Mental Health Counseling and Support

Group counseling is a natural extension of the way you live your daily life, interacting with others. But instead of talking to your family, social networks or classes, you talk with similar students and with counselors who can help.

During group counseling, you will likely find that you have a lot in common with other group members, and that other people may have the same types of difficulties that you are facing. We work hard to create a strong level of trust, so everyone in the group can talk openly and honestly.

A typical group includes 6-12 students and 1-2 therapists, and meets once per week. Under the skilled direction of the group therapists, the group is able to give support, and offer alternative perspectives and new skills. By following this process, you can address your concerns, learn alternative behaviors, and develop new ways of relating to people.

How much you talk about yourself depends upon what you are comfortable with. You control what you share with the group; in fact, we encourage you not to share until you’re ready. Group leaders are there to help develop a safe environment and facilitate the conversation.

Different types of groups are offered each semester; please see below for current groups.

Mondays 1:00-2:30 pm – Online

Self-compassion involves being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate. Self-compassion is the opposite of ignoring our pain or punishing ourselves with self-judgment. Research suggest that the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion can help people regulate emotions, engage in healthy self-care, and respond to adversity in resilient ways. This group will help students learn the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion in order to cope with stress, anxiety, depression, and life challenges in healthy and balanced ways.

Mondays 3:00-4:30 - Online

This group provides a warm and supportive environment in which you can experiment constructively with new ways of relating to others, share personal experiences, express fears and concerns, and get support and feedback. People participate in this group for a number of reasons including having difficulties in relationships, finding their relationships are not satisfying, being curious about how others perceive them, and seeking support when experimenting with new relational behaviors and confidential environment for group members to share information and support each other.

Tuesdays 1:30-3:00 pm - Online

This group is designed to allow graduate and non-traditional students to explore the unique challenges they face in a safe and supportive environment. It can help students explore their identity, find new ways of relating to others, recognize how stressors impact them, and share personal experiences. The group can assist students in finding alternative ways of looking at life’s challenges to enable the development of healthier coping strategies. 

Tuesdays 3:00-4:30 pm - Online

This group focuses on building support, connection, and community among students who are transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and/or questioning their gender identity. The group is built to provide a safe, confidential format for students wanting a dedicated space to discuss issues relevant to being a part of the transgender community. While the agenda for each session is generally determined by group members, sample topics of focus may include: resiliency, coping with transphobia and discrimination, transitioning, pride, coming out, trans joy/gender euphoria, and the intersection of these issues with other identities (e.g., race/ethnicity).

Tuesdays 3:00-4:30 – Online

This virtual support group is designed for students who have lost a loved one through death.  The overall mission is to provide space, acceptance and support for students to mourn the loss of their loved one and to acknowledge the many feelings associated with grief and loss. This semi-structured support group will provide information on unique and different styles of grieving, as well as challenges of grieving. The group will also provide a space to discuss helpful strategies to support each student in their unique grief journey.

Wednesdays 1:00-2:30 pm – Online

Are you feeling stuck in your studying – finding yourself easily distracted or procrastinating? This group teaches psychological tools to help students better manage the thoughts and feelings that can negatively impact academic functioning, and helps students to act more in line with their academic goals.  

Wednesdays 1:30-3:00 pm – Online

A structured female only group for students who want to explore their relationship with body image concerns (including size, weight and other body insecurities) as well as concerns with food (shame and negative self-talk surrounding food intake, calorie counting, bingeing, purging, restricting, overexercising, etc).  Individuals with eating concerns, eating disorders or disordered/disrupted eating patterns as well as those with body image concerns would be eligible. It is beneficial for students who are in various stages of preoccupation with food and body size. This group will teach skills to live in the present, deal with stress, manage difficult emotions, and handle interpersonal conflict. It will also assist clients in connecting with and living in their bodies more effectively. Group members have to be in individual therapy concurrently.

Wednesdays 2:00-3:30 pm – Online

This semi-structured support group is committed to providing an affirming space for Students of Color to reflect on their experiences at a Predominately White Institution. In this group, we recognize the unique challenges of Students of Color and aim to foster a community for students to give voice to their experiences, gain support, and develop healthy coping strategies. Topics explored in this group include but are not limited to: navigating microaggressions, feelings of isolation, imposter syndrome, family/social relationships, and maintaining healthy self-care in the current socio-political climate. 

Wednesdays 2:00-3:30 pm –  Online
*5-week group, offered twice during the semester

This structured group will provide students with education and coping strategies to help with stress, anxiety, and mood management.  Some of the topics covered may include self-care, relaxation and effective stress management, coping with anxiety in healthy ways, and increasing positive emotions.

Wednesdays  2:30-4:00 pm – Online

This group provides a safe, supportive, and comfortable place for international students to discuss adjustment stressors and cross-cultural experiences in the U.S. The group also creates a safe and confidential environment for group members to share information and support each other.

Thursdays 12:00-1:00 pm – Online 
*5-week group, offered twice during the semester

A co-ed Hatha Yoga group that provides a holistic approach to mood and symptom management. Using a combination of gentle physical poses, breathing and relaxation techniques, this group allows participants to feel more connected and balanced within the body and mind. A trauma sensitive, person-centered approach will be utilized and no previous yoga experience is necessary. 

Thursdays 1:00-2:30 pm – Online

This structured group will teach skills to live in the present, deal with stress, manage difficult emotions, and handle interpersonal conflict in effective ways. 

Thursdays  2:30-4:00 pm – Online

This is a group for students who are questioning or exploring their gender identity and/or their sexual identity. It is also for students who identify as gender variant, transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or queer. The goal of the group is to provide a safe, supportive and confidential forum to talk about multiple identities, coming out, relationships with family and friends, dating, academics, transitioning, homophobia, transphobia, the “isms”, and other issues of interest to members.