Programs - Student Wellness Centre

GradChats: Drop-in for Graduate Students

Thursdays, 6:30pm (Various Dates)

Location: Virtual

GradChats is a biweekly casual, virtual space for graduate students to connect across shared experiences of a general theme. A graduate student from the SWC’s Graduate Wellness Team will be co-facilitating the drop-in each week. Students who join will be able to walk away with new ideas on how to understand and deal with the…

Managing Your Worry and Anxiety (Registration Required)

Fridays, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Location: In Person: PGCLL 207 (inside Wellness Lounge)

The managing your worry and anxiety group is a 4 session in person psychoeducational group with about 10-12 participants. In this group, participants learn tips and tricks to manage anxiety/stress as well as some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) concepts. CBT is an evidence-based treatment for anxiety as well as other difficulties with mood. This group…

Mend Your Mood (Currently Full)

Location: In Person: PGCLL 206 (inside Wellness Lounge)

**This group is now full** This group will focus on developing a better understanding of depression while learning evidence-based skills to change patterns that trigger depression symptoms. Pre-group meeting required. For more information, please email Michelle Charles (MSW, RSW) at charles2@mcmaster.ca.

Emotion Regulation (Registration Required)

Tuesdays 10:30 AM - 12PM

Location: In Person: PGCLL 207 (inside the Wellness Lounge)

Emotion Regulation is a group designed to teach you about your emotions and how to regulate them in both ongoing and highly stressed situations. This group provides both psychoeducation and tangible tools that can support you in managing overwhelming or unwanted emotions. For more information or to register, please contact Katrina Buma bumak@mcmaster.ca

Walk in Nature

Monthly

Location: In Person

Connect with nature and leave your worries behind as you unwind on a walk through Cootes Paradise! Led by a Health Promoter from the Student Wellness Centre, you’ll go on a walk through Cootes Paradise and meet new people! Learn new skills from some mindfulness exercises, make new friends, and connect with the beautiful nature…

Free Fruit Fridays

Fridays Starting at 9am (while quantities last)

Location: Wellness Lounge - PGCLL 201

Need more fruits in your diet? Drop by the Wellness Lounge for some free fruit on Fridays!

Food for Thought: Cooking Classes

Various Times

Location: In-person Cooking Sessions

Cooking Classes Learn cooking skills in a relaxed and interactive environment. These cooking sessions will provide the opportunity to explore and practice topics related to cooking skills, knife skills, meal planning, nutrition, and food safety. Join us to learn useful kitchen skills and meet new people who are looking to learn as well. All skill…

safeTALK

safeTALK is a half-day alertness training that prepares anyone over the age of 15, regardless of prior experience or training, to become a suicide-alert helper. Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die, but are struggling with the pain in their lives. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay…

Grief Support Sharing Circle (Drop-In)

Thursdays, 2:30PM to 4:00PM (Monthly)

Location: In Person: PGCLL 206 (inside the Wellness Lounge)

A mutual support group for students who are experiencing loss or anticipatory grief due to the death of a loved one. Find support through: facilitated reflective exercises, education about grief and loss, peer sharing and support, creative, mindfulness, and self-compassion based exercises. Drop-In Dates: January 9th, February 13th (cancelled), March 6th, and March 27th. Facilitated…

Love Better - A Healthy Relationships Group (Registration Required)

Thursdays, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Location: In Person: PGCLL 207 (inside Wellness Lounge)

In this 5-week group, participants will learn to identify the differences between healthy and unhealthy romantic relationships. Group topics will cover the following: the qualities of healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, red flags to watch for in dating relationships, how the past affects dating relationships, strategies to make relationships last, and the importance of self-reflection to…

The Black X-Scape (Drop-In)

Thursdays, 2:00 - 4:00pm

Location: In Person: BSSC (PGCLL M07)

The Black X-Scape is a student- led mental health peer support group that provides a space for Black students to participate in safe and liberating discussions about mental health and healing. Black students can express themselves freely and engage in conversations about the nuances of mental health, wellness, stigma, and more. The program focuses on…

WOW, SAME.

Read the submissions of your peers to our sexual health initiative, "Wow, same". This is a set of booklets aiming to normalize funny sexual experiences, body insecurities, and the changes that COVID-19 have brought to our sex lives. Booklet 1: Wow, same. Funny Stories Booklet 2: Wow, Same. Insecurities Booklet 3: Wow, Same. COVID Changes.

Mactivate Your Mind, Body, & Spirit

Location: The Pulse

Mactivate Your Mind, Body, & Spirit is an Exercise and Wellness Referral Program Mactivate is a program that features a proactive approach to mental health. It is a partnership between Athletics & Recreation, Student Wellness, and other student service areas, to support McMaster students by providing them with opportunities and access to consistent and regular…

Home Cooked at Mac

The McMaster Student Wellness Centre is extremely excited to have introduced Home-cooked at Mac in the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 terms. Thank you to the McMaster Okanagan Committee for funding this program, supporting its development, and maintaining their endearing commitment to our community’s health and well-being. What is Home-cooked at Mac? There are…

Therapy Dog Visit: Bellyrubs with Biscuit

Various dates and times

Location: PGCLL 201 - Wellness Lounge

Do you miss your dog back home? Are you grieving your dog? Did you always want a dog but never got one? Are you feeling stressed, sad, or just in need of some extra comfort? Biscuit and Cubby are here to brighten your day! Drop by the Wellness Lounge in PGCLL 201 for a wagging…

