This presentation may include detailed education about what types of thoughts, emotions, and physical symptoms may signal signs of anxiety, in addition to healthy coping skills that people can use to manage anxiety symptoms. Duration: 30-60 minutes.

Cultivating Wellbeing focuses on the interdependent relationship of wellness dimensions that can ultimately lead students, over a period of time, to a consistently healthy lifestyle. Students will have the opportunity to explore social wellness, occupational wellness, intellectual wellness, emotional wellness, physical wellness, and spiritual wellness. Throughout the session, students will also self-reflect on how they currently cultivate habits of each of the wellness dimensions, and they will engage in an activity to see where their wellbeing stands. Ultimately, students will become more aware of how they can nurture various relationships, become more accountable for financial decisions, recognize whether or not career ambitions are personally satisfying, face adversity and challenges head on, implement healthy exercise and dietary habits, improve sleep quality, and examine their values, ethics, and core beliefs.

The Student Care Network is committed to supporting the emotional well-being of Vanderbilt students with dedicated attention to the impact of students’ intersecting identities on their lived experiences and mental health. As such, outreach programming and support spaces that center diversity and social justice may include the following: mental health stigma within diverse communities, navigating identity-based microaggressions and identity-based trauma, process space following a critical incident that impacts marginalized communities, amongst other concerns that uniquely impact students with marginalized identities. Duration: 30-60 minutes.

This presentation may include dialogue regarding the impact of societal messaging on our relationships with our bodies, and our relationships with food. It may also include general education about signs of disordered eating and its impact on our physical and emotional bodies, and tangible coping skills that may be helpful to challenge disordered eating behaviors. Duration: 60 minutes

This alcohol and other drug education presentation will help hosts plan and carry out safe and successful events by discussing their commitment to health and safety, Tennessee State Law, Vanderbilt Policy, and DUI prevention strategies. The presentation is approximately 45 minutes in length and is required annually (once per academic year) for event hosts, both with and without alcohol present. 

Looking at the Big Picture: How Alcohol and Marijuana Use Can Impact Mental Health: In this interactive presentation, the short-term and long-term impacts of alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use will be discussed. Harm reduction, coping skills, and how to help a friend will be shared along with campus resources including Vanderbilt Recovery Support. 

Meditations may be silent or guided, led by a member of the Student Care Network. With practice, meditation helps to quiet the mind, build resiliency, reduce stress, and enhance attention - all of which contribute to better learning.  Meditation sessions can be requested by undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The Center for Student Wellbeing also offers weekly meditations as a part of their Weekly Wellbeing Practices. 

The Student Care Network is a holistic network of services and resources pertaining to health and wellness available to all Vanderbilt University students who have paid the Student Health Fee. The Student Care Network has four primary offices: the Office of Student Care Coordination, Center for Student Wellbeing, University Counseling Center, and Student Health Center. This presentation will go into more depth around services available to students and how to access them.

Learn how to recognize stress triggers and cues and develop skills and strategies for managing stress in healthy ways. One particularly useful strategy that will be introduced in this workshop is mindfulness. Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, and non-judgmentally in a present moment. Students will become more knowledgeable about mindfulness practices, the science of and research related to mindfulness, exercises that foster a deeper understanding of mindfulness, and relaxation techniques to use when faced with stress. Students will be challenged to think on their own about how to integrate what they learned from the session into their day-to-day life.

Our Study Skills workshops are designed to assist students who are having difficulties with classes, wish to improve grade point averages, or just want to enhance study techniques. While these workshops are very helpful to students who are experiencing academic difficulties, including balancing hectic schedules, they are also beneficial to anyone who wishes to become a more efficient and effective learner.

Recognizing Signs of Distress in Others

A student’s life can be stressful. As a student, faculty, staff member, or family member you may recognize a fellow Commodore in distress who may benefit from wellness support and professional resources. This presentation will include tips for recognizing the signs of distress, how to best respond to these situations, and highlight the many resources and ongoing efforts within the Student Care Network that are available to support all students. Duration: 60 mins

Mental Health Awareness and the Prevention of Suicide (MAPS) is a Vanderbilt University joint initiative with the University Counseling Center (UCC) and the Center for Student Wellbeing (CSW) designed to prevent suicide in the campus community while promoting mental health awareness. In this two-hour session, participants have the opportunity to learn more about suicide statistics, warning signs, risk factors, and suicide myths. Throughout the training, participants are invited to join in experiential exercises designed to increase understanding of individuals in crisis and to assist in identifying students in need, engaging a student who may be depressed, angry, hopeless, or withdrawn, and providing referrals to campus and community resources. To increase your comfort in a potential crisis situation, participants will have the opportunity to practice these newly acquired skills in multiple role plays facilitated by UCC and CSW trainers. Duration: 2 hours

The Student Care Network recognizes that faculty and staff are often the first to identify students who may be struggling. This series of trainings presented by the Student Care Network, and developed in partnership with the Faculty Senate Student Life Committee, are designed to help faculty and staff gain confidence in their knowledge of helpful resources so that they can effectively support student mental health, guide students to additional support, and continue to focus on their primary role as faculty and staff members. 

Level 1: 

In this INTRODUCTION to Supporting Student Mental Health (Level 1), Student Care Network staff share important information about brief assessment of student concerns, using the Student of Concern Report, and how to best connect students to available resources within the Student Care Network. Duration: 10-15 minutes. 15-20 minutes

Level 2: 

A deeper dive into Supporting Student Mental Health with the Student Care Network (Level 2), Student Care Network staff explore the warning signs associated with mental health concerns and suicidal ideation, responding to students in distress or crisis, and resources within Vanderbilt's Student Care Network that are available to support students. Participants will practice asking if a student is considering suicide, gain a better understanding about using the Student of Concern Report, and receive additional tools that can help guide next steps and offer resources to support student mental health. Participants of this presentation will receive a physical acknowledgement (sticker/door hangtag) to display their support of student mental health. Duration: 2 hours

Level 3: 

Mental Health Awareness and the Prevention of Suicide (MAPS) (Level 3) is a Vanderbilt University joint initiative with the University Counseling Center (UCC) and the Center for Student Wellbeing (CSW) designed to prevent suicide in the campus community while promoting mental health awareness. In this two-hour session, participants have the opportunity to learn more about suicide statistics, warning signs, risk factors, and suicide myths. Throughout the training, participants are invited to join in experiential exercises designed to increase understanding of individuals in crisis and to assist in identifying students in need, engaging a student who may be depressed, angry, hopeless, or withdrawn, and providing referrals to campus and community resources. To increase your comfort in a potential crisis situation, participants will have the opportunity to practice these newly acquired skills in multiple role plays facilitated by UCC and CSW trainers. Duration: 2 hours

Request an outreach not listed under another category, including tabling events and orientation presentations.