Skip to McMaster Navigation Skip to Site Navigation Skip to main content
McMaster Logo McMaster logo

Student Wellness Centre

Programs

The Student Wellness Centre has a wide variety of programs designed to cater to the wellness needs of the student population. Please note that while some programs are drop-in, others do require registration.

Filter

ACT on Anxiety

Calendar Image
January 21, 2021 - February 11, 2021
Thursdays 2:00 PM-3:30 PM EST

Location: Online

Participants will learn Acceptance & Commitment Therapy strategies to decrease the impact of anxious thoughts, feelings, sensations, and memories on living a valued life. For more information or to register, email Carla Glanville (MA) at glanvic@mcmaster.ca or Kerri-Ann Fitzgerald (MSW, RSW) at fitzka@mcmaster.ca.

Read More

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Calendar Image
Winter Term
Tuesdays 5:00 PM-7:00 PM EST

Location: Online

In supportive small-group environment, participants will learn helpful ways to cope with periods of intense emotional distress. The group will focus on understanding painful emotional experiences and developing concrete strategies to prevent, decrease or manage painful life experiences. There are 3 modules that rotate through the year which include emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interperson…

Read More

Managing Your Worry and Anxiety

Calendar Image
Fall term (Various start dates)
Fridays 10:30am - 12:30pm

Location: Online

Participants learn about the connection between worrying and generalized anxiety through an exploration of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) concepts/strategies. Weekly experiential exercises will be used to challenge thoughts, manage worries, and provide a greater sense of calm to mind and body. For more information or to register, email Sheila Ortlieb (MA, RP) at ortliebs@mcmaster.ca.

Read More

Managing Your Emotions

Calendar Image
January 13-February 24, 2021 & March 3-April 7, 2021
Wednesdays 5:30 PM-7:30 PM EST

Location: Online

A basic introduction to Cognitive Therapy. Participants will practice specific ways to handle feelings more effectively. For more information or to register, email Nathan Cooper (Psy. D., C. Psych.) at ncooper@mcmaster.ca.

Read More

Mend Your Mood

Calendar Image
January 22, 2021-April 9, 2021
Fridays 12:30 PM-2:30 PM EST

Location: Online

This group will focus on developing a better understanding of depression, and learning evidence-based skills to change patterns that trigger depression symptoms. This group will be appropriate for those with mild to moderate symptoms of depression. Pre-group meeting required. For more information or to register, email Michelle Charles (MSW, RSW) at charles2@mcmaster.ca.

Read More

Emotion Regulation Skills

Calendar Image
Winter Term
Wednesdays 1:30 PM-3:30 PM EST

Location: Online

Participate in this 12-week coping skills group, where you will learn mindfulness and how to manage emotion dysregulation, distress, and interpersonal difficulties For more information or to register, email Debra Earl (RN) at earld@mcmaster.ca.

Read More

The Food for Thought Scoop

Calendar Image
Fall and Winter Term (Various dates)
Various Times

Location: Online

The Food For Thought Scoop Food and cooking inspiration, right to your email inbox! Join our mailing list for some recipes, cooking tips and tricks, and other food related info relevant to student life. In the weekly newsletter, the Food Literacy team will be including information related to budget-friendly meals, cooking skills, meal planning, nutrition,…

Read More

StressLess - Drop In

Calendar Image
Winter Term
Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 3:00 PM-4:00 PM EST

Location: Online - Zoom

The StressLess session is designed to explore the similarity and difference between stress, anxiety, and fear, identify stressors, explore stress physiology, discuss existing stress management strategies, and introduce progressive muscle relaxation Drop-in sessions will be available online. Email Nathan Cooper at ncooper@mcmaster.ca to receive the link for the online meeting.

Read More

Connections Curriculum

Calendar Image
Fall term (Fridays)
10:30AM - 12:30PM

A 12 session psychoeducational curriculum that helps participants develop and or build on their shame-resilience. Connections will enable participants to be more self-compassionate, emotionally aware, and interpersonally effective. For more information or to register, email Aven Armstrong-Sutton (MSW, Ph.D.c, RSW) at armstrong-sutton.aven@mcmaster.ca.

Read More

Grief Support Circle - Drop-in (Via WebEx)

Calendar Image
Winter Term (2nd Thursday of each month)
9:30 AM-11:00 AM EST

Location: Online - WebEx

This drop in style group is for students who have experienced grief and loss due to the death of a loved one. The group is facilitated by Marybeth from McMaster Open Circle and Simone (counsellor) from the Student Wellness Centre, and it is open to all students. This group will provide a safe and confidential…

Read More

Caring Communities Network

Calendar Image
Winter term (Various dates)
Self-paced

Location: Online

Promote wellness within your community (MSU Club or other student group) through the designation of a Wellness Liaison. A Wellness Liaison is someone in your community that can share experiences, resources, and opportunities surrounding health promotion and how to care for your community. They’ll be connected with the Student Wellness Centre as we share learning…

Read More

OCD is Affecting Me!

