News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
The Wellness Center hosts a weekly guided meditation in the Terrace room on Thursdays from 12:15-12:45 p.m. This space is open to beginners as well as seasoned meditators. Join us to reduce your stress level and make mindfulness a part of your weekly routine!
The Terrace room is also accessible by the ramp behind the commons if you or an interested student uses a mobility aid. If you want photos to make navigation easy let us know at wellness@up.edu
Are you looking for an opportunity to learn more about student wellness on the UP Campus? Sign up for the Wellness Center’s Supporting Student Wellness Newsletter for the latest resources and information. This monthly newsletter highlights common barriers to student wellness and their solutions, on campus programming, and helpful answers to common questions.
Sign up at the link below:
Questions? E-mail wellness@up.edu
October is Dating Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) and Student Wellness is providing a month full of activities to promote Pilots Protecting Pilots in collaboration with our campus partners.
Here are some of our activities:
Check out our Events Calendar for a full list of wellness activities and don’t forget to wear your DVAM ribbon pin all month long. You can get a ribbon at all of our DVAM events and by stopping by at the Student Wellness Center in Lower Level Orrico. Send us a photo of you and your friends at our events to our Instagram (@wellnesscenterup) or our email wellness@up.edu for us to post to show your support for survivors!
Looking for clarity in supporting students?
Supporting our students is a practice that is always changing with our campus culture and student needs. If you’ve ever wished you could get regular updates about or find opportunities to be involved in structured collaboration around student support practices, we have solutions!
This year, the Student Wellness Promotion team is launching a newsletter and collaboration team so folks around campus can get information and give input about effective student support practices. The newsletter goes out monthly and contains answers to FAQs, information on timely programming, and tips for boundary setting/self-care so you can lead by example. The collaboration team meets monthly (with additional options if this is not within your capacity) to discuss student wellness outreach relating to alcohol and other drugs, violence prevention, mental health, and other prominent mental health topics.
Check out the resources from the Student Wellness Promotion Team!
If you have questions about these opportunities reach out to wellness@up.edu.
The Wellness Center is adding several recurring events to their regular programming offerings: Recovery Meetings, Guided Meditations, and Friday Strolls.
Recovery Meetings are open to Students who are exploring recovery from substance use, self-harm, eating disorders, and mental illness. The meetings occur in the Orrico Lower Level Breakroom on Fridays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. This is a space for students to share and reflect on their experience, and participate in activities that help with skill-building relating to recovery.
Guided Meditations are open to ALL students, staff, and faculty members. They will occur on Thursdays from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the Terrace Room.
The Friday Stroll will be an opportunity for students, staff, and faculty to gather to go on a walk together from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. (whether we use the full time will depend on the length of the walk) on the Last Friday of each month. This group will meet outside of Orrico Hall.
If you would like the calendar invite forwarded to you or if you have any questions about these meetings, reach out to: wellness@up.edu
Have you had questions about how to support students who are struggling? Have you been looking for tips to manage your own capacity while offering students support and mentorship? This academic year, the Wellness Center will be sending out a monthly newsletter with answers to frequently asked questions, updates about campus resources, and timely information on how to support students as staff/faculty.
Faculty and staff are always welcome to submit your own general student wellness questions directly to the Wellness Center. You can access the submission form below.
University of Portland has partnered with BetterMynd, an online therapy platform, to offer each active student access to 5 free teletherapy sessions from a diverse network of licensed mental health counselors.
Students have access to 50-minute live video sessions are private and confidential and can take place from the convenience of a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Teletherapy sessions are available during the day, at night, and on weekends, so students can get support that works with their schedules.
To get started, students can register at the UP Portal:
For flyers, PowerPoint slides, or any materials to easily share this information with your students, please reach out to: wellness@up.edu
If you have contact with students, make sure to share with them that this resource is available!
The Wellness Center is hosting an event “Eco-Anxiety and Climate Resiliency” on April 20 at 5 p.m. in the DB Auditorium. The documentary Gen-Z Climate Stories will be shown at the beginning of the event, followed by a Q&A about the climate crisis, paneled by Dean Valerie Banschbach, Kali Abel, Rachel Wheeler, and student leader Alex Silva. The event is open to all staff, faculty, and students.
The Wellness Center invites you to participate in a suicide prevention intervention training. We have scheduled an ASIST training to be hosted at Orrico LL on March 16 and 17. ASIST is a layperson training that prepares people to address and intervene with individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems. The training is robust and should be very impactful for staff/faculty who regularly have direct contact with students. It is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., with an hour-long lunch break on each of the two days. We have 20 slots remaining.
Contact Greg Peterson at petersgr@up.edu if you have questions or want to register!
The Wellness Center and Campus Ministry have secured funding to revitalize the Green Dot program here at UP! The Wellness Center is hosting a Green Dot facilitator training here at UP on August 8–11. We hope to have individuals from as many departments as possible attend the training and be Green Dot facilitators so we can efficiently work together to implement the program across campus. The training will be for 50 people, and currently, there are 35 slots available. Check out a promo video with James Pena and Brenagh Sanford about Green Dot here.
Contact Greg Peterson at petersgr@up.edu if you have questions or want to register!