Upcoming Events

Join us on Microsoft Teams to celebrate National Send a Card to a Friend Day!  

We all have different kinds of friends, each of whom plays a varying role in our life. Our social network plays an invaluable role in our mental health and our interactions with others can even set the tone for how we treat ourselves.   

Bring supplies (like paper, markers, glitter) to make your own card or buy some greeting cards/postcards at your nearby shop and write a few kind words to some of the people in your life. You’ll also have the chance to create affirmation cards through a guided activity. Or, if you aren’t feeling creative, just drop in and chat! 

From Tuesday, February 8, 2022 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST at Online.

Join Student Wellness Services Registered Dietitian Lindzie O’Reilly to learn about important considerations when following a vegetarian or vegan diet.

This group is appropriate for students already following a vegetarian or vegan diet as well as those considering transitioning to a more plant based diet.

This group will discuss

• Nutrients of concern and the role of supplements
• Strategies to meet energy needs including meal ideas and time saving strategies
• Risks and benefits of a plant-based diet

From Wednesday, March 16, 2022 2:30 PM to 3:20 PM EDT at Online.

A condensed version of our SHINE 7-week interactive workshop. This mini-workshop highlights the best parts of SHINE that help participants learn how to bounce back when challenges arise, learn how to be a calmer, healthier you, and learn skills to boost your overall well-being.

From Wednesday, January 26, 2022 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM EST at Online.

Description: According to John Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is a state of being that arises when paying attention, on purpose, and non-judgmentally to our experiences in the present moment. More simply, mindfulness is about becoming more aware of our own experiences and learning to accept them as they are. Practicing mindfulness regularly can help us feel more grounded and learn to be more aware of the every day happenings of our lives. In this Community of practice we will learn about different ways to practice mindfulness, for example breath meditations, informal mindfulness, and mindful movement. We will begin each session with a guided practice and will have time to debrief our experiences. There will also be lots of time for sharing resources and ideas with one another! Any experience with mindfulness, from complete beginner to regular mindfulness-practicer is welcomed! The session facilitator, Victoria, is a Registered Social Worker and the Mental Wellbeing Facilitator in Student Wellness Services. 

Details: The community of practice will occur on Tuesdays from 11-12 via Zoom. We will start on February 1 (take a break during reading week) and meet until April 7.

How to Sign up: If you are interested in attending one or more session, please e-mail Victoria at vfritz@uoguelph.ca for the Zoom link.  

From Tuesday, February 1, 2022 11:00 AM to Tuesday, April 5, 2022 12:00 PM EDT at Online.

UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL AND SHINE!

Learn how to bounce back when challenges arise.

Learn how to be a calmer, healthier you.

Learn how to SHINE!

What?

Facilitated by UofG trained student facilitators, SHINE is a 7-session interactive workshop that will help you learn skills to boost your overall well-being. Participants report feeling more hopefulness, a greater connection to resources and the UofG community, and a greater sense of well-being after participating in the program. 

Topics include:

• Mindfulness
• Gratitude
• Optimism
• Self-Compassion
• Effective Stress Management Strategies

When?

SHINE is a seven-session program, with one 1-hour online session each week. The sessions will start on Monday February 7 and run weekly on Mondays from 7-8pm.

How? Sign up once for access to all of the sessions!

Questions? Email wellness@uoguelph.ca

From Monday, February 7, 2022 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST at Online.

UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL AND SHINE!

Learn how to bounce back when challenges arise.

Learn how to be a calmer, healthier you.

Learn how to SHINE!

What?

Facilitated by UofG trained student facilitators, SHINE is a 7-session interactive workshop that will help you learn skills to boost your overall well-being. Participants report feeling more hopefulness, a greater connection to resources and the UofG community, and a greater sense of well-being after participating in the program. 

Topics include:

• Mindfulness
• Gratitude
• Optimism
• Self-Compassion
• Effective Stress Management Strategies

When?

