Wellness Classroom Visits

Wellness Classroom Visits is a collaboration between Student Wellness Services and the Community Mental Health & Well-Being Strategy.

 

Wellness Classroom Visits Request Form
students during a wellness classroom visit at University of Calgary

What is a Wellness Classroom Visit?

Wellness Classroom Visits are a collaborative effort between Student Wellness Services and the Community, Mental Health & Well-Being Strategy (CMHWS). The presentations are developed by Student Wellness Services, CMHWS, and other campus partners such as Chancellor Cuthbertson Student Success Centre, Centre for Career and Personal Development, and UCalgary Recovery Community, and are facilitated by trained student volunteers. These presentations offer effective strategies to enhance both students’ well-being and academic development.

In-person and interactive

The presentations are designed to highlight the importance of specific theme related to well-being and academics, teach a specific strategy relevant the topic, and provide information about relevant campus resources and support. During the presentations, volunteers also share their experiences as a student which normalizes experiences with mental health and academic challenges and promotes help seeking. After a presentation, instructors will be sent additional mental health and academic resources to share with their class.

Topics for Fall 2026 include:

  • Managing Burnout
    Learn to recognize signs of burnout, understand the stress response, and apply practical strategies to support well-being.
  • Mindfulness for Stress Management
    Gain practical mindfulness techniques to manage stress, reduce negative thought patterns, and foster more positivity. 
  • Practicing Self-Compassion
    Explore self-compassion and learn simple strategies to build resilience, strengthen confidence, and support mental well-being.
  • Overcoming Perfectionism
    Challenge perfectionist thinking, build resilience, and navigate setbacks with greater confidence and self-compassion.
  • Everyday Connection for Wellness
    Overcome common barriers, build confidence, and develop practical strategies for creating meaningful connections.
  • Study Smart, Stay Well: Organizing your studying with self-care in mind
    Learn tools to study more effectively and balance academic responsibilities with self-care to minimize stress, support learning, and reduce cramming.
  • From Procrastination to Progress 
    Identify what drives procrastination and learn practical strategies to stay focused and take action, reduce stress and promote academic well-being. 
  • Work Smarter, not Harder: Using Energy Based Time Management
    Develop realistic and personalized time management strategies by aligning tasks with energy, priorities, and work habits.
  • The Exam Mindset: Developing a Positive Approach to Exam Preparation
     Prepare for exams with confidence by developing intentional study plans, managing challenges, and using effective exam-writing strategies.
  • Building Career Confidence for Wellbeing
    Learn about the Career Compass framework and reflect on how interests, traits, and skills can guide meaningful career decisions. 

Looking for other options?

As an alternative to in-person visits, we can also:

  1. Facilitate presentations virtually over Zoom
  2. Provide PowerPoint slides and materials to instructors who would like to facilitate the presentations to their class themselves
  3. Provide instructors with Wellness Classroom Visit videos that they can show their class at any time
  4. Check out the Student Wellness Services Health Promotion & Outreach Team website to explore other ways we work with faculty to support them in promoting student wellbeing.

Please email us to inquire about these options at wellnessclassroom@ucalgary.ca.

Background

This project recognizes the reciprocal relationship between students’ mental health and their academics. In the most recent National College Health Assessment, 58% of students reported that academics were traumatic or very difficult to handle. In addition, three of the top four factors indicated by students as affecting their academic performance were directly related to their mental health, including stress (42%), anxiety (35%), depression (24%) and sleep difficulties (29%) (ACHA, 2019).  

In addition to being driven by this data, the classroom visit initiative was conceptualized based on student feedback provided by undergraduate interviews conducted in 2021 by the Campus Mental Health Strategy Teaching & Learning Subcommittee as part of a Strengths and Needs Assessment (Lindsay, Bernier, Boman, & Boyce, 2023). Students emphasized the importance of the following key activities to support student mental wellbeing in their courses: 

  • Prioritizing mental health consistently and collectively across their courses
  • Guiding students to relevant mental health and academic supports
  • Promoting mental health literacy, including incorporating education on mental health into classes
  • Facilitating connection building between students   

These findings underscore the value of developing initiatives that both support student wellbeing and academic development, which is the purpose behind Wellness Classroom Visits. The initiative was piloted in fall 2021 and winter 2022 and had great uptake and positive feedback from students and faculty. We received SU Quality Money which enabled us to grow and expand the program from fall 2022 to winter 2024. We are excited to continue to offer this program in collaboration with the Community Mental Health & Well-Being Strategy. Since the project's inception in 2021, it has made a significant impact, reaching over 56, 800 students and receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback.

When my professor requested the wellness classroom visit from the student wellness services, I felt a sense of comfort. It was a reassuring idea that my professor and the school cared about the wellbeing of us students. During the presentation, resources were provided to me that I otherwise would not have looked for myself. This initiative truly inspired me to be aware of my wellbeing and to proactively take care of it. The strategies in the presentations I now regularly use in my daily life, and they have immensely helped me throughout the midterm season. 

Monique

Undergraduate Student 

I thought the volunteers were great! I really liked their balance between the prepared slides and their own personal experiences. I am always impressed by the willingness of students to come speak to classes and the volunteers rose to the challenge beyond my expectations. I believe that this initiative has high value to students in facilitating their personal and academic development. 

Dr. Nicole T. A. Sandblom 

Interim Director, Natural Sciences Program , Professor (Teaching), Department of Chemistry