress.

Nancee trained at the Institute for Psychoanalysis, Child and Adolescent Therapy Program; the University of Illinois, Jane Adams College of Social Work in Chicago, Illinois; and with Judith Wallerstein.

In addition to her work at the Wellness House, Nancee has a private practice and is co-founder of Partners in Transition in Hinsdale, Illinois.