Supportive Outreach Programs & Events

Request an Outreach Program

To request an outreach program for your hall, organization, group of friends, class, etc., please complete an Outreach Request Form. This form must be received at least 2 weeks prior to the outreach program to ensure staff availability. 

Request Outreach

Current Support Groups Available

For additional information check the Counseling Center Events page.
Support groups are open to all students. No sign up is necessary.

Performance Psych for Stress/Pressure:

March 28th, MTWC Studio A @ 11:15am -12pm
This workshop will focus on identifying and practicing strategies to enhance, refine, or rework your approach to pressures so you can cope and thrive in challenging environments. Our Director of Performance Psychology from the Athletic Department will lead the workshop.

• Participants will learn new ways to look at coping and resilience.
• Participants will examine ways to assess their current stress levels and coping skills, as well as psych skills & strategies to manage more effectively.· 
• Strategies include the latest techniques for bringing attention and focus to pressure settings.
• The workshop presents basic skills and strategies to address common issues regarding confidence, composure, and control for managing stress and pressure

Neurodiversity Support Group:

This support group is geared toward students who identify neurodiverse and are looking to build community, exchange resources, and share experiences in a supportive environment. Contact Dr. Noelle Ostroff (anostroff@wm.edu) for more information.

Test Anxiety Solutions: 

March 5th, Studio B @ 12:15pm-12:45pm
April 24th, Studio A @ 4pm-4:45pm

Have you struggled with taking exams? Do you feel that your test performance would improve if you had a better approach for managing your thinking and emotions around tests? Our Performance Psychology Director will lead a workshop designed to help you improve your reactions to testing situations, prepare in an intentional way, and execute with more confidence on the day of the exam.

• Participants will learn about threats to clear thinking in evaluation situations.
• Participants will examine new strategies for preparation and execution for important grading situations.
• Participants will consider their own reactions to evaluation, and learn strategies to “manage the moments” of distress.
• Content of the workshop emphasizes gaining perspective on the experience of test anxiety in a way that promotes a less anxious and more confident attitude toward managing fears.

Previously Offered Outreach Programming

1st Generation Student Connections - Are you a 1st generation student experiencing stress because of societal, institutional, or familial concerns? If so, you might be interested in meeting with other students with similar concerns to process your reactions, thoughts, and experiences in a safe and affirming environment. Contact Patrick Hudgins for more details pshudg@wm.edu

ABCs of Stress Management - This 1-hour workshop is aimed to help you develop coping strategies to reduce stress and prevent significant stress in the future. You will also learn how to implement these skills into your daily life. This workshop includes psychoeducation about adaptive coping strategies, group discussion, and individual/group activities. 

A Rested Development - If you are tired of feeling tired, then join our campus sleep guru for an enlightening, early evening discussion that will lift both spirits and eyelids, as you learn how to fall asleep, stay asleep, and then awake without an alarm for a day packed with the energy that your brain and body need to flourish. Whether for you or as advice to those around you, discover the tips and tricks to manage and optimize your daily energy!

Art as a Venue for Self-Care - This workshop will provide students an opportunity to experientially and creatively develop a self-care plan. Art and connectedness will be incorporated as a personalized self-care plan is designed, to reference in times of stress. Students are asked to bring a piece of paper and art supplies (e.g. crayons, markers, pens, stickers, stamps, etc).  

Assertiveness Skills Training – This 45-minute workshop aims to improve student’s confidence through assertiveness training. Through this workshop students will learn strategies to help improve their communicative abilities and enhance interpersonal skills. 

Beating the Blues - This supportive workshop will focus on helping students understand depression and its symptoms as well as learn more about the resources that can assist with managing these symptoms. There will be opportunity to explore ways to integrate changes to better manage the symptoms. Students will have the opportunity to develop an individualized plan to move forward. Attend one part, two parts, or all three parts. There will be a review of the previous part(s) prior to beginning the subsequent part. Each part of the workshop will be reviewed

Boosting Resilience for Sustaining Well-Being - A 2-part workshop for finding and using personal resilience  - A ½ hour workshop designed to help you examine the effectiveness of your resilience qualities and explore ways to boost your resilience during challenging times. Our Performance Psychology consultant will present strategies and help you plan ways to enhance your personal resilience factors. 

BUILDING BLOCKS OF SOCIAL SKILLS -Join us for a 5-week workshop series for students who may experience challenges with social interactions like recognizing social cues, making and maintaining friendships, dating dos and don’t’s, social media use, verbal/non-verbal communication, and responding to conflict or tension with others. Together we will learn skills, offer one another support, and practice in a safe environment.

