Mind-Body Programs
Caring for Your Whole Self
The Mind-Body programs at the Counseling Center are focused on fostering emotional, mental, and physical well-being. These programs strive to take the whole person into account by offering services that promote students’ overall health, resilience, and quality of life. These multi-week workshops teach skills such as mindfulness, emotion-regulation, and self-compassion that can be applied across many different areas of your life, including academics, and promote optimal functioning, performance, and success.
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Learn more and register for our Mind/Body workshops below! We usually offer multiple cycles of each mind-body workshop every semester, so check back often for future offerings.
Mindful Way
When: Mondays, 10:30am-12
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Capacity: Limit 15 students per workshop
About: Mindfulness is “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us,” and the practice of mindfulness is associated with a number of mental and physical health benefits. Over the course of four weeks, participants in the Mindful Way workshop will be introduced to mindfulness principles and common types of meditation practice. They will also participate in guided meditation practice in each meeting. Participants will be invited to discuss their experience with the practice and how to integrate it into daily life and as part of their self-care plan.
Workshop Requirements:
• Commit to attend all 4 weeks of the workshop
• Arrive on time and stay for the full 90 minutes
• Participants are expected to use video during the meetings
• Commit to practicing the skills outside of the workshop
Self-Compassion
When: Thursdays, 3:00 – 4:30pm
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Capacity: Limit of 12 students per workshop
About: Self-Compassion is a 4-week workshop designed to help you be less self-critical and more compassionate to yourself. This workshop will teach practical ways to be mindful of when you are struggling and respond with kindness and caring, therein helping you better get past your struggles. It will teach skills for tolerating distress and decreasing your worries about concerns or perceived mistakes. It will also help you to feel more connected to others and less alone in your struggles and inevitable blunders. Each weekly workshop session consists of worksheets, practical exercises, and meditations focused on building mindfulness and compassion. There is also a discussion portion where students can talk about their experience building a more self-compassionate attitude both in the workshop and at home.
Workshop Requirements:
• Commit to attend all 4 weeks of the workshop
• Arrive on time and stay for the full 90 minutes
• Participants are expected to use video during the meetings
• Commit to practicing the skills outside of the workshop
SC in Mandarin
When: Fridays, 9:00 – 10:30am, session dates TBD for Spring 2024
Where: Virtual via Zoom
About:
欢迎加入我们的为期三周的自我关怀工作坊，这是一个专为华语学生设计的课程。我们的目标是帮助您减少自我批评，学会更加慈悲地对待自己。漫漫求学路，在面对挑战和失败时，我们将教授实用的方法，让您学会如何以正忌的心态去关注和处理这些情况。
Welcome to our three-week Self-Compassion Workshop, designed specifically for Mandarin-speaking students. Our aim is to help you reduce self-criticism and learn to treat yourself with more compassion. During times of challenge and failure, we will teach practical methods to mindfully acknowledge and address these situations with a positive attitude.
Workshop Features:
- 文化适应性教材： 我们将提供全套中文教材，包括练习册、实用练习和冥想，确保文化和语言的亲切感。
Culturally Adapted Materials: We provide a full set of materials in Mandarin, including workbooks, practical exercises, and meditation guides to ensure cultural and linguistic familiarity. - 结合东方文化理念： 课程内容融合了中国的传统哲学思想，以及中国的成语和谚语，以促进自我同情和韧性的发展。
Integration of Eastern Cultural Concepts: The course content incorporates wisdom from Eastern philosophies to promote the development of self-compassion and resilience. - 实用练习和冥想： 介绍冥想和正念练习，帮助学生在日常生活中实践自我关爱。
Practical Exercises and Meditation: Introducing traditional Chinese meditation and mindfulness practices like Qigong or Tai Chi, helping students practice self-care in their daily lives. - 小组讨论： 提供一个安全、尊重的环境，鼓励学生分享他们在工作坊和家中培养自我关怀态度的经验。
Group Discussions: Offering a safe and respectful environment for students to share their experiences in developing a self-compassionate attitude, both in the workshop and at home. - 文化敏感的引导： 我们的小组引导老师接受了文化敏感性培训，理解有多样文化经历的学生可能对心理健康和个人挣扎的看法。
Culturally Sensitive Facilitation: Our facilitator(s) are trained in cultural sensitivity, understanding how students with various cultural experiences may perceive mental health and personal struggles. - 反馈和持续改进： 我们重视学生的反馈，并将根据他们的需求和文化细微差别不断改进课程。
Feedback and Continuous Improvement: We value students’ feedback and continuously adapt the program based on their needs and subtle cultural differences.
