University Counseling Center offers support groups, workshops

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Jan 30, 2023, 8:00 AM

The University Counseling Center offers groups and workshops for undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Both the groups and the workshops are powerful treatment modalities. Their power lies in the support and feedback given by other participants as well as by the facilitators. They offer a supportive and affirming space for students to discuss challenges and build connections. Please see the UCC’s website for a full list of groups and workshops offered.

Spring 2023 Groups

The Continuum: LGBTQI+ Support Group is for students wishing to give and receive support around sexual identity and/or gender identity. Individuals interested in this group may identify as LGBTQI or may choose not to subscribe to any particular label or category. Continuum provides a safe, confidential and affirming environment to discuss identity, community, self-esteem, intimate relationships, family and friendships, and other issues of relevance.

  • Thursdays, 4–5 p.m. (virtual)

If interested, please contact one of the following UCC staff members: Kyle Shadrick at aaron.k.shadrick@vanderbilt.edu or Ash Weber at ashley.c.weber@vanderbilt.edu.

Co-leaders will conduct a brief meeting with interested students prior to joining the group.

DBT Group: Building Your Best Life. DBT is a skills-based group that teaches people how to identify and manage their emotions, communicate effectively in their relationships, and cope with adverse experiences.

More Than Meditation: A Mindfulness group. Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed out? This may be the group for you. Mindfulness is a practice that encourages us to live in the moment, non-judgmentally. Mindfulness strategies are associated with alleviating stress, anxiety and depression symptoms and pain management. Mindfulness can also help improve interpersonal connections. This group will consist of group discussion, experiential learning and psychoeducation. Students will increase their knowledge of mindfulness and increase their skills in mindfulness practice. Join our 10-week skills group to learn how to curb your stress and feel more centered by integrating mindfulness into your daily life.

  • (Start date TBD) Tuesdays, 2–3:30 p.m. (in person at the UCC)

Please contact Courtney Williams at courtney.williams@vanderbilt.edu or Amira Mohamad at amira.mohamad@vanderbilt.edu to schedule a brief informational meeting.

Screening is required.

Do you sometimes find it hard to manage relationships in your life? By engaging in Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills, you can learn how to apply specific problem-solving, assertiveness and social skills to modify adverse environments and obtain your goals in interpersonal encounters. After this group, you will have your own toolkit of strategies to pull from whenever you have difficult life circumstances. This group is open to undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

  • (Start date TBD) Fridays, noon–1:30 p.m. (in person at the UCC)

Please contact Heather Boyd at heather.n.bay@vanderbilt.edu to schedule a brief informational meeting.

Screening is required.

Coming to the United States and picking up a non-native language for day-to-day communication can be a lot. Navigating different culture norms, social dynamics and interpersonal relationships—the list goes on. English as a Second Language–International Student Group is a space for ESL–international students who want to provide and receive support and connections.

  • Fridays at 1 p.m. (virtual)

If interested, please contact Wenzhi Pan at wenzhi.pan@vanderbilt.edu.   

The facilitator will conduct a brief meeting with interested students prior to joining the group.

The Graduate Process Group is designed to provide a space for graduate students with a broad spectrum of mental health concerns. Group members will offer each other support and feedback in working toward change. Common concerns that may be addressed in this group include: navigating graduate programs and demands, interpersonal relationship difficulties, transitioning from graduate school to the work environment, individuation, identity concerns, and work/life balance.

  • Wednesdays, 3–4:30 p.m. (virtual)

If interested, please contact one of the following UCC staff members: Tamaki Silver at tamaki.silver@vanderbilt.edu or Jay Steinberg at jay.steinberg@vanderbilt.edu.  

It’s Giving Social is an eight-week group designed to support students that want to build social skills. Students are encouraged to bring in social skills they would like to work on, and the group will use multiple activities such as role playing and games to practice skills. Some topics that may be covered include ways to say no, engaging in small talk, and how to ask for what you need. This group is open to undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

  • Mondays, 4 p.m. (in person at the UCC)
  • Start date: Feb. 6

This group will be facilitated by: Maya Williams, M.A., Ed.M (maya.m.williams@vanderbilt.edu) and Jaya Bhojwani, M.S. Ed (jaya.s.bhojwani@vanderbilt.edu). Please feel free to reach out to us with questions that you may have.