Charting Your Future With Confidence: Strategies for Managing Stress and the Job Search - Does the job search create stress and anxiety for you? Are you feeling overwhelmed even thinking about when and how to start? You are not alone on this journey. Join the Counseling Center and Cohen Career Center for an encouraging conversation around stress management and developing an approach and game plan for your job search.

COPE -  This 1-hour workshop is aimed at brainstorming coping strategies and creating a personal plan to manage your daily stress.  Meetings will include psycho-education on adaptive coping strategies, experiential exercises, and group discussions. 

Coping with College as Your Current Career- Does your life as an undergraduate or graduate student feel disharmonious? Would you like more control over your success and your happiness? Come to this 45-minute workshop on treating your time here as though it were your professional career, and then when you eventually move on from here, you will have learned amazing ways to adapt, grow, and flourish. Your spirits will soar, and the skills that you gain in this workshop will benefit you and your "circle of accountability" in the months, years and decades to follow. Eric Garrison, one of our Assistant Directors of Health Promotion and a speaker with 27 years of experience in the field of higher education, will facilitate the discussion. 

Coping with Race and Ethnic Stress as a Student of Color - This supportive outreach group is being offered to provide a safe space for students who would like to discuss their experiences on campus and in the larger society as a POC. There will be encouragement to explore and process what it can look like to balance achievement, activism, and advocacy in a healthy manner. 

Counseling Center Q&A Panel - Friday, March 24th 12:45pm-1:45pm in Studio B of the Wellness Center. - The W&M Student Assembly and the Counseling Center invite students to attend a conversation and Q&A panel. This will be is an opportunity for students to learn more about the Counseling Center services and ask any questions they might have about the Counseling Center. Dr. Carina Sudarsky-Gleiser (Director) and Dr. Felicia Brown-Anderson (Assistant Director) will be present to answer the questions. Mellow Mushroom pizza will be provided! Reserve your spot for this exciting campus panel 

Creating Your Self-Care Toolkit - This 1-hour workshop aims to help you build an understanding of the practice of self-care and how it can impact your overall well-being. This workshop will also help you identify areas where you are struggling with self-care and provide helpful ideas to foster your self-care practice. This workshop includes psychoeducation about self-care practice, group discussion, and individual/group activities.

Chronic Illness Supportive Outreach Group - This group will provide an outlet for students who are living with chronic illness and trying to navigate day-to-day life. Students will receive support from the Counseling Center and the Health Center and have opportunities for open discussion. 

Dealing with Stress: Putting Relaxation Techniques into Practice  – This 45-minute workshop introduces students to different relaxation techniques to help reduce stress. Students will also learn the benefits of using relaxation techniques and ways to modify the techniques to best fit their situation.

Drinking to Cope with Stress and Anxiety -Many people drink alcohol to cope with anxiety, stress, and depression, but this can often lead to additional problems and new stressors. If you’re interested in gaining insight into your reasons for drinking and learning healthier strategies for coping with the difficulties in life, then this workshop is for you! Join us for a 1-hour informative and interactive workshop that explores coping with stress through alcohol use and alternative strategies for better health and wellbeing.

Finding a therapist in the community – This workshop will be an open discussion with our Mental Health Services Coordinator about how to find a therapist in the local community. There will be guidance with understanding how to use health insurance, the difference between the types of therapists, and what acronyms like CBT, DBT, and ACT mean.

Flourishing thru Chronic Too-Muchness- Our relentless world of demands, uncertainty, pace, and noise can be overwhelming.  How do we allow for the honesty of being affected by life and still function and perform at a level we hope or expect of ourselves?  This workshop explores an evidence-based daily routine that includes strategies to effectively manage hardship.

Grief and Loss Support Group – The Counseling Center will be offering a drop-in support group following the Thanksgiving break. The support group will offer a safe space for students to process the ways in which they have been impacted by recent losses and tragedies in our community, other campuses, and elsewhere. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Melissa Noble, manoble@wm.edu.

Intro to Beating the Blues - This supportive workshop will focus on helping students understand depression and its symptoms as well as learn more about the resources that can assist with managing these symptoms. There will be opportunity to explore ways to integrate changes to better manage the symptoms. Students will have the opportunity to develop an individualized plan to move forward. 

It's All New to Me - Coming to college can be both an exciting and scary time with many new people, places and experiences. The Counseling Center is offering a new supportive venue called It’s All New to Me. The venue will offer a safe and supportive place for first year and transfer students to gather together virtually and talk about adjusting to the college environment at William & Mary. Join us for open dialogue and receive support from your peers. Feel free to join as many dates as you like.  

