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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, 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 are offered via Zoom each fall and spring semester from 12 noon to 1 p.m. every other Wednesday and 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 closed for the 2025 Spring cohort. Stay tuned for information about the next cohort which will be offered during the 2025 Fall semester.

Registration is first come, first served and will close once the capacity is filled.

  • Dates: TBD for the 2025 Fall cohort
  • Time: TBD for the 2025 Fall cohort
  • Location: TBD

Well-being is a vital part of success in life. 

Given this, the Graduate School’s Professional Development team has incorporated “Effectiveness and Well-Being” as one of the competencies graduate students and postdoctoral scholars should develop and strengthen during their time at NC State University.  We encourage you to take part in either the online Wellness Wednesdays series during your lunch break or the face-to-face Penn Resilience and Well-Being Program at the Graduate School.  You will learn skills and receive guidance that will help you now and in the future.  Registration is required for Wellness Wednesdays at: go.ncsu.edu/professional-development-registration. The Penn Resilience and Well-Being Program is cohort-based and requires an application. The application period for the 2025 Spring semester is currently closed.

wellness days
Students, faculty and staff enjoy a spring day by participating in a Pause for Tiny Hooves event at the Corner on Centennial campus. Therapy miniature horses from Stampede of Love, as well as therapy dogs, provide a wellness break from the end of semester rush. Photo by Becky Kirkland.

In addition to these 1-hour virtual sessions, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are encouraged to utilize other wellness resources on campus such as:

2025 Spring “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!

  • January 15, 2025: Howl To Thrive In The Pack
    • Graduate school is a time of transition which has both positive and not-so-positive moments. It is also normal to experience a myriad of emotions during the course of your graduate experience. Learn more about the resources and support that will help you not only survive graduate school but also THRIVE.
  • January 22, 2025: Coping with Stress
    • Stress is a normal part of life, but it does not always feel normal – and it can get in the way of our well-being. Learn healthy, effective ways for managing stress in this session.
  • February 5, 2025: Developing Healthy Habits
    • Our habits can benefit us or they can become detrimental. Strategies for how to identify, learn and maintain healthy habits is the focus of this seminar.
  • February 19, 2025: Confidence: The X Factor
    • Confidence is an important characteristic to develop as it helps us take on challenges, pursue our goals and overcome setbacks. Ways to build confidence that lead to a more positive outlook on life and what we can accomplish will be discussed.
  • March 5, 2025: Benefits of Self-Care
    • Many of us tend to put self-care last, but we need to engage in self-care to maintain our well-being. Guidance regarding how self-care benefits us as well as how to best identify ways to engage in self-care will be shared.
  • March 19, 2025: Failure is a Lesson, Not a “Loss”
    • We all experience failure; this is a normal part of life’s journey. What is important about failure is learning from it and not seeing it as something that stops us. Rather, failure can serve an important purpose as it helps us think about the next steps we may need to take. How failure serves as a lesson, rather than something that is seen as a “loss” will be the focus of this session.
  • April 2, 2025: The Power of Positive Thinking
    • Our thoughts impacts our emotions and our behaviors – and we do have the power to shape our thoughts. Learn strategies for engaging in positive thinking and how these practices benefit well-being.
  • April 16, 2025: That Grass is “Greener” – but is Yours?
    • Often we compare what we have – and don’t have – to what we THINK others have and don’t have. It is possible that your “grass” is just as green – if not greener – when compared to others. Ways to examine what we have and how we can make the most of what we do have will be discussed.