Programs

Hokie Wellness acknowledges that healthy living is more than just caring for your physical body. We strive to provide well-being programs that cater to the whole-person well-being of each employee. From healthy nutrition workshops to mindfulness classes and much more, our goal is to provide each employee with the tools they need to optimize their well-being. Descriptions and registration for all our upcoming programs can be found on the PageUp Talent Management System.

If you would like to request a workshop or program for a group or department, please email us: hokiewellness@vt.edu.

If you have any questions or are an individual with a disability and/or desire an accommodation to participate in any of our programs, please contact Hokie Wellness by email at hokiewellness@vt.edu or by phone at (540) 231-8878.

Animal Assisted Therapy

This program provides the opportunity to find out more about the VT Therapy Dog program-how it started and what makes it so popular and successful. Attendees learn about what makes the VT Therapy Dogs so special and how they differ from other service animals, emotional support animals and pets. Participants learn the steps to take if you think your own dog might work well with the public and wish to become registered to work as a volunteer in the community.

Banish Burnout

Learn how to recognize burnout, tips for prevention and what to do if you are feeling burned out.

Budgeting and Savings for Beginners

Managing money is sometimes more challenging than we think, especially for new professionals! This session will discuss budgeting techniques and strategies you can implement to have the quality of life you desire while living within your means and working towards your financial goals.

Buying a Home in a Seller's Market

Hokie Wellness / Webinar / Across the country, housing markets are experiencing low supply and high demand. The New River Valley is no exception. Join experts from Community Housing Partners Homeownership for the virtual program, Buying a Home in a Seller’s Market, to learn how to limit frustration and prevent buyer’s remorse. Topics include: assessing your financial position; shopping for a mortgage; market analysis; and presenting the best offer.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire accommodation, please contact Hokie Wellness by email at hokiewellness@vt.edu.

Debt Management

Employees will have the opportunity to discuss information related to student loans and paying them off as well as strategies you can use to manage any kind of current or future debt (credit, mortgage, etc.).

Decoding Nutrition Labels

Participants will learn about the basics of reading nutrition labels, how to interpret common terms used to market products, and how to use ingredient lists to make nutritious choices.

DMV at Virginia Tech

The DMV comes to Virginia Tech with service offerings including the REAL ID, driver’s license, vehicle registration, address changes, vehicle titles and more. Appointments are 15 minutes, required, and each transaction requires an appointment.

Employee Assistance Program Information Session

Learn about EAP, how to get connected, and what resources EAP has to offer.

Fall in Love With Credit

Want to develop a healthy and safe relationship with your credit score? Fall in Love with Credit will discuss the anatomy of the credit score and give you tips to boost your score in a financially responsible way.

Getting Your Dose of Vitamin G: How Gratitude Improves Well-being

Research tells us that practicing gratitude has multiple positive benefits for health and well-being. But what does it actually mean to practice gratitude? How can we develop the habit of doing it? In this program, participants will learn about strategies to cultivate gratitude in ways that feel accessible and nourishing.

Healthy Lunches at Home and on the Go

This program will cover why eating a balanced lunch is important, common barriers to healthy choices, why packing lunch can save significant dollars, and strategies for long-term success.

Healthy Nutrition for Aging

Eating plenty of nutrient-rich, nourishing foods is important across the life span. However, as our bodies go through the natural process of aging, certain nutrients become especially important for good health. In Healthy Nutrition for Aging, we will discuss how specific macronutrients, micronutrients, and eating patterns can be especially helpful when navigating the physiological changes commonly associated with the aging process. Participants will also learn how healthy lifestyle habits such as staying socially connected and engaging in regular movement can also play a meaningful part in aging healthfully.

Healthy Nutrition for Busy Schedules

Do you notice that your eating patterns are different when you plan ahead vs. when you don’t plan ahead? Meal planning can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re short on time or aren’t quite sure where to start.

