Counselling workshops and groups

This workshop is offered in-person & Zoom

Who this workshop is for?

Anyone who would like to learn information and practical strategies to maintain and enhance their relationships with others. This workshop applies to all types of relationships, e.g., friends, family, partners, peers, co-workers, etc.

Topics covered and what you will learn:

Stress from life and school can and often does create stress in relationships we have with others. This workshop will focus on research derived, practical and effective strategies for maintaining and enhancing your relationships. Learn what can predict relationship stability and satisfaction with over 90% accuracy. You'll also learn strategies and skills to communicate and address conflict:

• Learn specific strategies and skills to communicate and address conflict in a way that may be easier for others to hear without compromising the integrity of your message
• Learn about conflict styles and non-verbal communication
• Gain skills to address behaviours that get in the way of connecting and communicating with others, including the four behaviours that have been empirically shown to be most damaging to communicating and building positive relationships

Workshop details: Thursdays: 10:00-12:00 p.m. 2 hours (120 minutes)

• May 1 (Zoom)
• June 5 (in person)
  
  Students must be in Manitoba to attend the Zoom workshops.

Reviews: see what other students are saying about this workshop

• "Please go! After taking this workshop, all I could think was wow, I wish everyone I know would go to this. It was so helpful!"
• "This is helpful for all relationships when approaching conflict or even improving them even when not in conflict. The skills are applicable in the moment and preventative as well."
• "I liked the fact I could relate to many of the scenarios, and my questions were answered without needing to ask. It is definitely worth the time investment, both in and out of it."
• "This is such a useful workshop. We cannot go through life without any sort of conflict, but learning how to deal with those situations in a more productive way is a skill that everyone should learn".
• "Very informative and helpful session not only for studies but for life... must go for it".

This workshop is offered in person and Zoom

Who is this workshop for?

Anyone who has experienced trauma. What is trauma? It can include physical or sexual assault, physical or sexual abuse, emotional abuse, experiencing a crime (e.g. mugging), bullying, experiencing a natural disaster, experiencing war, traffic accidents, sudden loss of someone through violence or suicide, or experiencing a life-threatening illness. 

Topics covered and what you will learn:

If you have experienced a traumatic event that is continuing to affect you, consider attending this workshop to:

• Learn about and understand what happens in our bodies and brain when we experience trauma,
  • This includes how your brain made the decision how to survive, not you
• Learn quick and effective strategies to calm and ground ourselves to manage triggers and anxiety
• This workshop is focused on learning and skill-building: increase your control over your body and reactions

No personal sharing about your specific experience happens in this workshop. Participants are not asked to speak.

Workshop details: Thursdays: 2:30-4:30 p.m. for 2 weeks in a row (part 1 & 2)
Length of workshop: 2 hours (120 minutes)

Part 1                                                      Part 2

May 1 (Zoom)                                   May 8 (Zoom)
Jun 5 (in person)                               Jun 12 (in person)
Jul 10 (Zoom)                                    Jul 17 (Zoom)

Students must be in Manitoba to attend Zoom sessions

Reviews: see what other students are saying about this workshop

• "The workshop was very well thought out and included lots of helpful information. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and believe I have learned more about trauma and ways of coping through this course than I have throughout my entire mental health journey. I didn’t feel like I was being force fed information as the delivery of the workshop was very relaxing and easy to follow".
• "I highly recommend it, I think the questions you had us answer [on our own] were insightful. It’s the kind of stuff you won't just forget about once the workshop ends. I have a feeling I'll be going back to those questions and really think on them long after the workshop ends. I think it also provided me with knowledge on how to address trauma in others’ lives".
• "It was helpful to be with others who have experienced trauma, knowing that I'm not alone. Understanding that my experience fits with known patterns for trauma and being given tangible coping strategies was helpful in making me feel more supported and more in control of my own life moving forward".
• "I loved the layout of it. The balance of the scientific facts and how that affects us emotionally. I also loved the prompts. This workshop really brought a lot of issues to light for me and gave me a lot of answers I have been searching for".
• "This course is a great first step for those looking to understand and overcome trauma. I would also recommend this to people who have explored their trauma in a therapeutic setting, but feel that they require another approach".