Sometimes as a Black man it can be hard to process and express emotions. Let’s Rap About It is a space created for Black male-identified undergraduate students to explore, process and express emotions and experiences through music and lyrics. Through listening to music, discussing lyrics and exploring music themes, one can hope to find a space to connect, liberate and increase self-awareness.

  • Tuesday, 2–3:30 p.m. (in person at the Black Cultural Center)
  • Start date: Feb. 7 (10-week group)

If interested, please contact one of the following UCC staff members: Martez Nelson,  martez.nelson@vanderbilt.edu; Jordan Mike, jordan.d.mike@vanderbilt.edu; or Matthew Kane, matthew.kane@vanderbilt.edu.

Rooted in Resilience is a support group designed for students who have been impacted by interpersonal violence. This could mean experiences of sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, emotional abuse, stalking, harassment and/or childhood abuse. This group is intended to provide a supportive environment for survivors. Time is spent listening, sharing experiences, sharing challenges associated with trauma, and gaining tools and knowledge as students work toward healing. The group is open to undergraduate, graduate and professional students. This group is a collaboration between the University Counseling Center and the Project Safe Center.

  • Wednesday, 5–6 p.m. (in person at Project Safe)

If interested in this group, please email Sarah Jordan Welch-Moore at sarah.jordan.welch@vanderbilt.edu.   

No formal referral is required.

The Senior Support Group offers opportunities for support and connection with other graduating seniors. Whether it’s burnout and senioritis, saying goodbye, or facing life after college, the aim of this group is to offer a safe space to explore these concerns. This group is open to any undergraduate senior.

  • Thursday, 4–5 p.m. (virtual)
  • Start date: Feb. 9

If you have any questions, please contact UCC staff member Kea Brown at krystian.elizabeth.brown@vanderbilt.edu.  

The STEM Support Group is for graduate students in BRET or another STEM department. This support group will provide an opportunity to share, listen and connect with other BRET students in a safe and private space. A support group often helps members feel less alone and better able to cope with concerns. The group will explore themes that include stress and coping, impostor syndrome, managing difficult relationships, identity, helping a friend and grief. This is an open group and members are encouraged to join at any time throughout the semester.

  • Tuesday, 4–5 p.m. (in person at the UCC)
  • Bi-weekly, Jan. 17–April 25

For further information, please contact Aneesa Anderson at aneesa.anderson@vanderbilt.edu or Maya Williams at maya.m.williams@vanderbilt.edu.  

Understanding Self and Others is a weekly interpersonal process group for undergraduate students who want to explore personal growth, increase self-awareness and enhance their experiences in personal and academic settings. In this safe space, group members will practice communicating more honestly and effectively with others while gaining support from peers and therapists. Group topics may include adjustment, loneliness, academic/general stress, social anxiety and relationships.

  • Tuesday, 4:30–6 p.m. (in person: North Campus)

If you have any questions, please contact Ash Weber at ashley.c.weber@vanderbilt.edu or Wenzhi Pan at wenzhi.pan@vanderbilt.edu.

Screening required.

Untangle and align your thoughts and emotions at our expressive arts group. The Untangle Group offers a space to connect in the “here and now” and experience the healing power of creativity. Through visual art, movement, music and storytelling, emotions are liberated, facilitating insight and growth. No prior experience in art-making is needed and art materials will be provided.

  • Wednesday, 3–4:45 p.m. (in person at the UCC)

For more information, please contact one of the following UCC staff members: Viviana Grice at viviana.a.grice@vanderbilt.edu or Stephanie Singer at stephanie.m.singer@vanderbilt.edu.

Screening required.

The Women’s Group is a process group where participants explore their concerns about relationships, academic and work stress, problems with depression or anxiety, family, life transitions and communication, among other concerns. This exploration enables participants to work on changing their thinking or behavior patterns in order to make their lives work better, enjoy their lives more fully, and achieve a sense of personal authenticity. In addition, the Women’s Group focuses on the ways in which women’s lives are impacted by societal gender stereotypes and the guilt and shame that can be experienced when we sense that we do not fit certain stereotypes. An important aspect of this group is the chance to explore here-and-now relationships with the other women in the group, to see how others’ experiences are like your own, and to support and encourage positive change. This is an in-person group for graduate and professional students and is open to anyone identifying as a woman.

