Grant supports wellness and mental health programming

Committed to the wellness of all students, Wittenberg's Tiger Counseling Center has been leveraging outside funding to promote mental health and reduce the stigma associated with it.

Thanks to the Campus-Community Collaborative Programming grant through the Northeast Ohio Medical University, Tiger Counseling has generated new programming and established a new Wellness Room located in a section of Room 219 of the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning.

"In collaboration with various offices in Student Development, the grant was utilized to promote mental health and wellness initiatives," said Brooke Snow, assistant director of the Tiger Counseling Center. "The grant also allowed the Tiger Counseling Center to partner with the McClain Center for Diversity & Inclusion, Compass: Sweet Success Center, and the Office of Student Development in the implementation of Women's Herstory Week in the spring. During the week of events, participating offices hosted events that promoted self-care and the exploration of their identity through vocation and professional development."

Additionally, the grant is giving campus community members a new place to take a break and engage in stress reduction techniques through mindfulness, creative activities, plant propagation, and other sensory-focused activities.

"The goal of the Wellness Room is to offer Tigers a space to meditate or otherwise engage in a few peaceful moments to reduce stress and improve wellness," Snow said. "The space includes two options for relaxed seating, weighted lap blankets, a galaxy light projector with Bluetooth capability for playing preferred music, sensory tapping lights, essential oil diffusers, and salt lamp lights."

Stress reduction activities available for Wellness Room visitors include playdough, fidget items, single-use face masks, plant propagation, a wall mural for coloring, materials to build personalized essential oil rollers or room sprays, and personal development books to check out upon request.

The space is now open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has the option to be reserved for 15-minute intervals for private use. Current Wittenberg students, faculty, and staff are welcome to use the Wellness Room.