CU Boulder’s Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) offers wellness seminars and support groups focused on tackling a variety of life-stage experiences as well as mental and emotional well-being during the summer months. Programs provide practical tools participants can practice and apply to their daily lives.
All of the below FSAP summer workshops are free to attend and are held virtually over Zoom.
Preparing Your Child for Life After High School
Do you have a child who is ready to start planning for what will happen after high school? Andrew Bloom, a Boulder High School Counselor, will answer your questions about how to prepare yourself and your child for this momentous event. Topics will include college prep, looking at the trades or the military, financial planning and emotional preparation. Presented by Andrew Bloom. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Understand information about planning for life after high school with your child
- Generate ideas for family conversations so that the process is as smooth and collaborative as possible
Who should attend? Any CU Boulder parents of high school-aged kids.
Date(s): Wednesday May 12, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:30pm
Register for Preparing Your Child for Life After High School
Wills and Trusts 101
If you think this is only for the rich and famous, you may want to reconsider the concept and importance of estate planning. Planning can help you distribute your assets according to your wishes and the needs of your survivors, while minimize taxes. Come learn more about how you can get organized and also protect your legacy around these terms:
- Probate-What it is and how to avoid it
- Trusts-What they can do for you
- Fees-What lawyers charge
- Death Taxes-What they amount to
- Power of Attorney-Never leave home without one
Presented by Kurt Hofgard, JD, CLU, ChFC, AEP. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Become educated about the importance of estate planning.
- Distribute assets according to your wishes and minimize taxes.
- Identify will and trust terms used in order to protect your legacy.
Who should attend? This workshop is intended for any CU Boulder faculty or staff member who want to learn more about wills and trusts and their importance in asset planning and taking care of loved ones.
Date(s): Thursday May 13, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Register for Wills and Trusts 101
Nutrition to Beat Seasonal Allergies
Are you experiencing sneezing fits, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, and low energy? If you suffer from seasonal allergies you may dread springtime. This year find relief! Allergies result from an overactive and confused immune system. Learn which foods and nutrients calm your immune system and which foods and habits can aggravate it. Plus the interesting connection between your digestive function and your allergies symptoms. Presented by nutritionist Jen Marshall, CNT of Be Balanced Healing. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Identify seasonal allergies and their causes.
- Find relief via foods and nutrients that work with your immune system.
- Understand the connection with your digestive function and symptoms of allergies.
Who should attend? This workshop is intended for any CU Boulder faculty or staff member who wants to learn more about which foods, nutrients, and habits can either calm or aggravate your immune system during allergy season.
Date(s): Wednesday June 9, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Register for Nutrition to Beat Seasonal Allergies
New Employees: Self-care and Work-life Balance Group
This four-week online mindfulness-based support group will allow you to connect with other new CU Boulder employees who may be experiencing similar struggles with their work-life balance and self-care. Throughout our sessions, you will get a chance to share ideas and experiences of what you have learned and are planning to put into action in terms of your work-life balance and self-care. We may use break out group modalities, as well as large group conversations (depending on how many folks join the group). No previous experience required in mindfulness practices or group work. Presented by Esther Horowitz, FSAP Staff Counselor. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Connect with other new CU Boulder employees: build community
- Find what is currently working and/or not working in routines
- Identify changes to make in work-life balance and self-care practices
- Learn quick techniques to create healthier approaches to work-life balance and self-care
- Transform current work-life balance into one that is more comfortable and sustainable
Who should attend? This closed group is intended for all new CU Boulder faculty or staff members, who have been with us for a year or less, who want to connect with fellow new CU Boulder employees to explore and learn techniques to sustain work-life balance and self-care.
Date(s): Wednesdays June 16, 23, 30, and July 7
Time: 12:00 -1:15pm
Register for New Employees Self-Care & Work-Life Balance Group
Make the Most of Your Vacation
If you dread the amount of work you have to do before and after you leave on vacation, this session is for you. Creating a smoother transition allows you to retain the benefits of your time off and still have the energy and enthusiasm to work productivity without stressing your system unnecessarily. Presented by Christine Gust, MBA Doctor of Naturopathy. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Identify ways to take time off and return being able to be productive and less stressed
- Apply concepts to allow for a smooth transition pre and post-vacation
Who should attend? Any CU Faculty or staff who would like to learn more about having more smooth and productive transitions from work to vacation.
Date(s): Wednesday July 14, 2021
Time: 12:00 -1:00pm
Register for Make the Most of Your Vacation
The Power of Laughter
Evidence for the direct benefits of humor lie in studies of the body’s chemical reaction to laughter. Among other things, laughter has been shown to reduce stress, boost the immune system and enhance brain chemistry through the release of serotonin and endorphins. Creating more self-induced boosts of serotonin can help enhance one’s ability to tolerate the stress response and think creatively of coping options. Come join us to learn more on how humor can be an effective means of dealing with overwhelming emotions and incorporate more of it into our lives. Presented by Meredith Lopez, FSAP Staff Counselor. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes:
Participants will be able to
- Understand how humor can affect mood and immune system
- Identify body’s chemical reaction to laughter
- Utilize humor to tolerate the body’s stress response to our everyday issues
Who should attend? This workshop is intended for any CU Boulder faculty or staff member who wants to learn more about how humor can help with mood, physiology and mental functioning.
Date(s): Wednesday July 21, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Register for The Power of Laughter
Mindfulness and Stress Management Series
Stress management is a concern for everyone in these busy and uncertain times. The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) is hosting a 4 part workshop series to educate faculty and staff on mindfulness-based stress management strategies. Mindfulness is a powerful approach to self-care. It is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. It is a skill that takes practice to cultivate and integrate into one’s life and when done properly, can help manage stress, improve focus, and boost emotional wellness. Presented by Paulette Erickson England, LCSW, FSAP licensed counselor. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes:
In this educational and participatory workshop series, attendees will learn and practice several strategies for managing everyday life stress, including mindfulness, meditation, visualization, guided imagery, cognitive restructuring, emotional health and regulation, communication, assertiveness and movement. At the end of this series, participants will have learned strategies to incorporate mindfulness practices into everyday life.
Who should attend? Any faculty or staff member who may be interested in the topic and learning to integrate mindfulness into their daily lives.
Date(s): Tuesdays August 3, 10, 17 & 24
Time: 12:00 - 1:30pm
Register for Mindfulness and Stress Management Series
The Power of Play
Submerged in the responsibilities of life, the seriousness of world affairs, and an ever-growing to-do list, we often forget to PLAY. Animals, on the other hand, continue to play throughout their adult lives! We may believe that play is somehow no longer appropriate or cast it aside as a frivolous waste of time. Research suggests, however, that play is essential to our well-being, creativity, and health:
- It boosts our creativity
- It helps us think outside the box
- It improves our health
- It makes us present
- It connects us
Please join us for a “playful,” fun and informative seminar!! Presented by Lynzee Mckenzie. Learn more about this workshop
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Understand what research has to say about the benefits of play
- Apply concepts to help boost creativity, health and stay present in order to connect with ourselves and others
Who should attend? Any CU faculty or staff member who wants to learn more about the power of play in boosting well-being, creativity, and health.
Date(s): Wednesday Aug 4, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm