Wellness Initiatives Fund

2021-2022 Summary

During the 2021-2022 academic year, in addition to the funding for ProtoCall, our 24/7 urgent support line, 14 proposals were awarded Wellness Initiative Funds, for a total of $5,886. Those who received funding were extremely grateful for the opportunity to implement important projects in support of student wellness. We continue to vigorously advertise this fund to students and campus colleagues to promote access to this vital resource. An overview of the year’s activity can be found below.

We continue to be grateful for the generous support of Robin McQueen-Lynch ’80, Bob Flynn ’87, and other donors in best ensuring the overall health and wellness of our students.

ProtoCall

August 2021-June 2022

In collaboration with the JED Campus team, ProtoCall, a 24/7 Support Line, was launched in August 2020. This service provides students with the ability to reach a crisis clinician for urgent counseling needs any time of the day from any location, 365 days/year. This service has been promoted heavily to students, faculty, and staff via email, social media, campus signage, and outreach/training to faculty, staff, and student leader groups. During AY21-22, the Support Line received 114 calls from Stonehill students. One interesting trend that has continued is that more males accessed the Support Line as compared to females. Therefore, this new resource has helped to remove some barriers for men seeking counseling, as they have been underrepresented as clients in the past.

You're Not Alone: Living with Loss Peer Support Group

September 2021

We continued to provide the book We Get It: Voices of Grieving College Students and Young Adults to students participating in the peer grief support group established in 2019. A collaboration between Counseling Services and Campus Ministry, this group offers targeted outreach to students who have recently lost immediate relatives. This support group was offered six times this past year and seven students consistently attended and shared their personal stories of loss and how they were experiencing the grief process. Students were also provided with several printed resources and personal contact information for peers who have lost a close family member and are available for additional support.

Fresh Check Day, Farm Visits Pet Therapy

October 2021

Fresh Check Day is our annual, large-scale mental health awareness fair held outside on the quad. A dozen student organizations along with multiple campus offices/departments (Athletics, Campus Ministry, Campus Police, Counseling Services, Health Services, Health & Wellness, and Sodexo Dietitian) participated by hosting interactive booths on wellness topics, including anxiety, depression, and suicide; substance abuse; counseling and mental health check-ins; stress relief and relaxation; sexual assault prevention; nutrition; and more. One big draw to this event was a mobile farm visit pet therapy service, which brought baby farm animals to campus. In addition, our on-campus radio station WSHL provided music to add to a festive atmosphere, and we provided coupons to students for a Poke-Bowl lunch truck. The event drew an estimated 250 attendees, and the survey feedback we received from students was very positive, with multiple students noting that it was a great way to help decrease the stigma of mental health and communicate information regarding wellness resources.

Break the Stigma: Fireside Chat Series

October 2021-February 2022

The JED Campus Team, in collaboration with Academic Affairs, Counseling Services, and Health & Wellness, launched a new initiative called, Break the Stigma: Fireside Chat Series. This evening series was offered four times this academic year and included a group of speakers who casually shared their perspectives on a mental health awareness topic with the goals of increasing dialogue around mental health, decreasing stigma, and ensuring struggling students know they are not alone. The specific topics included Mental Health and Communities of Color, Student Leader Mental Health, Neurodiversity, and Men’s Mental Health. Each chat involved 3-4 speakers with a combination of students, faculty, and staff. Approximately 40 individuals (primarily students) attended the events in total. Refreshments were provided and additional resources were made available. Participants expressed gratitude for the openness and vulnerability displayed by the speakers and commented that they felt heard, seen, and appreciated. Suggested future chat topics include additional disabilities-related topics beyond neurodiversity, self-care, and LGBTQIA+ mental health.

No-Stress November Self-Care Bags

November 2021

With the time change, holidays, and pending finals, November can be a particularly challenging time for students in managing stress and self-care. As a way to encourage proactive self-care and coping, provide stress relief opportunities, and promote familiarity with their office in a positive and interactive way, Counseling Services distributed No-Stress November Self-Care Bags in the Dining Commons. The bags included a variety of items and resources, including sensory fidgets, relaxing herbal teas, crossword puzzles, QR codes to guided meditations with staff, and cognitive behavioral therapy worksheets. The tabling event was quite popular, with approximately 90 bags given to students. With remaining supplies from the above-mentioned program along with additional items on hand, Counseling Services created care packages for distribution in the Multicultural Student Lounge and Commuter Student Lounge as a way to support students of color and commuter students through the final exam period.