Going the Distance: Healthy Relationships During-AND Long After the Pandemic: Join the Haven, Center for Student Diversity, Counseling Center, and Health Promotion to learn tips and techniques to manage your relationships and increase nourishing connections with family, friends, and intimate partners. 

Grad Student Drop-In Support Group - The William & Mary Counseling Center is pleased to offer a weekly virtual support gathering reserved for graduate students to seek and provide support to each other during a time of uncertainty and social isolation. Participate every week or when it fits your schedule. 

Introduction to Beating the Blues: This 50-minute weekly drop-in workshop will focus on helping participants understand depression and its symptoms as well as learn more about the resources available to assist with managing the symptoms. There will be opportunity to work together to 1) better understand symptoms of depression, 2) become more aware of how thoughts and behaviors impact symptoms of depression, and 3) identifying 1 or 2 steps to assist with moving forward to better manage symptoms of depression.

Introduction to Managing Anxiety: This multi-part workshop creates the opportunity to connect with others who also experience anxiety; learn about anxiety and its impact; understand connections between anxious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; increase skills to manage anxiety; and create a personalized plan for addressing anxiety.

Introduction to Understanding Self and Others: This multi-part supportive workshop will explore the stages of interpersonal relationships, consider cultural influences in interpersonal communication, identify strategies and skills for forming and developing interpersonal relationships, and address how to manage interpersonal relationship challenges. It is an opportunity to begin to have a better sense of self in relations to others.

Living with Chronic Illness Support Group- This supportive outreach group will provide an outlet for students who are living with chronic illness and trying to navigate day-to-day life. Students will receive support from the Counseling Center and the Student Health Center and have opportunity for open discussion.

LGBT+Mental Health Panel: This panel, hosted in collaboration with Rainbow Coalition, will be a time to explore questions asked by students regarding how best to cope with COVID-19 related stressors as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Panelists Josh DeSilva, Emily Estrada, and Heike Mitchell will field questions and will open it up for questions from the audience. Attendees will receive a list of resources following the event.

Making Space for Emotions: Making space for emotions is difficult during the best of times. The virus situation we are all managing makes validating and making space for feelings that much harder.  This workshop will take up the question of how to healthily experience feelings of sadness, pain, frustration, and authentic joy during times of crisis. We will also brainstorm strategies together of how best to make time for self-care. Sharing of personal experiences will be encouraged but is not required for participation.

Mindfulness and Acceptance Workshop for Anxiety – Location: McLeod Tyler Wellness Center, 2nd Floor - This is a workshop that helps participants learn to live a more meaningful life through emotional expression and values guided action. In this workshop, participants will learn to access their emotions, learn new ideas and concepts, and put these concepts into practice. Ideally, participants will gain insight and alleviate feelings of anxiety.

Neurodiversity Support Group - This support group will offer the opportunity to explore social interactions, communication styles, relationships, and more, in a supportive environment. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up using this link above. Contact Dr. Stacie Otey-Scott (sdoteyscott@wm.edu) or Dr. Noelle Ostroff (anostroff@wm.edu) if you have any questions.

Performance Psych Basics - This 30-minute workshop, offered by our Director of Performance Psych, features practical mental skills for anyone wishing to better manage anxiety, confidence, & composure in competitions, test-taking, public speaking, music or theater performance, sports, interviews, or any “performance” type setting.

Performance Psych Basics
A brief workshop featuring practical performance psych skills to help manage test-taking, sport competitions, public speaking, class presentations, or any “performance” setting.  Our Director of Performance Psych will provide strategies and skills to use help you be at your best when it counts!

Placing Connection Above Perfection- W&M Alumni, who are mental health professionals, and W&M Counseling Center Staff will lead this presentation and discussion. They will address ways to use the strength of relationships to counter the negative effects of perfectionism. Panelists will explore perfectionism as a driver of stress and anxiety in daily life. In addition, they will describe ways that healthy relationships can help reduce the negative effects of unrealistic expectations. There will be time to discuss campus and community resources that provide support.

Psych Skills for Resilience - This workshop will focus on identifying and practicing strategies to enhance, refine, or rework resilience factors so you can cope and thrive in challenging environments. Our Director of Performance Psychology from the Athletic Department will lead the workshop.  Sign up by emailing Dr. Felicia Brown-Anders at fxbrow@wm.edu.