Healthy Nutrition on a Budget

Healthy eating doesn’t have to break the bank. There are many smart strategies that can help fuel the body with nourishing foods, even on a tight budget. Participants will learn how to make a healthy and affordable meal plan, save money at the grocery store, and decrease food waste. Participants will also receive a Budget Bites recipe booklet containing affordable, nutritious, and tasty recipes.

Holistic Well-being for the New Semester

Are you nurturing all aspects of your well-being? Each dimension of well-being is equally important, and our well-being in one dimension can affect our well-being in another. Join Hokie Wellness for this virtual program to discuss the six dimensions of well-being and what it means to invest in our well-being for the semester and beyond.

Immune Support 101

Immune Support 101 program attendees learn how basic practices, such as healthy nutrition, sleep, movement and stress management can help support the immune system.

LiveHealth Platform Demonstration

LiveHealth Online is a robust telehealth platform that provides Anthem COVA Care members access to a variety of medical professionals including board-certified physicians, licensed therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Anthem COVA Care members pay no co-pays for LiveHealth Online services, making these telehealth services both convenient and budget-friendly.

KORU Basic Mindfulness

This four-week virtual program will help attendees learn more about mindfulness and how meditation can help improve our mindfulness. Please email Hokie Wellness for upcoming dates at: hokiewellness@vt.edu

Koru 2.0

The four-week virtual program is for those who have completed Koru Basic. Koru 2.0 builds on the skills developed in Koru Basic and provides an opportunity for students to further their practice and deepen their skills.

Manage Holiday Stress

The holidays are joyful but can become stressful as well. During this program you will learn what you can do to Manage Holiday Stress.

Manifest Your Future: Craft a Vision Board

No matter what your goals are, a vision board – a visual representation of your goals – is a great tool to have during your journey. Attend this program and create a vision board for the new year with your goals, hopes and dreams. Supplies will be provided, you just need to show up!

Meaning in Your Life: Ways to See It

Struggling to find meaning in your life? Researchers have identified different pathways to it. Join Hokie Wellness for the program, Meaning in Your Life: Ways to See It, and learn more about those pathways.

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder.

Some of the topics covered include depression, anxiety disorder, and substance use disorders. Each seat is paid for by the university and consists of pre-training, participant manuals, processing guides, and a three-year certification."

Mindful Eating 101

Participants will learn the basics of mindful eating and how this practice can bring greater presence and enjoyment to meal times, increase attunement to hunger and fullness signals, and serve as a tool for nurturing a healthier relationship with food. Participants are encouraged to have a food of choice on hand with which to engage in a short mindful eating exercise.

Mindful Journaling

Join Hokie Wellness for this program during which intentional and mindful reflection will offer employees an opportunity to reconnect with their sense of purpose by working through a collection of guided journaling prompts.

Mindfulness, Meditation and Movement

Mindfulness, meditation and movement are so important to our daily well-being. Take a break from your day to learn more about the importance of mindfulness, practice meditations and participate in chair yoga from the comfort of your office to help your day wind down.

Planning for Baby - Staff

Planning for Baby programs are for employees who are expecting the birth of a child, or for new parents of a child under three months of age. All expecting and new parents are welcome to attend including fathers, non-birth mothers and adoptive parents. Topics to be discussed include benefits, leave, and resources available to new parents.

Planning for Baby - Faculty

QPR Suicide Prevention

QPR offers information about suicide and provides guidelines on what you can do to prevent suicide.

Recovery Ally Training

The Recovery Community at Virginia Tech offers an interactive training session on recovery from addiction, ways to eliminate stigma, and how to become a Recovery Ally. The Virginia Tech Recovery Community endeavors to create an environment where students in or seeking recovery feel accepted, are comfortable asking for and receiving help, and where their achievements are celebrated. By becoming a Recovery Ally, you are declaring to students in or seeking recovery that you embody these ideals.

Reducing the Stress of Parenting During COVID-19

Parenting is tough in the best of situations but COVID turned things upside down. Learn about some evidence-based strategies to make this time more enjoyable.