Winter Wellness Festival

February 2022

Health and Wellness and Athletics/Recreational Sports partnered to hold our annual Winter Wellness Festival in the Sports Complex in mid-February. The main attractions included Glow in the Dark Yoga, in which a dozen students participated, and Bubble Soccer, which drew 30 participants. Student organizations and various offices hosted wellness tables promoting self-care tips, safety, nutrition, and mental health resources. To maximize attendance, pizza was offered, and students had the opportunity to win various gift baskets that included Recreational Sports swag, sleep kits, self-care kits, and movie night baskets. An estimated 100+ students participated in this evening program. When asked about their favorite parts of this event, students noted that they enjoyed the kind and friendly atmosphere, the opportunity to learn about resources, and the interactive tables. One student commented, “I loved it, you should do this more often!”

Hear from Michael Kennedy '23 as he discusses the Fireside Chat program.

Hear from Erin Johnston '23 as she discusses the Hope Happens Here program.

I loved it, you should do this more often!

Student Response to the Winter Wellness Festival

Winter Wellness Festival

Winter Wellness Festival

February 2022

Self-Care Program for Student Government Association

Jessica Greene, Health & Wellness Educator, presented to 40 members of the Student Government Association on the topic of stress relief, setting boundaries, burnout, and taking care of one's mental health. The program centered on the idea of "filling your own bucket" based on the book How Full is Your Bucket by Tom Rath.

Each participant was provided with a copy of the book and a small bucket as a reminder to use the concepts from the book to use positive words and make intentional actions each day, known as “bucket fillers.” Typically, at this time of the semester, stress levels are increasing for students with demands from academics, leadership responsibilities, and more. To this end, Jessica spoke of the importance of managing one’s time, avoiding time robbers and distractions, and taking care of one’s health with regards to sleep, good nutrition, physical activity, and stress-reduction techniques.

The students stated they benefitted from the presentation and discussed intentionally filling each other’s buckets with positivity and kindness throughout the rest of the semester.

Following the program, our SGA Executive President remarked with the following:

It is crucial to understand how full one's bucket is when being a voted member of SGA. Sometimes things pile up and you don't realize that you're not taking care of yourself until you just explode. Jessica came in at a time when a lot of our members were overwhelmed with SGA work as well as classwork. Remembering to take care of ourselves will help all members of SGA perform more efficiently when speaking up for the entire student body.

Happiness Week: Kindness Challenge

March 2022

Inspired by the Happiness Lab podcast based on the work of Dr. Laurie Santos of Yale University, Happiness Week offered opportunities for students to reflect upon their wellbeing physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually in order to create a more aware and resilient community. Happiness Week was promoted and supported through Athletics, Campus Ministry, Counseling Services, Health & Wellness, and Student Engagement. One specific event during this year’s program was the Kindness Challenge, which centered on promoting the simple message of “Be Kind.” During a tabling event in the Roche Dining Commons, KIND granola bars with random acts of kindness labels were distributed to promote a sense of wellbeing and connection, while encouraging students to engage in acts of kindness themselves around campus.

BIPOC Focus Group on Wellness Programming Lunch

March 2022

As part of the JED Campus Initiative and in support of Student Affairs Departmental Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, a focus group was held over lunch with students who identify as BIPOC to hear their perspectives on wellness programming and garner feedback on ways to enhance offerings at the College. Facilitated by the Office of Intercultural Affairs (OIA), a list of questions was developed. Six students participated in the focus group and shared thoughtful feedback regarding future programmatic offerings. Of particular note, students expressed interest in the College offering additional education around the racialized experiences of students of color as a way to best support their overall wellness on a predominantly white campus.

Self-Help Book Club

Spring Semester 2022

Counseling Services’ Clinician Lindsey Angione reviewed her favorite self-help books on Instagram throughout second semester. Lindsey selected four books and shared highlights from each on Instagram TV @stonehillcounselingservices. These posts/videos received 115 views, and Counseling Services raffled off two copies of the book for each talk. The books included: Burnout; Don’t Let Anxiety Run Your Life: Using the Science of Emotion Regulation and Mindfulness to Overcome Fear and Worry; Authentic Happiness; and We Get It: Voices of Grieving College Students and Young Adults.