 Psych Skills for Stress Management:This workshop will focus on identifying and practicing strategies to enhance, refine, or rework your approach to pressures so you can cope and thrive in challenging environments. Our Director of Performance Psychology from the Athletic Department will lead the workshop.  Participants will learn new ways to look at coping and resilience. Participants will examine ways to assess their current stress levels and coping skills, as well as psych skills & strategies to improve coping effectiveness.
Participants will be encouraged to incorporate specific components of flourishing that comprise personal resilience. 

Racism and Discrimination as a Student of Color - This program provides an opportunity for Students of Color (SOC) to have conversations with other SOC about the impact of recent events centered on race, ethnicity, and nationality. We will also explore the matching experiences People of Color have on our campus and society as a whole.  Weekly conversations will include (but are not limited to) strategies to balance health, achievement, activism, and resistance amid a polarized political climate. The program consists of an organic intermixing of two components: (1) a presentation with affirming materials and (2) space for students to have authentic reactions, insightful thoughts, and validating discussions. Each workshop has a 10-student limit and there is no weekly commitment required. Contact Dr. Patrick Hudgins (pshudg@wm.edu) with any questions. 

Resilience Strategies: Deliberate Resilience Training Methods - This workshop will focus on identifying and practicing strategies to enhance, refine, or rework resilience factors so you can cope and thrive in challenging environments.

Resilience Toolbox - A ½ hour workshop designed to help you examine the effectiveness of your resilience qualities and explore ways to boost your resilience during challenging times. Our Director of Performance Psychology will present strategies and help you plan ways to enhance your personal resilience factors.

Relaxation for Stress Management: This dynamic mulit-part workshop is an introduction to ways of combating stress and anxiety by activating the body’s natural relaxation response.  It is designed to allow participants to learn about and practice various types of relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training and guided imagery.

Rise Above: A Support Group for First Generation Low-Income (FGLI) Students: Rise Above is a welcoming and confidential space for FGLI students to receive therapeutic support for the unique challenges they face. Open-ended discussions will be based on the needs of the group but may include issues related to building community, family dynamics, adjusting to college, mental health, accessing resources, and establishing a sense of belonging. The group will be offered at the counseling center on Contact Dr. Melissa Noble (manoble@wm.edu) for more details.

Self-Compassion: Step By Step - This 3-part workshop series aims to help you build an understanding of the practice of self-compassion and how it can benefit your overall well-being. This workshop will help you to develop the skills to practice self-compassion in daily life, live deeply in your values, and build the resilience needed to thrive. This workshop includes psychoeducation about self-compassion, group discussion, and individual/group activities.

So You Made it To Graduation, Now What?
This 4-week support group, offered to graduating seniors, will look ahead to life after William & Mary. Specifically, we will explore themes of belonging, transition/change, and identity. While you prepare to transition to a new job, graduate school, or face the unknown, please consider joining us for a time of reflection, connection, and preparation.

Staying Connected During a Pandemic - Is it hard to feel connected to your peers during the pandemic?  This supportive outreach is designed for W&M students who may not feel as connected with others as much as they would like to, causing increased feelings of loneliness and isolation. Join us to share the challenges of your experiences during the pandemic and the process of transitioning back to the campus community, including moving back into the residence halls, returning to class or other activities, as well as the challenges of connecting with others. The time will also include support from Counseling Center staff and peers.

Strategies to Help Manage the Transition to Life Beyond College- Senior year is (somehow) finally here. One year stands between you and the real world. Whether you’re about to move across the county, start your first job, continue with your education, backpack throughout Europe, or panic about not knowing your next steps from the comfort of your parents’ couch, this next year could be one of the most challenging transition years of your life. This supportive workshop was designed for W&M seniors to learn some of the strategies on how to take a more mindful approach throughout the year and prep yourself to handle the many changes coming. Students will have the opportunity to consider their current support system and what additional support may be needed. In addition, helpful campus resources will be identified to help students navigate the year with increased awareness about what is available to them.

Stress Less Sundaes - Graduating seniors are invited to make a Stress Less sundae with your favorite toppings. There will be time to reflect on your favorite moments at William & Mary and look ahead to life after graduation.

Stress Less about Finding a Therapist - Are you thinking about therapy over the summer and need some guidance on finding a therapist? This workshop will be an open discussion with our Mental Health Services Coordinator about how to find a therapist. There will be guidance with understanding how to use health insurance, the difference between the types of therapists, and what acronyms like CBT, DBT, and ACT mean. There are 10 spots available.  We will continue to offer this workshop if there is high demand.

