Well-Being Center Programs and Services

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  • CAPS Increase in Staff and Clinical Capacity

    The University recently conducted an external and internal Health Services Review with the following outcomes for Counseling and Psychological Services:

    • Staffing, labor, and scheduling changes to increase number of appointments and clinical capacity by almost 40%.
    • Two new Counselor positions approved.
    • Established new stepped care model to reduce wait time and improve student access to appointments.
  • Center for Awareness, Response, and Education (C.A.R.E.)

    The CARE (Center for Awareness, Response, and Education) offers violence prevention programming as well as confidential support for students impacted by violence. Prevention efforts include raising awareness about sexual and relationship violence, building the skills and confidence needed to intervene in problematic situations, embracing a healthy sexuality, practicing consent in all of our interactions, building skills for healthier relationships, encouraging a culture of accountability, and changing the social norms that perpetuate violence. For more information, please visit: prevent.richmond.edu.

  • Community Stepped Care

    Community Stepped Care – Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Others, Take Care of This Community

    View the Community Stepped Care Model

    Community Stepped Care goes beyond the Counseling Center by educating and empowering the campus community to become a “community of care,” wherein an entire campus becomes a general support structure for mental health, rather than referring all mental health concerns to an overwhelmed office.  Counseling Center staff will train students, staff, and faculty to assess and recognize the various intensities of general stress and serious mental health issues.  Depending on the level of intensity, they will be equipped to offer basic resilience and coping tools, and utilizing the stepped model continuum, refer the person to the most appropriate and least intensive step, or level of care.  The Community Stepped Care model makes good use of many other “low intensity” options for students that are readily available, but which we’re often not making use of.

    Benefits of a Community Stepped Care Model

    • To empower campus community to become a “community of care”
    • To educate members of the campus community about campus resources and supports
    • To educate members of the campus community to recognize someone in distress and levels of intensity
    • To equip members of the campus community with tools to make an assessment and referral
    • To connect students effectively with campus resources and supports
    • To decreased wait list and time for individual counseling
    • To increased utilization of lower intensity interventions
  • Cooking Demonstrations and Classes

    Cooking demonstrations and classes will be scheduled throughout the week and will be open to University of Richmond students, faculty, and staff. These classes will promote healthy eating with fresh, minimally process ingredients. Some examples of classes that will be provided are…

    • How to build a balanced plate
    • Meals using 5 ingredients or less cooked in under 30 minutes
    • Meals that can be made from ingredients in ETC
    • Plant based meals
    • Spice up your Salad: How to make a salad with more than just lettuce and vegetables
  • Facility Therapy Dog

    Stop by the Well-being Center and meet Karla!

    Karla has been trained as a therapy dog and will be working as our facility dog in the Well-Being Center to boost your mood, help with stress relief, and foster a more welcoming environment. She is here to make you feel more comfortable, supported and less anxious. She loves visiting with student, staff, and employees on campus!

    Facility dogs are expertly trained dogs who collaborate with a facilitator working in health care, visitation and education settings. Facility dogs usually work hand-in-hand with counselors, therapists, guidance counselors, psychologists, and rehabilitation therapists. In addition to making therapy sessions more productive, having a facility dog present can also make them more comfortable and more positive. 

    A facility dog is not a service dog because it does not work with a single individual to mitigate the effects of the individual’s disability. A facility dog is very similar to a therapy dog, but unlike a therapy dog, which may visit patients or residents at the facility accompanied by its handler for a few hours a week, a facility dog works full-time at a facility under the care and supervision of a staff member.

  • Mental Health First Aid Training

    Mental Health First Aid is the initial help offered to a person developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate treatment and support are received or until the crisis resolves. By recognizing signs of mental health distress and knowing how to communicate with individuals experiencing these scary moments, we can be part of an immensely impactful early intervention effort. If we identify problems early, we increase the chances people get the help they need as soon as possible. Please visit the MHFA website for more information about the program.

  • Peer Education/Advocate Council

    The focus of the University of Richmond’s peer education and advocacy student groups is to educate our campus community on health and well-being topics through dedicated programming, service, and advocacy efforts. In representing different facets of wellbeing, the Peer Education and Advocacy Council adds to collaboration and coordination of events and outreach on wellbeing-related topics and assists the Health Educator in funding recommendations. The Peer Education and Advocacy Council is comprised of staff advisors and student leaders from each eligible peer education or advocacy group, the Health Educator, and the Director of Health Promotion. The Council will meet monthly to decide on pertinent funding matters and collaborative opportunities between groups during events and programs. Student leaders will have a voice in Council meetings and discussions, with advisors making final decisions on funding allocation.

    • To be considered for funding, peer education and advocacy groups must submit a completed Peer Education and Advocacy Funding Request to the Health Educator at least seven days prior to a Council meeting. If a currently non-eligible group with a health and wellbeing focus requests funds from the Peer Education and Advocacy Council, they must meet the following criteria:
      • Submit a completed Peer Education and Advocacy Funding Request to the Health Educator no less than seven days before a Council meeting
      • Send a representative to the next Council meeting to discuss potential programming collaborations with current peer education and advocacy groups
  • Registered Dietician

    A Registered Dietitian (RD) will manage the demonstration kitchen which includes scheduling and teaching cooking demonstrations. In addition, the RD will provide outreach programs to the University community on topics related to food, nutrition and wellness.

  • SHC Increase in Staff and Clinical Capacity

    The University recently conducted an external and internal Health Services Review with the following outcomes for the Student Health Center:

    • Staffing and labor changes to increase number of appointments and clinical capacity by approximately 20%.
    • Staff re-organization to add a Nurse Practitioner for an additional 50-56 appointments each week.
    • Two-track/staggered schedule established so that clinic is no longer closed at lunch and last appointment is at 4:40pm instead of 3:40pm.
  • UR WELL Living Learning Community

    The UR Living Well community offers a unique shared living experience to students interested in pursuing a well-balanced life and improving their own personal health and well-being as well as that of the entire University of Richmond community. There is no unit-bearing course associated with the UR Living Well community, but residents will receive credit for one or both of their wellness graduation requirement courses (WELL 090 & WELL 101) by participating in weekly gatherings and planning various wellness programming throughout the year. Residents will also be able to participate in a wellness-related certification of their choice. Examples include, but are not limited to:

    • Mental Health First Aid
    • Bacchus Certified Peer Educator
    • NETA Certified Wellness Coach
    • A fitness-related certification
    • First Aid/CPR/AED