Workshops

Workshops are a great way to learn about different well-being topic areas and are held throughout the semester – dates, times, and locations can be found on GobblerConnect.

Financial Wellness

• Budgeting Basics: Do you follow a budget? Not really sure where to start? Budgeting Basics is a great introductory presentation to help individuals understand the importance of a budget and how to create a budget that will work for them.
• Credit: What is it and why should you care? What even is credit? A lot of individuals have mixed perceptions of credit, how to build it, and why it’s so important. This presentation will take individuals through the basics of credit, including building and maintaining good credit, and will leave attendees with tools, tips, and resources to take the first (or next) step into the world of credit.
• Student Loans & Debt Management: The cost of a college education is on the rise, and many people depend on student loans to assist them when paying for college. Learn about the various types of loans, the repayment system, and discover a debt management system that works best for you.
• Sports Betting: The world of sports betting is relatively new and quickly growing. With so many different applications and advertisements, it can be very easy to get sucked in and spend more money than one ever expected.
• Finances After Graduation: This workshop is specifically geared for students graduating from undergrad or grad school, who are getting ready to embark on the next step in their journey. In this session, participants will be provided with a review of financial wellness basics and will be provided with the resources needed to navigate finances after college.

Mental Health Initiatives

• Connecting & Communicating: In college it can feel like everyone has already found “their people", but the truth is: it’s not uncommon to experience loneliness or have difficulty navigating support systems. In this workshop, we will practice communications skills and learn about different types of support that can help us build meaningful connections.
• Dismantling Mind Traps: In this workshop we learn how to go from simply reacting to stressors to thoughtfully responding to them. Together we will learn how our beliefs and emotions shape our behavior. Additionally, we will explore some common ‘mind traps’, also known as cognitive distortions’, and learn how to dismantle them when these types of thoughts arise.
• Developing a Growth Mindset: What do you say to yourself when you make a mistake or experience a setback? What are your beliefs about your intelligence or abilities? In this workshop we will learn how to shift into a growth mindset by exploring concepts like receiving feedback, using supportive self-talk, and the power of effort.
• Establishing Self-Care: Do I have to earn self-care? Is mindfulness all it’s cracked up to be? How do I know if my current coping skills are genuinely managing my stress? In this workshop, we explore all these questions and more. Together we work step by step through a realistic self-care plan as we learn more about effective self-care and engage in some introductory mindfulness practices.
• Exploring Emotions through Mindful Journaling: In this workshop we use journaling as a tool for exploring the intersection of mindfulness and emotions. We will take some time to journal individually and engage in dialogue collectively about the “what”, “why”, and “how” of our unique emotional experiences.
• Helping Friends in Distress: In this workshop, we will discuss how to recognize the symptoms of sadness, depression, and other forms of possible distress. We will take some time to learn how to engage with a person we care about and discuss ways to get them further help. We will practice evidence-based techniques, such as motivational interviewing skills, that will develop skills in supporting others.

Alcohol and Other Drugs

• Tobacco and Nicotine: Learn how to quit vaping/smoking in 30 minutes: A 30-minute workshop designed to jump start your quitting process. Whether you're looking to quit yourself or assist a loved one, this workshop is for you. Open to any student, employee, or community member.
• Higher Education: With cannabis (marijuana) decriminalized in the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is a lot of misinformation floating around out there. This workshop was created to provide you with evidence-based facts around impacts of cannabis use and allow you to reflect on your own perceptions and relationship with cannabis. We take the time to debunk myths, identify protective factors, and establish self-care strategies to support your goals and values as a student at Virginia Tech.
• Party Positive: We take Driver’s Ed in high school, but why didn’t anyone ever teach us about alcohol? There are lots of helpful harm reduction strategies you can use to optimize the positive aspects of alcohol, while reducing the negatives (hangovers, blacking out, “bad” decisions, etc.). This class is designed to be helpful, to be interactive, and never lecture or scold you. Taught by fellow student peer educators, you will learn about standard drinks, BAC factors, tolerance, how to help a friend, and more. If you’re someone who chooses not to drink, don’t fear, we never assume that you do! You will still learn how to share information with friends and be an active interventionist if someone needs assistance.
• REVIVE! Opioid Overdose Prevention and Response Training: Any person, no matter their age, income, or any other demographic, can experience an overdose or develop and struggle with a substance use disorder. Knowing how to respond and possibly reverse an opioid overdose can save someone’s life and might help them access needed resources for recovery! Come learn more about opioids, risk factors, 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. *as supply allows.
• Recovery Ally Training: Have you ever known someone struggling with substance use or addiction? Interested in learning how to create safe spaces for individuals in recovery? This is 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 others in or seeking recovery that you embody these ideals.