Aims:
- 学习在困难时刻如何保持正忌和关爱自己。
Learn how to maintain positivity and self-care during difficult moments. - 培养应对压力，减少担忧和战胜羞耻感的技能。
Develop skills to cope with stress, reduce worries and overcome the feeling of shame. - 感受到与他人的连接，减少孤独感。
Feel more connected to others, reducing feelings of loneliness. - 在日常生活中实践自我慈悲。
Practice self-compassion in everyday life. - 我们诚挚邀请您加入这个旅程，一起学习如何用更加慈悲和理解的方式对待自己，让我们在挑战中成长，共同进步。
We warmly invite you to join this journey, to learn how to treat yourself in a more compassionate and understanding way, and to grow and progress together through challenges.
Workshop Requirements:
Commitment: Attend all three weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 90 minutes.
Engagement: Practice skills learned during the workshop outside of session times.
Participation: Use video during meetings to enhance group connection.
Managing Your Mood
When: Thursdays, 1:30-3:00pm
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Capacity: Limit of 15 people per workshop
About: Managing Your Mood is a 4-week, structured skills-based workshop that uses techniques from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT) to help students implement healthy strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and other difficult emotions. The workshop will include skills-building worksheets, activities, and discussion among members.
Workshop Requirements:
• Commit to attend all 4 weeks of the workshop
• Arrive on time and stay for the full 90 minutes
• Participants are expected to use video during the meetings
• Commit to practicing the skills outside of the workshop
Breakup Rehab
When: Thursdays, 3:00-4:30pm
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Capacity: Limit of 15 people per workshop
About: This workshop is designed to provide participants with essential guidance, support, and tools to effectively navigate the challenging transition of a breakup. The workshop integrates mindfulness principles with adult attachment theory, providing a deeper understanding of how one’s attachment style impacts intimate relationships and the process of healing post-breakup. Over the course of six weeks, participants will engage in a journey of self-exploration and healing, emphasizing mindfulness practices that foster emotional balance and resilience. Each session is crafted to include skill-building exercises centered around mindfulness techniques, reflective activities, and group discussions that create a supportive community.
Workshop Requirements:
Eligibility: UIC students who have experienced a breakup within the past 12 months.
Commitment: Attend all six weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 90 minutes.
Assessment: Complete a 10-15 minute self-assessment survey prior to the first session and after the final session (Weeks 1 and 6).
Engagement: Practice skills learned during the workshop outside of session times.
Participation: Use video during meetings to enhance group connection.
Recognition, Insight, Openness
When: Mondays, 1:00 – 2:30 pm, next session dates TBD for Summer 2024
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Capacity: Limit of 12 people per workshop
About: Feeling stuck? Join this 3-week workshop to learn skills to better handle painful thoughts and feelings so that they impact and influence you less. Based on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), RIO provides you with tools to recognize your concerns, gain insight into what you want to change, and approach new ideas from a stance of flexibility and openness. Ongoing practice of these skills will ultimately help you get “unstuck” from problems impacting your personal life.
RIO is a great fit for individuals struggling with all kinds of concerns, including depression, anxiety, and academic stress. In addition to in-workshop experiential activities, you will receive a student handbook full of resources to help you practice your new skills.
Workshop Requirements:
• Commit to attend all 3 weeks of the workshop
• Arrive on time and stay for the full 75 minutes
• Participants are expected to use video during the meetings
• Commit to practicing the skills outside of the workshop