Don’t miss CU’s inaugural Health and Wellness Summit on April 25. Faculty, staff and students are invited to learn about a holistic approach to health and wellness, campus resources and support services. The summit will provide tangible skills to improve your own health, and share information and research.
Partners from other CU campuses will also present findings from each of their local campuses during the event.
The lunch keynote speaker will feature Alison Malmon, founder of the nonprofit organization Active Minds. Malmon defines herself as a sister first; when her big brother Brian died by suicide during her freshman year of college, she was devastated—and left with more questions than answers.
Who: Open to CU faculty, staff and students
What: Inaugural Health and Wellness Summit
When: Thursday, April 25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: University Memorial Center
Turning tragedy into action, she started a group on her campus at the University of Pennsylvania to give students like herself the platform and tools to change the conversation about mental health. Malmon shares her story to inspire others to speak out and be heard, to not suffer in silence and to help fight the stigma surrounding mental illness. She continues to inspire audiences with her story and calls to action.
The summit is free, and registration is now open. Attendees are able to choose from several different tracks:
Track I: Mental Health First Aid certification
This course provides instruction on how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. At the end of the session, participants will receive a Mental Health First Aid certification. This is a full-day track, and spots are limited! If you are interested in becoming certified in mental health first aid, please register online prior to the event.
Track II: Supporting Student Resiliency certification
CU Boulder offers a Supporting Student Resiliency certification as part of its professional development series. Through these educational sessions, you will develop the following conversation skills and techniques to work with students on a range of topics:
- Assisting students who have indicated a desire or need to make a change in their life
- Actively calming down an escalated person, and learning when it’s time to get help instead of attempting de-escalation
- Engaging in conversation around substance abuse
- Being mindful, inclusive, supportive and aware of our underrepresented student population
- Responding and supporting someone who discloses a traumatic event
- Learning the signs that indicate someone is contemplating suicide and how to have an open conversation about suicide
Participants can attend individual sessions, or those that attend all six will receive a non-degree certificate. All sessions will be held in the same room throughout the day.
Track III: Self-Care and Stress Management
Those who are interested in learning about a variety of health and wellness topics, including self-care and stress management, are welcome to mix and match individual sessions. Here is a sample of the available sessions:
- Listening, breathing and mindfulness: A pathway towards balance that really works
Learn how to meet life’s demands and feel more resilient while doing so. Gain skills to cultivate productivity, ease and composure. - Research to practice: Partnerships for applied innovation
Join a panel discussion about the research-to-practice collaborations happening on campus to promote student wellness. Learn about current partnerships, and help identify new partnerships to create your own research-to-practice projects. - Stress: Supporting faculty and staff
Learn techniques from mindfulness-based stress management programs to improve emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. - Design your life
Based on the “Designing Your Life” approach developed by William Burnett and David J. Evans at Stanford University. Unleash your own creativity and learn to apply design thinking when designing and building your own life and career.
In addition to formal presentations, the summit will be holding a hands-on exposition from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants can engage in a variety of health and wellness activities, from DIY projects and yoga to career exploration and wellness consultations.