The Intersectionality Between Race and Mental Health

April 2022

This spring, the College invited the award-winning poet and published author, Enzo Surin, to speak on the intersectionality between race and mental health. Approximately 40 students, faculty, and staff attended this workshop where Enzo spoke of the struggles he faced growing up and how reflecting about his life through written word was critical in helping him learn more about himself and ultimately heal. Enzo gave an engaging presentation about how we should reflect regularly to help us learn about ourselves, who we are, and what is most important in our lives. Participants were provided journals, and Enzo led a self-reflection activity that included prompts for the students to write about and respond to. By the end of the evening, multiple students bravely shared what they had written about some of the struggles they were experiencing. Overall, it was a powerful presentation and promoted the option of reflection and writing to help individuals work through mental health struggles.

Glow in the Dark Yoga at Winter Wellness Festival

Guest Speaker Enzo Surin

Helping Paws

April 2022

As part of a Directed Study course, Helping Paws was an event created by Senior Gabriella Therrien to educate the Stonehill community on the various types of working animals, such as service dogs, as well as ADA law related to these animals. Held on the Quad, the program was intended to promote a deeper understanding of how this resource can benefit many and thus create a more inclusive environment for individuals who utilize these types of animals. The event included a variety of resource tables with educational materials, games, and prizes. Students reported they enjoyed the task demonstrations, as well as the goodie bags filled with candy and a keychain. With the donation raffle that was held, money was raised for the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, an animal shelter in New York that provides veterinary care and surgeries for up to 400 animals at any given time. Following graduation, Gabriella plans to match the money raised with earnings from her new job.

Hope Happens Here: Guest Speaker Sheridan Wilbur

May 2022

Sheridan Wilbur, a former Division I NCAA Cross Country/Track & Field athlete, facilitated a campus discussion centered on mental health within the world of athletics. Based in Boston, Sheridan is a Meditation Instructor at Tufts University, a certified teacher in Koru Mindfulness, and previously taught at Duke University. In addition, she is a published writer who focuses on athletics, wellness, and mental health. While the event was targeted to student-athletes, it was open to all students. Approximately 30 students were in attendance and appreciated the College offering the opportunity to talk specifically about the unique challenges facing student-athletes relative to mental health.

Telehealth Room Soundproofing

May 2022

With the pandemic has come a rise in service access and availability via telehealth. With in-person appointments returning this year, our students continue to enjoy the flexibility of utilizing telehealth with on-campus providers, home providers, or remote intensive treatment programs. With approximately 560 telehealth room reservations this past year, student feedback received indicated that the soundproofing in these rooms could be improved. Thus, the Wellness Initiatives Fund was accessed to purchase white noise machines to enhance privacy of the telehealth rooms.

Sensory Room at Stonehill

May 2022

In conjunction with Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration, Danielle Waldron, several students proposed a wellness project to create a sensory space on campus. They envisioned a calm and comforting environment intended for self-care, especially for those students who struggle with anxiety, depression, autism, and other disabilities. While the students believed that the College works diligently to promote a culture of belonging on campus, they felt that one demographic that is often forgotten about is neurodivergent students. Thus, they expressed that this type of space would offer a place for those with sensory-related disabilities to best flourish. With the grant from the Wellness Initiatives Fund, the students were able to purchase necessary sensory items to establish a permanent soothing space for students with sensory needs, either short-term (e.g. concussion) or long-term (e.g. autism). Housed in the Library, the space offers dimmed lighting, flexible seating options, and sensory items such as fidget toys and a weighted blanket to help with emotion regulation.

Sensory Room at MacPháidín Library

What is a Sensory Room?

room with couch and swing — Sensory Room at Stonehill

A sensory room is a place to return to calmness, regulate emotions, and/or find focus when experiencing sensory overwhelm. Sensory rooms offer varied features, giving the user options and autonomy as they explore their senses and seek peace of body and mind in a place they can be their authentic selves.

Options to Explore:

Noise machine to quiet excess sound
Weighted blankets for deep pressure
Flexible seating (couch, bean bag chair, and swing to help soothe)
Ice packs to bring the user back to the moment
Fidgets to regulate emotions
Light features (bubble light and room projector)

Hope Happens Here at Fresh Check Day

Fresh Check Day

Fresh Check Day

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The College is truly grateful for the generosity of those who are assisting us in our efforts to support the overall health and wellbeing of our students, which remains our top priority.

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