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.
A Queer and Pleasant Ragger: A Thoughtful Caring Space for Trans and Gender Diverse
Folks is a thoughtful and supportive group specifically designed to support gender diverse (trans, non-binary, two-spirit, questioning) UW Students.
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.
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.
Go with the Flow: Surfing the Waves of Emotion - June 10 session or June 17 session
Just like waves, emotions come and go… The goal of this workshop is to provide participants with a basic understanding of emotions and coping strategies.
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.
Mind Body Run
This group offers students the opportunity to take a break, get outside, and run/walk using the basic principles of mindfulness (being present in a non-judgmental mindset). Runners of all levels are welcome.
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.
Roots – Black Student Support Space - online sessions or in-person sessions
This drop-in space can be whatever is needed by Black students who would like to join. We can chat about self worth, debrief experiences of anti-black racism, share unique experiences of being a Black student at UW, and celebrate resiliencies and Black joy.
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.
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.
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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:
- Go to LEARN.
- Click Self Registration.
- Click Rewiring for Happiness.
- 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!