This workshop is offered on Zoom

Who this workshop is for: This workshop series is designed for students who would like to learn strategies to cope with difficulties that are common among university students. 

Topics covered and what you will learn:

Each session focuses on a specific topic: Procrastination, Perfectionism, Sleep, and Low Self­ Esteem. Students will learn about these topics and coping strategies to start addressing these difficulties.

Workshop details: Tuesdays 2:30-4:00 p.m. 1.5 hours (90 minutes)

July 8: Procrastination
July 15: Low Self-Esteem
July 22: Sleep Difficulties
July 29: Perfectionism

Reviews: see what other students are saying about this workshop

• "The workshop gave me many tools to use on a daily basis and I learned a lot of things that I can incorporate in my daily life."

• "The worksheets helped a lot, instructions were straight forward. I left the workshop in a better mood."

This workshop is offered in-person at the SCC

Who this workshop is for: This is a single session workshop and is open to any UM student. No previous experience with mindfulness-based meditation is required. 

What you will learn: In each session, participants are introduced to the practice of mindfulness to become more aware and accepting of their experiences non-judgmentally, allowing them to respond to stressful situations in a different way.

Workshop details: Wednesdays 12:30-1:30 p.m. 1 hour (60 minutes)
January 2025-June 2025
 

This monthly workshop is offered in-person at the SCC

Who this workshop is for:  Students of any gender who want to increase their sense of contentment and self-worth, reduce perfectionism or harsh self-talk, and have a more peaceful relationship with themselves.

Topics covered and what you will learn:

If you're like most people, you're much nicer to other people than to yourself. Ready to do something different? Research on self-compassion shows that it can increase our motivation and reduce self-blame and self-criticism. This is a short monthly workshop, and each session will introduce the idea of self-compassion and offer a different activity. You're welcome to attend one or several of the sessions.

Workshop details: Offered monthly on Mondays 12:30-1:30 p.m. 
1 hour (60 minutes)
April 14
May 5
June 2

This workshop is offered in-person 

Everyone experiences stress at times and this is definitely true for university students. It is also common for people and students to feel overwhelmed by stress and to struggle to cope and manage. The Student Counselling Centre has developed a three session workshop series to help students manage stress and wellness. Each workshop is unique and students can attend any that they would like – you do not need to attend all three but we do recommend doing so to get the most out of the workshop series.

Who this workshop is for: This workshop series is for any student looking to develop skills to improve coping when faced with life challenges and feeling stressed and distressed.

What you will learn: Across all three workshops you will learn to: notice and identify triggers and factors contributing to stress in your life; develop and identify strategies to help you; and expand your awareness about resources available to you both on and off campus. 

Topics covered include:

Session 1: Foundations of Wellness (S1):

• Self-compassion and forgiveness
• Importance of nutrition, ways to improve sleep 
• Stress reduction strategies

Session 2: Calming Your Body (S2):

• Strategies for reducing the stress in body including breathing techniques
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Visualization activities and TIPP skills

Session 3: Calming Your Mind (S3):

• Mindful observation of thoughts 
• "ABC's" of paying attention to thoughts
• Unhelpful thinking traps and strategies for challenging negative thinking 
• Being more self-supportive

Workshop details:

Length of Workshop: 1 hour 50 Minutes (110 minutes)

Mondays 10:30-12:15 p.m.
Apr. 14

Thursdays 1:00-2:50 p.m.
Apr. 17, 21, May 1

Wednesdays 2:30-4:20 p.m.
May 7, 14, 21 

Avoidance is one of the greatest barriers to change. All of us engage in avoidance behaviours every day. 
Have you ever procrastinated? Avoidance. 
Ever put off a difficult conversation? Avoidance. 
Postponed an appointment or meeting? Avoidance.
Ever put off that New Year's resolution? Avoidance.