Stress Management: Coping w/Finals  -  This is a supportive outreach program designed to help students cope with the stress of finals week. We will explore ways of recognizing the detrimental effects stress can have on academic performance, ways of reducing the stress associated with finals, and prevention strategies that students can take with them into their future academic careers. 

Students of Color Support Group:  This support group is designed to provide a warm, safe space for students of color to find community, validation, and encouragement through peer support. The group will be at the counseling center every other Thursday from 4-5 pm starting Sept 28th at the Counseling Center. Contact Dr. Stacie Otey-Scott (sdoteyscott@wm.edu for more information.

Test Anxiety Workshop - Have you struggled with taking exams? Do you feel that your test performance would improve if you had a better approach for managing your thinking and emotions around tests? Our Performance Psychology Director will lead a brief workshop designed to help you improve your reaction to testing situations, prepare in a more intentional way, and execute with more confidence on the day of the exam. Use the link above to sign up.

Trans Support Outreach Group - This open and non-structured space has been established for W&M students who identify as questioning, transgender, non-binary, gender queer, gender-nonconforming and are interested in connecting with others with similar identities/shared experiences.  The goal of this group is to offer an affirming space in which students can experience a sense of community and connection and where students can address potential unsupportive family/academic/social environment related issues, and receive and/or offer supportive feedback, validation, and information. Issues addressed will be determined based on the interest of participants.

Transfer Student Supportive Outreach Group - The William & Mary Counseling Center will be offering a bi-weekly virtual support gathering reserved for transfer students to seek and provide support to each other during a time of uncertainty and social isolation. Drop-in style, so no commitment for the whole semester unless you choose to do so. 

Transitions: A Virtual Space for Seniors to Process the Impact of COVID-19: Join the William & Mary Counseling Center, Office of Health Promotion, and Cohen Career Center for a virtual gathering reserved for Seniors to process the many impacts of COVID-19 on their final semester at W&M and life after graduation.

Trans Support Outreach Group - This open and non-structured space has been established for W&M students who identify as questioning, transgender, non-binary, gender queer, gender-nonconforming and are interested in connecting with others with similar identities/shared experiences.  The goal of this group is to offer an affirming space in which students can experience a sense of community and connection and where students can address potential unsupportive family/academic/social environment related issues, and receive and/or offer supportive feedback, validation, and information. Issues addressed will be determined based on the interest of participants. Contact Carina Sudarsky-Gleiser, cxsuda@wm.edu for more information. 

Tropical Tools for Seasonal Blues 
 W&M Tropical Greenhouse, 807 South Henry Street (near the Law School)
Shine some light on the winter blues with the Grounds and Gardens Crew and W&M Counseling Center staff members. Learn hands on transplanting and strategies to cope with seasonal stressors in the warm and humid lower tropical greenhouse. You’ll leave with a baby boston fern.

Virtual Coffee Hour: Join us each Friday morning for a Virtual Coffee Hour with the William & Mary Counseling Center via Zoom. Social distancing has disrupted many people’s social connections and contributed to an increased sense of isolation.  In response, it is important to foster a sense of belongingness and connection. We can use technology to boost belongingness and connection despite being physically isolated. Connect with other W&M students, chat about your experiences, learn new coping strategies, and embrace wellness in a supportive environment. BYOC (Bring your own Coffee or Tea). 

Weekday Support Group: It’s more important than ever to stay connected to others since the campus closure, shift to online learning, and social distancing may have left students feeling disoriented and disconnected from their W&M community. This weekly virtual support group offers a safe, accepting space for W&M students to receive/provide social support with peers, discuss current stressors, exchange coping strategies, improve self-care, and share about mutual experiences and feelings. 

Weekday Support Group for Gradaute Students: Grad Gab: Being a graduate student is challenging enough without the addition of a global pandemic. The William & Mary Counseling Center is pleased to offer a weekly virtual support gathering reserved for graduate students to seek and provide support to each other during a time of uncertainty and social isolation. 

Weekly Mini Guide for Staying Connected During a Pandemic - This supportive outreach group is designed for W&M students to help you decrease, manage, and avert significant feelings of loneliness and isolation. You will explore how to implement these ideas into your daily life. This weekly supportive outreach group includes information on effective ways to stay connected with others, group discussion, individual/group activities, and resources available to support your efforts.

Working with Emotions -Thursday - Our emotions are a foundational component of our lived experience as human beings but can also be a significant source of unnecessary distress. This workshop will draw on skills derived from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to explore how we can better understand and work with our emotions. We will cover how emotions function, how to change our emotional responses, and strategies for how to manage times when emotions are overwhelming.