SHINE is a seven-session program, with one 1-hour online session each week. The sessions will start on Wednesday February 9 and run weekly on Wednesdays from 5-6pm.

How? Sign up once for access to all of the sessions!

Questions? Email wellness@uoguelph.ca

From Wednesday, February 9, 2022 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM EST at Online.

Looking for something to do this Friday night? Join the Wellness Peers for a fun night of trivia. The questions range from a variety of topics so there will be something for everyone! Prizes will be given out during the event. 

From Friday, January 21, 2022 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST at Online.

In this lunch time workshop we will discuss the many ways in which the "inner critic" shows up for us as grad students, such as impostor syndrome and perfectionism. We will also discuss strategies for maintaining well-being despite this inner critic!

From Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST at Online.

More than 3 or 4 headaches a month are too many! 

Learn strategies to decrease tension and migraine headaches, and the pain of headaches, without the use of pain medications.

This four-part skills program with Kathy Somers of the Stress Management & High Performance Clinic 

meets for 90 minutes, once a week, for 4 weeks.

Find full details at www.SelfRegulationSkills.ca/programs/decreasing-headaches

From Wednesday, March 9, 2022 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST at Online.

Learn powerful strategies, new tips, and information on how to respond and calm down the uncomfortable sensations of anxiety.  

A variety of long and short self-calming strategies  are introduced, along with behaviours that can help prevent escalation of anxiety.

This three-part skills program with Kathy Somers of the Stress Management & High Performance Clinic meets for 60 minutes, once a week, for 3 weeks.

Find full details at www.SelfRegulationSkills.ca/programs/anxiety-skills-strategies

From Monday, March 7, 2022 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST at Online.

Compassion during covid is a FREE 5-week program for all students, made up of 1.5 hours long workshops. In the workshops, students will learn skills to cope during the pandemic and in their transition back to campus. Each workshop will include an introduction to a set of skills, time to practice the skills individually, and resources for students to keep. Some of the skills that will be covered in Compassion during Covid include: grounding practices, mindfulness, self-compassion, vulnerability, reducing anxiety, and coping, among many others.

This offering will be on FRIDAYS from 1-2:30pm (Mar 4, Mar 11, Mar 18, Mar 25, Apr 1).

If you have any questions, please contact Victoria (vfritz@uoguelph.ca)

From Friday, March 4, 2022 1:00 PM to Friday, April 1, 2022 2:45 PM EDT at Online.

xxx

From Thursday, January 20, 2022 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST at Online.

Join us for U of G's viewing of the Au Contraire Film Festival, featuring two short films about mental illness, hope and recovery. Through these collective, yet fairly anonymous film experiences, students, staff and faculty can learn about mental health and ultimately understand there is help for themselves or for a friend. Following the films there will be an opportunity for debrief and sharing with our Wellness Education Peer Helper team.

Short Film:

• David (Trailer)
  • Synopsis: A severely depressed man reaches out for an emergency therapy session. He's not the only one who needs help. (Starring Will Ferrell)
• Joe Buffalo (Trailer)
  • Synopsis: Joe Buffalo, an Indigenous skateboard legend of the Samson Cree Nation, is haunted by residential school trauma. But, ultimately, nothing can kill his indomitable spirit which echoes back to his lineage with Plains Cree chief - Chief Poundmaker.

From Wednesday, January 26, 2022 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM EST at Online.

Beyond the Books is a live online training that will first provide participants with general information on the prevalence of mental challenges and illness in our university community. It will then help participants to identify signs of troubling behaviour or distress, and give them skills to engage in a preliminary discussion to determine if referral to a professional is necessary.

Participants will also learn how and where to refer appropriately in a compassionate and effective manner. This session is designed for individuals who do not have ongoing relationships with individuals but whose roles are such that they may have one-off, in-depth conversations. Instructors are qualified from the Wellness Education Centre.

RSVP on GryphLife and you will be invited to the MS Teams link (also available under the "location").

