Workshops and Groups

About Ride the Wave

Ride the Waves of student life with the Student Wellness Centre’s skill-building workshops designed to offer useful tips to increase resilience, manage stress, and develop skills to cope with the turbulence of life.  Workshops are delivered by clinical staff from the Student Wellness Centre.

During the summer 2021 semester, Ride the Wave workshops will be held online on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.  Sign up online.

For questions, or to give us feedback, email wellness@wlu.ca.

Schedule

Happiness 101 ~ Wednesday May 19, 2021 from 2 to 3 pm
Register for this session
Learn about Positive Psychology and the secrets to increasing positive emotions, decreasing negativity, and creating life satisfaction.

Social Media and Mental Health ~ Wednesday May 26, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Register for this session
This workshop will address how social media affects mental health.  It will give particular attention to the impact of social media and the news during the stress and isolation of the pandemic, and it will discuss strategies for managing stress and setting healthy boundaries.

Consent and Healthy Relationships ~ Wednesday June 9, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Register for this session
Healthy relationships are essential for well-being. In this workshops we will talk about respectful relationships, how to maintain one's wellness within them, and coping if they end.  It will address the development of positive conversations about consent and the importance of personal boundaries.

Grounding and Mindfulness ~ Wednesday June 16, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Register for this session
Learn strategies to increase your self-awareness and focus on the present moment.  This workshop teaches skills that are great for daily practice and to help you cope when feeling stressed.

Self-Care and Resilience ~ Wednesday July 14, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Drop in on Zoom
Learn how your habits can impact your sense of well-being and your ability to cope throughout the day.

Exam and Performance Anxiety ~ Wednesday August 11, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Drop in on Zoom
Learn ways to handle performance anxiety, improve your mental game, and find inner calm during midterms and exams.  This workshop will also address the additional stresses caused by online exams. 

Join our Counsellor Sherrie and her puppy Gertie the French Bulldog to discuss ways to practice self-care with our furry friends. Learn how to interact with your pet to self-soothe, promote relaxation, and ease stress before tests/exams.

Drop in on Zoom on Tuesday August 10, 2021 from 10 to 11 a.m.

About A Hawk's Guide to Thriving

A Hawk's Guide to Thriving focuses on coping strategies that will support your mental health and wellness during the school year.  A Hawk's Guide to Thriving will return in September 2021!

About the DBT Group

This is a two-hour, weekly, interactive group based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).  DBT teaches effective ways of behaving and coping with emotional chaos and interpersonal conflict.  Learn skills for coping with extreme emotions so that you can succeed in university, manage your relationships, and get through life stress without making it worse.  We will cover skills from the four DBT modules: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness, put into the context of a university student’s life.

Committment to Change

In order to get the maximum benefit from your time in skills group, there are two commitments that you must be willing to make.  You must be able to commit to regular attendance of all sessions.  If you miss two group sessions, you will no longer be able to join.  You also need to commit to practicing skills in between sessions.  Our experience has been that students were most satisfied with this group when they practiced their skills several times per week.

This is a closed group.  To participate, you must be referred into the group by a practitioner in the Student Wellness Centre.  The group may have been suggested to you by your counsellor or physician, but if think you it might be a good fit for you, call the Student Wellness Centre and ask to schedule a DBT intake appointment.

Details

If you are interested in participating in group that will start in May 2021, give us a call and ask for a DBT intake appointment.

About the Harm Reduction Group

This weekly online interactive group is based on the understanding that harm reduction is an effective and informed way to address problematic substance use.  The weekly sessions are intended to provide a supportive space to look at why and how substances can have negative consequences in various areas of student life; to provide skills for safer use; and to support individual work to better understand your relationships with substances.   Attendance each week allows students to learn and discuss the unit topic, listen to each other, and practice skills between sessions.

Expectations

Members of the group are not required to share their thoughts nor abstain from using substances during the five weeks; they are however expected to maintain confidentiality and show respect to the other members of the group.  Students involved will agree not to use substances or be noticeably intoxicated during group sessions.  Attendees must be open to change and to building awareness of the potential harms of their past and current substance use.

This is a closed group and members will be referred by counsellors or physicians from the Brantford and Waterloo Student Wellness Centres.  If you are interested in attending this group please ask to speak to the mental health nurse in the Student Wellness Centre on your campus.

Details

The group will be held online on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 pm starting on January 19, 2021.   You will be sent the link once you have registered.