LEWISTON – “Mandalas – Healing Circles” will be the topic of discussion at a meeting of the Cancer Wellness and Support Group set for Wednesday, June 13, at Central Maine Medical Center.

Lois Leonard Stock, a licensed clinical social worker, will discuss the creating of mandalas as visual meditation for spiritual healing and renewal.

The word “mandala” is from the ancient and classical Indian language of Sanskrit, and its general meaning is that of a circle that represents wholeness and a structured, integrated view of the world.

Stock holds a bachelor’s degree in art from Colby College in Waterville and a master’s degree in art from the University of Wisconsin.

Her paintings have been included in business and private collections in the Northeast and Midwest, and her illustrations have been purchased by magazine, book and educational publishers.

In 2001 she returned to school and earned a master’s degree in social work from Boston College. She is licensed to practice social work in Maine and has worked with adults living with varied disabilities, including visual impairment/blindness, terminal illness, chronic mental illnesses and substance dependence.

Stock has facilitated expressive art groups using art as an alternative treatment for anxiety and depression, as a coping skill to help individuals maintain focus or to self-sooth and as a means of expressing emotions, processing grief and creating a visual life review.

The program will be offered from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Conference Room I in the 12 High Street Medical Office Building adjacent to CMMC. The group is open to people living with cancer, as well as their spouses/partners, family members and caregivers. There is no fee and preregistration is not required. For more information, call Trisha Warren-Van Horn at 795-2692.