Questions? Email mentalhealth.training@uoguelph.ca

From Monday, January 31, 2022 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM EST at Online.

Beyond the Books is a live online training that will first provide participants with general information on the prevalence of mental challenges and illness in our university community. It will then help participants to identify signs of troubling behaviour or distress, and give them skills to engage in a preliminary discussion to determine if referral to a professional is necessary.

Participants will also learn how and where to refer appropriately in a compassionate and effective manner. This session is designed for individuals who do not have ongoing relationships with individuals but whose roles are such that they may have one-off, in-depth conversations. Instructors are qualified from the Wellness Education Centre.

RSVP on GryphLife and you will be invited to the MS Teams link (also available under the "location").

Questions? Email mentalhealth.training@uoguelph.ca

From Tuesday, February 1, 2022 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM EST at Online.

LivingWorks Start is a groundbreaking new way to learn suicide prevention skills. In an hour or two online, the program teaches trainees to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support. When you sign up for LivingWorks Start training, you'll learn a powerful four-step model to keep someone safe from suicide, and you'll have a chance to practice it with impactful simulations. Safety resources and support are available throughout the program. 

The University of Guelph community (including students, staff and faculty) is welcome to take part in this online, independent training. Those who register will be required to attend a brief meeting online prior to the training before being provided access to the independent session. 

RSVP here in GryphLife and you will be invited to a meeting on MS Teams to start things off! At that introductory session, you will be given access to the START module and have an opportunity to ask any questions before you begin. An optional debrief meeting will be scheduled online for 4:00pm on Friday, February 4th.

Questions? Email mentalhealth.training@uoguelph.ca 

From Wednesday, February 2, 2022 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM EST at Online.

LivingWorks Start is a groundbreaking new way to learn suicide prevention skills. In an hour or two online, the program teaches trainees to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support. When you sign up for LivingWorks Start training, you'll learn a powerful four-step model to keep someone safe from suicide, and you'll have a chance to practice it with impactful simulations. Safety resources and support are available throughout the program. 

The University of Guelph community (including students, staff and faculty) is welcome to take part in this online, independent training. Those who register will be required to attend a brief meeting online prior to the training before being provided access to the independent session. 

RSVP here in GryphLife and you will be invited to a meeting on MS Teams to start things off! At that introductory session, you will be given access to the START module and have an opportunity to ask any questions before you begin. An optional debrief meeting will be scheduled online for 4:00pm on Friday, February 4th.

Questions? Email mentalhealth.training@uoguelph.ca 

From Thursday, February 3, 2022 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM EST at Online.

Tackle the two greatest triggers of IBS symptoms....   diet and stress.

Learn strategies that decrease symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or a stressed stomach.

This five-part skills program with Kathy Somers of the Stress Management & High Performance Clinic and Lindzie O'Reilly, dietitian, 
meets ON-LINE for an hour on Wednesday evenings, once a week for 5 weeks.

Find full details at https://selfregulationskills.ca/programs/take-stress-out-ibs/

From Wednesday, March 2, 2022 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM EST at Online.

This session is open to all faculty, students, and staff.

Once a week, we will get together and spend some mindful time. Each session will begin with a guided meditation and include time to share our experiences.

Any level of experience with mindfulness is welcome!

For questions, contact Victoria (vfritz@uoguelph.ca), Mental Wellbeing Facilitator.

From Tuesday, February 1, 2022 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST at Online.

Join Student Wellness Services Registered Dietitian Lindzie O'Reilly to learn the basics of nutrition.

This interactive group is appropriate for students new to cooking and grocery shopping, or for those who have recently started a workout routine and want to learn more about scheduling meals and snacks around workouts

This group will discuss

• The components of balanced meals and snacks
• Strategies to plan regular eating times throughout the day
• The relationship between food and exercise with specific considerations for those starting a new workout routine

From Wednesday, March 2, 2022 2:30 PM to 3:20 PM EST at Online.