I'm Ready: HIV Self-Testing Program

Mondays & Wednesdays, 9am-4pm

Location: PGCLL 203 (Inside PGCLL 201)

I’m Ready to Know is about ending HIV in Canada with low-barrier access to self-testing and connections to care. I’m Ready to Know is a national program that is implementing, scaling-up and evaluating low-barrier options for access to HIV self-testing. The goal is to reach the undiagnosed and give people choices about how to connect…

Overcoming OCD (Registration Required)

Thursdays, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Location: In Person: PGCLL 206 (inside Wellness Lounge)

This group provides interested participants with an in-depth understanding of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD), including its mechanisms and strategies for managing symptoms and triggers ‘at home’. Participants will engage in psychoeducation, skill-building activities, and practice learned skills between group sessions. A pre-group meeting (phone) is required. Please note this group will not be running on reading…

Neurodivergent Friendly DBT Group (Registration Required)

Tuesdays, 5:00-6:30pm

Location: In Person: PGCLL 206 (inside Wellness Lounge)

DBT techniques are skills for living a valued life. Meet others in a safe space to listen, share, and support one another and learn some skills. We will cover mindfulness skills, emotion regulation skills and distress tolerance. For more information or to register, contact Debbie Nifakis at nifakis@mcmaster.ca.

Food & Grocery Trips

4:00 to 6:30 PM

Location: In Person (By Registration Only)

Calling all McMaster students! Join the SWC & the International and Exchange Student Experience Office for monthly grocery trips in Hamilton! These trips offer an opportunity to connect with your own culture through familiar foods and ingredients while also exploring other culinary traditions. Enjoy free food tastings and gain valuable tips on grocery budgeting and…

Women Healing in Colour (Registration Required)

Tuesdays, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Location: In Person: PGCLL 207 (inside Wellness Lounge)

This group offers a culturally-affirming space for BIPOC women and femmes to explore intersectionality, share lived experiences, and build connections. It's a supportive environment where participants can be unapologetically themselves and engage in collective community care. Join us for a welcoming and safe environment for culturally diverse nuances, creative self-expression, and meaningful conversations. Some examples…

DBT Group (Registration Required)

Wednesdays 2:00-3:30pm

Location: In Person: PGCLL 207 (inside Wellness Lounge)

In a safe and supportive small group setting, participants will learn effective ways to cope with intense emotions. This group will focus on understanding the roots of painful emotional experiences and provide practical strategies to prevent, reduce, and manage these feelings. Sessions run from: January 29 to February 12 (3 weeks) & February 26 to…

ACT for Anxiety (Registration Required)

Fridays, 11:00 a,m, - 12:30 p.m.

Location: In Person: PGCLL 207 (inside Wellness Lounge)

ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) for anxiety is a 6 week group for those who are struggling with anxiety, connecting to the present moment and doing what is most important to them. The group provides a supportive space to explore and process anxiety and learn how to manage and live with it. The group will…

Test Anxiety - Currently Full

Location: In Person: PGCLL 207 (inside Wellness Lounge)

Writing mid-terms and exams is a common stressful experience that we all go through. Students will enhance their current calming resources and process past memories of test anxiety using the Group – Traumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP). G-TEP is a gentle but powerful therapy that helps you move through memories of distressing events.

Expressive Arts: Creative Stress Management Student Support Group (Registration Required)

Weekly, Thursdays, 2:00 - 4:00pm

Location: In Person: PGCLL 206/207 (inside Wellness Lounge)

In this weekly student support group, you will explore some of the root causes of your stress and use art as a tool to help manage it. Unmanaged stress is a common trigger for emotional dysregulation, which can create difficulties in focusing on both personal and academic tasks. In this workshop you will develop skills…

unexpectingU

Comprehensive pregnancy information, options, and resources tailored to support every step in your journey. Through providing these resources in the McMaster and Hamilton community, we want to encourage you to feel empowered and informed. Student Wellness Centre (SWC) Phone number: 905-525-9140 x27700 Hours: 9:00am-8:00pm Monday-Thursday, or 9:00am-5:00pm Friday Think you might be pregnant? Call to…

Sexual Health Week 2025

From February 10th to 14th, explore sexual health events, workshops, and educational content offered by the Student Wellness Centre: Monday February 10th: Check out our Instagram for educational content! Tuesday February 11th: Urinate Before Your Date Run by Hamilton Public Health When: 10am-3pm Where: PGCLL, Level 1/Ground floor Details: Free! chlamydia and gonorrhea testing, plus…

Letters & Lyrics - Expressive Writing & Open Mic Night

6:00 - 8:00PM

Location: Bridges Event Space

Join Black X-Scape for ‘Letters & Lyrics,’ an open mic night celebrating creativity, connection, and community, open to all Black students, staff, and faculty at McMaster University. Guided by Siobhan Stewart (former MSU President and McMaster Alum) and Susanne Dorder (SWC Counsellor), explore themes of personal growth, healing, and empowerment through poetry, music, guided writing,…

Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey

Check your email for an invitation to participate in the Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey for students! A select population of students will be sampled to help gather information on the health and wellbeing of McMaster undergraduate and graduate students. This information will be integral to help the Student Wellness Centre (and other Student Affairs departments)…