Calendar Image
January 22, 2021-March 26, 2021
Thursdays 2:30 PM-4:00 PM EST

Location: Online

A 10-week virtual therapy group for individuals having difficulties managing obsessive-compulsive disorder. The sessions will provide an overview of OCD, discuss symptoms and review helpful strategies to manage OCD. Please note that this is a therapy group and will require work to be done outside of group sessions. It is highly advisable to attend all…

Read More

Wellness Challenge

Calendar Image
April 6 - 19, 2020

Over the next two weeks of April 6th-19th, McMaster Student Wellness Centre invites you to join our various challenges. Offering three different challenges this final season, join our: Sleep Challenge, Active Living Challenge, or Creative Challenge. Whether it is cultivating good sleeping habits, staying active from home, or spending your spare time doing creative work,…

Read More

Wellness Webinars

Calendar Image
Multiple dates - May 2020
Varying times

Location: Online

April 28 Finding Inner Calm: Managing stress during COVID-19 Finding Inner Calm: Managing Stress During COVID-19 May 7 Community Care In this talk, we’ll move beyond self-care into community care. Participants will have the opportunity to explore what community care looks like in the context of COVID-19 and finish off by putting theory into practice.…

Read More

BIPOC Resilience and Peer Support

Calendar Image
Winter Term
Wednesdays 10:30 AM-11:30 AM EST

Location: Online

A virtual safe community where Black, Indigenous and People of Colour can share their voices and uplift one another. This group is intended to create opportunities to discuss personal, social, political and academic challenges and pressures faced uniquely by this population at McMaster University. Sessions will include discussions on mental health, self-care, wellbeing, self-empowerment, self-esteem,…

Read More

Did You Know? HPV

Calendar Image
Ongoing

Location: Online

The Did You Know? HPV webinar is designed to give students knowledge about what HPV is and how the vaccine can prevent at least six types of cancers from forming. While HPV and other sexually transmitted infections can be tough to comprehend, this webinar makes HPV easy to understand, provide key Canadian statistics, and a…

Read More

Perfectionism Power Hour

Calendar Image
Thursdays, January 21, 2021- March 25, 2021
1:30 PM-2:30 PM EST

Location: Online

Are you having difficulties with procrastination? Are you constantly striving to meet excessively high academic standards? Are you constantly dissatisfied with grades, even when others commented how well you did? If so, this is the group for you. A 10-week virtual therapy group for individuals having difficulties with perfectionism. Please note that this is a…

Read More

LivingWorks Start

Calendar Image
Fall Term (Various dates)

LivingWorks Start teaches valuable skills to everyone 13 and older and requires no formal training or prior experience in suicide prevention. When you sign up for LivingWorks Start training, you'll learn a powerful four-step model to keep someone safe from suicide, and you'll have a chance to practice it with impactful simulations. Safety resources and…

Read More

McMaster Pen Pals

Calendar Image
Fall and Winter Term (Various dates)

Location: Online

The McMaster Pen Pals program is a new initiative to help connect McMaster students who would like to meet new friends while we're away from campus. After filling out this 9-question-form, the Health Promotion team will match you with someone else who also filled this form and introduce you to one another via your McMaster…

Read More

Fostering Self-Compassion and Mindfulness

Calendar Image
January 13, 2021 - February 10, 2021
Wednesdays 10:00 AM-11:30 AM EST

Location: Online

A 5-week online psycho-educational group which explores self-compassion, self-love, and mindfulness. The sessions will focus on defining self-compassion, techniques to challenge the 'inner critic', and strategies to foster self-compassion and mindfulness. To register, contact Simone Gomes (gomessf@mcmaster.ca).

Read More

"Is That a Thought or a Feeling?!" - Communication Skills Building Group

Calendar Image
January 28, 2021 - March 11, 2021
Thursdays 1:30-3:00 PM EST

Location: Online

This is a 7-week Communication Skill Building Group to develop effective techniques and avoid common traps when having difficult conversations. This group is based on principles and strategies of Dr. Marshall Rosenberg’s International work on Nonviolent Communication. Students will explore patterns of alienating communication in their personal lives and practice skills that promote accurate verbal…

Read More

Be a Tourist in Your Own City - Scavenger Hunt

Calendar Image
Fall term 2020
Any time!

Location: Online - Instagram

SWC's Active Living Team is hosting a step challenge for the remainder of the semester and it's open to all McMaster students! Get some fresh air, get your steps in, and explore your city with our "Be a Tourist in Your Own City" scavenger hunt. Every Monday, the week's scavenger hunt challenge item will be…

Read More

Zoom Dine In's

Calendar Image
Fall Term - Mondays and Tuesdays
Various times

Location: Online - Zoom

Eating meals together is an important part of our everyday lives, providing a chance to connect and spend quality time with others, share food traditions of different cultures and generations, explore new foods, and meet new people. The pandemic and school may leave us eating alone more often. Join our Zoom Dine In’s with the…

Read More

Wellness (Book) Worms

Calendar Image
Various

Welcome to Wellness Worms! Welcome to Student Wellness Centre's very own book club! The goal of this program is to inspire reflection within a community setting. With this in mind, the book selections will be wellness-themed. Through reading and guided discussion we hope that peers will be able help each other in the process of…

Read More

Thrive Week 2021

Calendar Image
January 18 to January 22

Location: Online

The Student Wellness Centre and Healthy Workplace Committee are excited to announce the return of Thrive Week at McMaster! Thrive is a week-long series of events focused on helping students, faculty and staff at McMaster explore their path to mental health.   Thrive is also a mindset. We all have mental health, and we can each strengthen our…

Read More

Exploring the Procrastinating Mind

Calendar Image
Tuesdays, February 23 to March 23
10:30AM - 12:00PM

Location: Virtual

Did you know that procrastination has neurobiological roots? This 5-week group is structured to review skills and strategies to increase efficiency and focus when completing tasks. Additionally, this group will explore how to create and maintain new habits. This group will run on Tuesdays from 10:30AM - 12:00PM during the weeks of February 23 2021…

Read More

Life Coach Workshops - Amelia Valenti

Calendar Image
January 19, 26, February 2, 9
11:30AM to 12:30PM

Location: Virtual

Join Amelia Valenti in her workshop(s) that aim to optimize your approach to personal growth, goal setting, and building resilience. Amelia will be hosting 4 free workshops: Design your Life - January 19, 11:30AM to 12:30PM Design Thinking is a human-focused method that supports well-being in unprecedented/complex times. In this introductory coaching session, we will…

Read More