Wellness Programs and Student Groups

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Attending a wellness program or student group can be one of the best ways to enhance your personal success at the University of Waterloo. Our courses provide you with the opportunity to learn skills to help you cope with life's challenges. 

*Participants must be located within Ontario at the time of the session to participate in live online groups, due to clinician registration requirements. 


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Wellness Programs & Student Groups

Wellness Programs and Student Groups can be beneficial by helping you find new perspectives on shared challenges, feel inclusion and relief knowing that others experience similar challenges, and allow you to practice new skills in a supportive group environment.

Check out what is currently available or scroll through the upcoming offerings on our Events page

As Straight as the Ring Road – a Walk and Talk, Outdoor, Therapeutic Group for Queer and Trans Students

This group is all about connections. It is an experiential therapeutic practice that supports personal growth by nurturing our relationship with ourselves, the earth and to those around us.

Black, Indigenous, and Racialized (BIR) students’ Social Justice and Healing Group

This group hopes to provide connection to community while exploring ways to heal from all forms of violence, including systemic, racial and gender-based violence. Some of the topics we are planning to focus on include tools for staying grounded, self-worth, relationships, and finding hope and resistance.

CannaCare - Clearing the Smoke on the Highs and Lows of Cannabis Use

Curious to learn more about cannabis? Questioning your relationship with cannabis? This comprehensive workshop is designed to empower students with essential knowledge and skills for responsible cannabis use.

Collage with Community

Join this drop-in group sessions for the purpose of community connection, mutual support, and artistic expression through collaging. No artistic experience is required. 

Drums Alive! Interactive Hand Drumming Workshop

Drums et al reveals the mysteries of traditional African drumming and rhythms in a series of interactive sessions. The goal here is to build up team spirit and self-confidence using African poly-rhythm as a metaphor. 

Embracing Radical Self-Love  

Does self-love feel too scary or out of reach? In this workshop there will be space for the challenging feelings that come up when considering self-love.   

Exploring Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism from a Black perspective 

This workshop will explore ways to overcome feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, and move toward truly believing that you deserve the success you have achieved and you are enough.  

Gender Journeys 

This is a supportive psychoeducational group specifically designed to support gender diverse (trans, non-binary, two-spirit, questioning) students. This is a person group provides opportunity to explore important topics that can be key for gender wellness.  

Grad Circle Drop In

Are you a grad student struggling to manage academic and personal demands?  Are you worried about whether you belong or are intelligent enough to succeed? Connect with other grad students in an informal and confidential environment where you can discuss the things impacting you and learn new ways to manage.

Journalling for Well-being

This program will use reflective journalling to help you identify personal narratives that are negatively impacting how you think and feel about yourself and how you interact with others.  You will be introduced to a writing toolbox full of tools that can help you identify these narratives, turn around them around, and begin to embrace new, healthier, and more life-giving thinking.  

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) 

This group combines the traditional practice of cognitive therapy with meditation and a non-judgmental mindset.

Mindfulness Self-Compassion (MSC)

MSC combines the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion, providing a powerful tool for emotional resilience. Mindfulness is the first step in emotional healing—being able to turn toward and acknowledge our difficult thoughts and feelings (such as inadequacy, sadness, anger, confusion) with a spirit of openness and curiosity.

NeuroMinds Collective

Join a community of students who share diverse cognitive profiles, including ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, and more. Our aim is to build a tight-knit network where you can freely express your thoughts, concerns, and achievements in a judgment-free zone. 

Nutritious and Delicious – a Queer Relational Valentines Day Event

Would you like to celebrate, deepen, and explore some wonderful relationships in your life? This is an event for 2SLGBTQI+ students, celebrating them and the important people in their lives.

Skills For Safer Living Ideation Group 

This group is designed to support students who have had or have thoughts of suicide and seeks to reduce the intensity, frequency, and duration of suicide-related thinking.

Soca Party with Gwan Move

A celebration for Black History Month. Gwan Move Caribbean fitness movement is not just another Soca Workout. This Soca workout will make you feel like you are in a fete.

QTWELL

Queer and Trans Graduate Students Wellness (QTWELL) is an open, drop-in group where any graduate student who is a sexual and gender minority or identifies as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities may drop in for good conversation and support to promote student wellness.

Wild Self Compassion and Wild Geese 

Join this is a one-day workshop for members of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities to come together to do some work together on self-compassion.

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Self-Directed Programs

These programs are do-at-your-own pace and available online!

Rewiring For Happiness Toolkit

Rewiring for Happiness uses positive psychology strategies and tools to help focus your brain on kindness, mindfulness, gratitude, empathy, and connection. Rewiring for Happiness is available as a self-registration course on LEARN. Follow these steps to view and complete the toolkit:

  1. Go to LEARN.
  2. Click Self Registration.
  3. Click Rewiring for Happiness.
  4. Enroll in the Course.

Note: After you are enrolled, you can navigate to the Rewiring for Happiness course directly.

Mind Body Run (self-guided)

Learn to Run or Walk Mindfully. A self-guided mindful running and walking program to help you to keep physically and mentally healthy. This group offers students, staff and faculty the opportunity to take a break, get outside, and run/walk using the basic principles of mindfulness (being present in a non-judgemental mindset). On the Mind Body Run page, you can access weekly mindful meditations to consider before each run/walk. All you have to do set the time aside to do it!

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