Wellness Program
Wellness Wednesdays
Our well-being impacts our lives in a myriad of ways, so understanding how to best manage ourselves is an important part of our development, both on a personal and a professional level. Take your lunch break with Michael Tuma, the embedded counselor for graduate students, as well as guest speakers from both on- and off-campus, to explore different aspects of wellness through the online Wellness Wednesdays series. Lunch is a healthy habit to include in your daily routine, and wellness tips can enhance your lunch break, too! These seminars, which are offered via Zoom each fall and spring semester from 12 noon to 1 p.m. every other Wednesday, help you strengthen the competency of “Effectiveness and Well-Being.” The goal for these sessions is to provide our graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with insights that contribute to a life of both living well and being holistically healthy. See the Wellness Wednesdays sessions at the bottom of this page and be sure to register in advance to receive the Zoom link!
Penn Resilience and Well-Being Program
As a part of the Graduate School’s “Wellness” series, Dr. Rhonda Sutton, Assistant Dean for Professional Development, offers a 6-week training on resilience that is focused on providing tools to strengthen and enhance one’s resiliency. Dr. Sutton is one of a few faculty/staff at North Carolina State University who has gone through a training developed by faculty at the University of Pennsylvania who focus on integrating positive psychology into one’s coping skills. The 6-week Penn Resilience and Well-Being Program is a cohort-based and will teach participants ways to:
- Remain resilient and optimistic,
- Engage in positive thinking,
- Cope with difficult situations; and
- Incorporate ways to maintain one’s psychological health
Registration is currently open for the 2025 FALL cohort. To apply to be in the cohort, please fill out this form. The cohort is limited to 16 participants, and those participating need to attend each of the six sessions as one of the goals for the Penn Resilience Program is to engage with, suppot and encourage each other through the six sessions while learning reslience and well-being skills. Sessions will focus on resilience, optimism, relaxation, mindfulness and positive thinking strategies. These are skills graduate students can use now AND iin the future to help them cope effectively with life’s challenges. Registration is first come, first served and will close once the capacity is filled.
- Dates: Fridays on September 12, 19, 26 and October 3, 10, 17
- Time: 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.
- Location: Those accepted into the cohort will get a calendar invite for the location where the sessions will be held (which will be on Centennial Campus near the Textiles Complex).
Well-being is a vital part of success in life.
In addition to these 1-hour virtual sessions, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are encouraged to utilize other wellness resources on campus such as:
- The Graduate School’s Embedded Counselor (for graduate students)
- The Counseling Center
- Togetherall: An Online Peer Support Community (available 24/7, 365 days a year)
- Wellness Offerings (an array of resources for our students and faculty)
- Lighten Your Pack Toolkit
- Wellness Coaching (individual peer wellness coaching)
- Wellness and Recreation
- Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FASAP – for postdoctoral scholars)
- Wolfpack Wellness
2025 Fall “Wellness Wednesday” Series
Join us on Zoom every other Wednesday from 12 noon to 1 p.m. to learn the skills that will help you not only survive but also thrive during your time at NC State and beyond!
- September 3, 2025: Howl To Thrive In The Pack
- Graduate school is a time of transition, so it is normal to experience a myriad of emotions during the course of your graduate experience. Join Michael Tuma, the Embedded Counselor for Graduate Students, to learn more about the campus resources and support that will help you not only survive graduate school but also THRIVE.
- Graduate school is a time of transition, so it is normal to experience a myriad of emotions during the course of your graduate experience. Join Michael Tuma, the Embedded Counselor for Graduate Students, to learn more about the campus resources and support that will help you not only survive graduate school but also THRIVE.
- September 17, 2025: Building a Productive Relationship with Your Mentor
- Michael Giancola, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Student Ombuds, has helped many graduate students and postdocs navigate challenges in their mentor/mentee relationships. He will share proactive guidance for how to have successful and effective mentoring relationships with faculty.
- Michael Giancola, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Student Ombuds, has helped many graduate students and postdocs navigate challenges in their mentor/mentee relationships. He will share proactive guidance for how to have successful and effective mentoring relationships with faculty.
- October 1, 2025: Mindfulness and Meditation
- Need a way to cope with stress and anxiety? Mindfulness and meditation are constructive tools for mental health. Join Laura Boyd, Assistant Director and CARES Coordinator, and Christy Fiber Sigmon, Outreach and Resilience Specialist for Prevention Services, as they share techniques to regulate one’s emotional and mental well-being.
- Need a way to cope with stress and anxiety? Mindfulness and meditation are constructive tools for mental health. Join Laura Boyd, Assistant Director and CARES Coordinator, and Christy Fiber Sigmon, Outreach and Resilience Specialist for Prevention Services, as they share techniques to regulate one’s emotional and mental well-being.
- October 15, 2025: Financial Wellness
- Managing one’s money is an aspect of wellness; yet, knowing how to budget can be a challenge – especially in graduate school or as a postdoc! Tammy Adams, Financial Inclusion Leader for Truist Bank, will offer strategies for managing finances.
- Managing one’s money is an aspect of wellness; yet, knowing how to budget can be a challenge – especially in graduate school or as a postdoc! Tammy Adams, Financial Inclusion Leader for Truist Bank, will offer strategies for managing finances.
- October 29, 2025: Eating Healthy on a Budget
- Does it ever seem difficult to eat healthy, especially when money is limited? Tabitha Hickey, Coordinator for Wellness Programs in NC State’s Wellness and Recreation, will share how to follow a healthy diet while watching one’s finances.
- Does it ever seem difficult to eat healthy, especially when money is limited? Tabitha Hickey, Coordinator for Wellness Programs in NC State’s Wellness and Recreation, will share how to follow a healthy diet while watching one’s finances.
- November 12, 2025: Time Management
- Time is something that there never seems to be enough of. However, there are ways to manage one’s time wisely, and this is an important skill to have as a graduate student or postdoc. Join Dr. Rhonda Sutton, Assistant Dean in the Graduate School, as she shares ways to engage in effective time management strategies.
- Time is something that there never seems to be enough of. However, there are ways to manage one’s time wisely, and this is an important skill to have as a graduate student or postdoc. Join Dr. Rhonda Sutton, Assistant Dean in the Graduate School, as she shares ways to engage in effective time management strategies.