  • Tuesday, 2–3:30 p.m. (in person at the UCC)

If you have any questions, please contact one of the following UCC staff members: Ruth Howard at ruth.howard@vanderbilt.edu or Kea Brown at krystian.elizabeth.brown@vanderbilt.edu.

Screening required.

Spring 2023 Workshops

Anxiety Toolbox is a three-week workshop designed for students experiencing a variety of anxiety-related concerns. This workshop is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Attendance at all 3 sessions is required, as each week builds upon the previous one. Sessions cover 1) understanding what anxiety is and how it impacts us, 2) exploring how thoughts and behaviors affect anxiety, and 3) developing strategies to better cope with anxiety.

Round 1 – Tuesdays: Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 14

  • 2–3 p.m.

https://vanderbilt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuc-2grzsqGtVtwb5LOu1Udz-VIOSjFr-k

Round 2 – Thursdays: Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 2

  • 10–11 a.m.

https://vanderbilt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0sdOqvpjkvHND6aD62kTGqNhJOQJ0-XKPZ

Round 3 – Wednesdays: March 22, March 29, April 5

  • 2–3 p.m.

https://vanderbilt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAqfuuupzMiEtAF4ly_d8vsX03wfzYLZS7t

Round 4 – Tuesdays: March 28, April 4, April 11

  • 2–3 p.m.

Zoom link TBA

For more information, please contact UCC Staff member Stacey Appiah-Opoku at stacey.appiah-opoku@vanderbilt.edu.

The Self-Compassion Workshop Series is designed to help students become less self-critical and respond to their daily struggles with kindness and compassion rather than judgment and criticism. The workshop is comprised of two sections: Part 1–Developing Self-Compassion Workshop, and Part 2–Practicing Self-Compassion Group that will integrate psychoeducation, experiential exercises and interactive discussions to help participants develop tools that will serve to increase their overall level of self-compassion and well-being. This workshop series is being offered to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate Vanderbilt students.

Part 1: Developing Self-Compassion Workshop. The Developing Self-Compassion Workshop is the first part of the Self-Compassion Workshop Series. This workshop is a three-week virtual introduction to the concept of self-compassion, and participants will learn various strategies for incorporating self-compassion in daily life. In this mini-course, students are invited to actively participate in exercises, engage in dialogue and are encouraged to practice the tools regularly throughout the week. Students who complete this section are welcome to join the Part 2: Practicing Self-Compassion Group. Two rounds of the Developing Self-Compassion Workshop will be offered this semester:

  • Part 2: Practicing Self-Compassion Group. The Practicing Self-Compassion Group is the second part of the Self-Compassion Workshop Series and is intended for students who have completed Part 1: Developing Self-Compassion Workshop. This group is a six-week in-person opportunity to explore self-compassion with additional depth. Students will be invited to further their self-compassion development with the use of reflective journaling, mindfulness exercises and expressive art activities in a supportive and confidential group environment.
    • Dates: Fridays, beginning March 24
    • Time: 12:30–2 p.m.
    • Location: In person at the UCC
    • Registration information: If interested, please contact one of the following UCC staff members:

The Thriving and Surviving with ADHD workshop has an emphasis on deepening understanding of what ADHD is and isn’t and improving work completion, time management and organization while also touching on cognitive, behavioral and mindfulness interventions.

Weekly workshops: Actively engage in skill-building in these areas in a scaffolded, supportive environment.

Open Discussions: Ask questions about surviving and thriving with ADHD and other executive function issues, as well as follow up on skills from prior weeks. Bring your questions! A verified diagnosis of ADHD is not required for this workshop; any interested student is welcome.

  • Wednesday, 4–5 p.m. (virtual)
  • 25: What is ADHD?
  • 1: TLCs (therapeutic lifestyle choices)
  • 8 and 15: Time and task management
  • 22: Mindfulness for ADHD
  • March 1: ADHD and academic work
  • March 8: Wrap-up

For more information, please contact one of the following staff members:
Frances Niarhos, frances.niarhos@vanderbilt.edu
Samantha York, samantha.york@vanderbilt.edu
Vanessa Bell, vanessa.bell@vanderbilt.edu

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