Groups & Workshops are powerful vehicles for change. When we participate in a group with others who are living with similar concerns, we begin to realize that we are not alone in our struggles. We explore and learn new skills, practicing these in the safety of the group. Groups can be an empowering experience; feeling the support of the facilitator(s) and fellow group members can increase our motivation and energy to create the change we want for ourselves.
Please check out the groups & workshops outlined below and choose one (or more) that you believe is a good fit for you:
How to turn on close captioning in Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Workshops
Sleep Hygiene: Tips for getting a good night’s rest
Facilitator: Denise Alton (she/her), MSW, RSW
When: Thursday, June 8 – 1:00-2:30pm
Where: Zoom https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/88309458427
Sleep is essential to both our physical and emotional well-being and is also greatly affected by the stress we feel in our everyday lives. Sleep Hygiene provides us with a framework to follow to develop healthy sleep habits and to respond when sleep is hard to come by. In this one-hour workshop, we will learn the do's and don'ts of sleep hygiene and explore how the messages we send ourselves about sleep may be affecting the quality of sleep we get.
BIPOC and QTBIPOC Wellness Series
Come to connect with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) as well as QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) students to support each other’s wellness in a safe space. This series of monthly workshops will focus on different topics facilitated by a BIPOC or QTBIPOC HCC Counsellor.
Please check back for future dates.
Groups
Please note that group members will be asked to provide facilitators with a contact phone number, emergency contact and current Ontario address prior to the start of each group session.
*All students who register for a group will be contacted by one of the group facilitators (HCC counsellors) for a brief, 15-minute phone call (gathering of information and opportunity to ask any questions about the group).
Building Resilience: Understanding Stress and Building Skills to Cope
Facilitator: Amar Ghelani (he/him), MSW, RSW
When: Wednesdays, June 7, 14, 21, 28 – 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Where: Virtual by MS Teams
This is a 4-part weekly workshop series focused on developing skills to manage stress more effectively. This series offers an introduction to understanding stress, its benefits and challenges, and practical skills needed to cope well in university. The workshop also provides information on developing long-term resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from overwhelming forms of stress.
Dealing with Hard Feelings
Facilitator: Sofia Pelaez (she/her), MSW, RSW
When: Wednesdays, July 5, 12, 19, 26 from 1:45-3:15pm
Where: In person, location TBD
For many of us, experiencing certain emotions can be difficult and uncomfortable. Whether it be feeling anxious, sad or angry, it is natural to want to avoid feeling upset and to find ways to make these emotions go away. At times, we may our actions during these challenging times may hurt us in the long run. Emotions are a part of being human and we cannot avoid them. In this 4-week group, participants will learn more about the role of emotions in their lives, what happens when we can’t deal with our emotions, and learn skills drawn from mindfulness, CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), and DBT (dialectical behaviour therapy) to help them to manage emotional distress in a safe way. By the end of this group, participants will develop their own personal plan for dealing with feelings that challenge them the most!
Radical Self-Care
Facilitator: Vi Phan (she/her), MSW, RSW
When: Thursdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27 from 1:45-3:15
Taking time to care for ourselves in a world that demands we prioritize other tasks and people first is a radical act. In the context of our ever-busy lives, self-care often gets framed as 'selfish' or 'indulgent', leaving many feeling conflicted and unmotivated to engage. Together in the group, we will support one another in exploring this systemic challenge, as well as learn strategies to take back control over protecting and meeting our human need for rejuvenation and self-preservation.
Please note that group members will be asked to provide facilitators with a contact phone number, emergency contact and current Ontario address prior to the start of each group session
Building Self-Esteem: Learning how to Appreciate Yourself
Facilitator: Denise Alton (she/her), MSW, RSW
When: May 10, 17, 24, 31, June 7, June 14 – 2:30pm-4:00pm
Where: In person, Location TBD
Many of us struggle to build our self-esteem. We may find that our feelings about ourselves are pulled up and down based on achievement or feedback from others. In this group, we will learn straightforward ways to begin to build a stable positive sense of self and to appreciate our core worth as human beings. Through this learning we can begin to be ok with ourselves regardless of external influences.
Registration closed.
Mindful Self-Compassion: Learning to treat yourself as you would treat a friend
Facilitator: Faiza Khokar (she/her), MSW, RSW
When: May 18, 25, June 1, 8, 15 – 2:30pm- 4:00pm
Where: In person, Location TBD
Have you ever noticed your inner voice? At times, we may notice that our inner voice treats us more like an enemy than a friend with harsh criticism and unhelpful self-talk. Based on the writing and research of Dr. Kristin Neff, this group teaches us how to use mindfulness to take a different approach to the way we respond to our emotions and thoughts. We can begin to accept our experiences and ourselves just as we are. Together, we will move toward the golden rule of self-compassion: to treat ourselves as we would treat a friend. This 5-week group aims to teach participants how to show themselves compassion, kindness and soothing and to understand that we are not alone when we struggle.
Registration closed.