Resiliency in the Workplace: Key to Connection

Building meaningful connections in the workplace can be difficult, and many are navigating what it means to foster connection as the workforce adapts to a new dynamic of both in-office and remote team members. In this workshop, you’ll learn how social connection is key to promoting resiliency, discuss different types of social support, and practice communication skills.

Resiliency in the Workplace: Self-Care

The Resiliency: Self-Care Hokie Wellness workshop explores signs of stress and strategies for developing effective and sustainable coping skills. Participants will have the opportunity to assess their current coping skills, learn how to develop work-life balance, and create a realistic self-care plan. Participants will also engage in self-care exercises such as mindfulness.

REVIVE! Education Training

The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis and has claimed the lives of over 1900 Virginians in the year of 2020 alone. Any person, no matter their age, income, or any other demographic, can experience an overdose or develop and struggle with addiction. Knowing how to respond and possibly reverse an opioid overdose can save someone’s life and might help them access needed resources for recovery. Learn more about opioids, addiction, and how to respond in an emergency. You will receive a REVIVE emergency response kit and the opioid overdose reversal drug, Narcan (Naloxone), to take with you free of charge.

Self-Care Strategies

Self-care is an ongoing and multi-dimensional practice. This program will provide tips for effective and sustainable self-care.

Sleep Better Techniques

How is your sleep? Do you wish you could get more? Are you satisfied with the quality of your sleep? Everybody at one point or another will have to deal with sleep problems like sleep deprivation, sleeplessness and/or sleep disturbances. This virtual program will provide information on what happens when you sleep along with tips on how to start reaping the benefits of great sleep.

Stress Reduction Tips

Handling stress takes effort but the results are worth it. Learn some tips to relieve stress in this program.

The Six Dimensions of Well-being: A Whole Person Approach to Nourishing Your Health

Have you ever wondered what well-being truly is? This program will teach individuals about the six dimensions of well-being and how to intentionally incorporate each into daily life. Attendees will have the opportunity to assess ways in which they are currently tending to each dimension as well as identify areas for improvement with clear tips and action steps.

TmelyCare Infomation Session

TimelyCare is a virtual health mental wellness service available to full-time faculty and staff and non-student wage employees at no cost. Employees have access TimelyCare services regardless of their location in the United States. In this session, employees will learn more about the three free services offered by TimelyCare: free individual counseling sessions, TalkNow on-demand mental health support, and health coaching.

Unwind Offline for Employees

How does digital tech affect you? Are you constantly “checking” your devices? Gain an understanding of your level of technology dependence and its effects on emotional health, the pros and cons of device use, and discuss addictive aspects of digital technology.

Unwinding Anxiety

In this 30-minute program, adapted from Judson Brewer’s book “Unwinding Anxiety,” we discuss techniques to untangle habits built around anxiety, and how to develop new, healthier habits using mindfulness techniques.

Virginia 529 Webinar

Learn about saving for future education expenses for your children and grandchildren – or for yourself at this Virginia529 webinar. During the webinar, you will learn how to save for tuition and other college costs, such as housing and textbooks; take advantage of tax-free earnings; and, most importantly, meet your savings goals. Attendees will have the chance to win $529 toward a new or existing Invest529 account.

Virtual Walking Trek Across Virginia

During the 2022-23 academic year, Hokie Wellness will guide employees through a virtual trek across the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Participants will track their total walking distance using the Strava app (or a Google Form if preferred), with the goal of walking 555 miles, the length of the trail running through Virginia. The trek will take place between September 15, 2022 and May 14, 2023, but employees may join at any time. Hokie Wellness will send emails with mini-goals and motivation to stay on track as walkers complete various sections of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.

If you would like to join the trek, please email Hokie Wellness for more information: hokiewellness@vt.edu

Work/Life Boundaries

This workshop is intended to provide you with the foundational knowledge to support you in setting work-life boundaries, and the space to reflect on your balance between work and life.