This group is for students who want to learn how avoidance prevents you from confronting your anxiety, fears or road blocks so you can reach the goals you have set for yourself. 
This group will provide a variety of strategies to help you overcome avoidance. 

Topics covered:

• May 20: What is Avoidance? Challenging the pros and cons of Avoidance
• May 27: Behavioural Activation: Let your actions guide your mood; move outside the box
• June 3: Challenging your thoughts; knowing what fact versus feeling is
• June 10: Setting SMART goals and hierarches for change
• June 17: Resolving challenges and moving roadblocks

Workshop details: Tuesdays 10:00-11:30 a.m. 1.5 hours (90 minutes)

This group is offered via Zoom 

Who is this group is for: 

This group is for students who have been diagnosed with or suspect they have Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Although students are encouraged to attend all sessions of the group, students can attend as many or as few of the group topics as they desire. 
Each session will cover a specific topic that is relevant for students with ADHD. 

Topics covered and what you will learn:

• Managing My Attention and Focus 
• Organizing Myself and My Time
• Managing My Distracting and Negative Thoughts
• Improving My Self-Esteem and Social Connections
• Understanding and Regulating My Emotions

Students will learn about how these topics relate to ADHD and discuss ways to manage these ADHD-related difficulties and draw upon ADHD-related strengths. The group also provides participants the opportunity to connect with other students with ADHD. 

Group Details:

Students must be in Manitoba to attend the Zoom sessions.

• Length of Group: 2 hours (120 minutes)

Zoom: Tuesdays from May 20-June 17, 2025 2:30 am -4:30 pm
May 20: Managing My Attention and Focus 
May 27: Organizing Myself and My Time 
June 3: Managing My Distracting and Negative Thoughts 
June 10: Improving My Self-Esteem and Social Connections 
June 17: Understanding and Regulating My Emotions 

Reviews: see what other students are saying about this group

• “Kim fostered an extremely safe and accepting environment which allowed students to share what they were comfortable with. I enjoyed being able to share my experiences and hear the experiences of other students. Each session provided helpful tips and information for students, but also (and more importantly, in my opinion) really well explained what was happening in the ADHD brain and why we are experiencing these things - all using kind language. The tips are of course helpful, but understanding why without placing any additional blame on myself was the most valuable takeaway.”

• “Neurodivergence is greater than the sum of its parts, and it was great to have a space that validated all of my neurodivergence, not just the slice that is diagnosed as ADHD.”

• “Really appreciated the opportunity to meet other folks with attention difficulties, share experiences, and hear about the common issues! It really made certain things "click" for me and explained a lot of the difficulties I've been having lately.”

• “I liked that I was able to hear about and relate to other people's experience with ADHD. The information presented during the sessions also helped me to better understand my own experiences/issues and ways to deal with them, and to learn more about what ADHD is and how it affects one's everyday life.”

• “If you are a student struggling with ADHD or want to feel more affirmed, then I advise you to join this group. Kim creates a welcoming atmosphere that encourages people to share their stories, thoughts, and feelings.”

This group is offered in-person

Who this Group is for: For Grad and Undergrad students who want to connect with others who care deeply about the climate emergency, and who experience fear or despair related to climate change. 

Topics covered: Check in and share ideas for coping, action, living with enormous systemic problems, and dreaming up a better future.

Let's talk about engaging the climate emergency in ways that show care for the climate / world, our close relationships, and our 'internal worlds' of thoughts, emotions, etc.

We'll use a narrative therapy and other approaches, humour, and acknowledgement of grief, and other approaches to the Climate Crisis.

Group details: 

Thursdays: 2:45 - 4:00 p.m. 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes)

4 meetings, every other Thursday:
May 8
May 22
June 5
June 19

Reviews: See what other students are saying about this group

"This group is about hope without dismissing the weight that climate crisis carries. Hope came organically through discussion. I was never told hope, but I feel it now."