Grad Wellness Series: Caring for Yourself in Grad School: Self-care Strategies for Managing Stress and Avoiding Burnout

This is the third session in the Graduate Wellness series. Previous sessions have included: Imposter Syndrome for which resources can be found here.  The sessions are designed to offer additional mental health and wellbeing support geared specifically towards graduate students and centered around known stressors many graduate students are faced with.  The series is a partnership between the Office of the Vice-President Students, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and graduate student representatives.

 

Graduate school can be both an exciting and stressful time for many students. Supporting and caring for one’s health and wellbeing is important to learning and completing your degree, as well as building professional competency.

This interactive webinar will be facilitated by members of UBC Counselling Services and the Health and Promotion Education Unit, and focuses on managing your stress during graduate school.

Discussion includes:

  • Identify stressors in graduate school, the stress response, and burnout
  • Taking stock of your own stressors and how you cope with them
  • What is this idea of “caring” for oneself, and what gets in our way of doing so?
  • Identify some proactive steps you will take to support your health and wellbeing
  • Health and wellbeing resources on campus and how to access them

The Grad Wellness Series is designed to offer additional mental health and wellbeing support geared specifically towards graduate students and around their known stressors. It is a partnership between the Office of the Vice-President Students, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and graduate student representatives.  The goals of these facilitated support sessions will be to identify and address key mental health concerns, foster professional competency and resilience, develop proactive coping strategies, identify resources, and create social connections through discussions.

We will be offering 90 minute sessions throughout 2021/2022, each focused on a different theme known to be an area of heightened stress for graduate students. These sessions are best suited for graduate students who feel overwhelmed in the following areas and are wanting support to make a change.

Further topics ahead include: Financial stressors, Navigating an Effective Supervisory Relationship

 

Registration details here

Note: You must first be enrolled in GradStart to register.

Questions? Please email: graduate.orientation@ubc.ca

 

Facilitators:

Levonne Abshire (she/her), MEd. is an Interim Co-Director of Health Promotion and Education with Student Health and Wellbeing. She provides leadership and oversight for the development and implementation of health education programs and services to support student health and wellbeing through the Wellness Centre. Current special interests include her work in capacity building for staff and faculty in the area of mental health support, campus wide health promotion including Thrive, and teaching practices that support student wellbeing. Prior to joining UBC, Levonne worked as a teacher in K-12 schools and an administrator in non-profit community recreation and health. She is an alumni of UBC’s Faculty of Education, Educational Studies.

Dr. Karen Flood (she/her), Ph.D. is a Registered Psychologist with UBC Counselling Services.  Current special interests include her work with graduate students, supporting individuals with the emotional impact of physical health concerns, and the clinical use of online resources such as Therapist Assistance Online (TAO). She is an alumni of UBC’s Faculty of Education, Dept. of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education.