Groups

These are general groups to support students with increasing self-awareness and making changes through connection with others and with the support of the group facilitator. They are open to students with a variety of concerns and are offered at a few different times throughout the week.

Understanding Self and Others

Understanding Self & Others (USO) groups offer students a safe environment to identify and explore feelings, to give and receive support and feedback, to practice new, healthier ways of relating to others, and to feel more meaningfully connected. This can be an effective choice for students struggling with a wide range of mental health and relationship concerns.

These are tailored groups designed to assist students with developing their “mental health toolbox.” Students can expect to learn skills and strategies that they can immediately begin to apply to their lives. Some groups might be cyclical and run more than once in a semester.

Stress and Anxiety Toolkit

Session 1 (Wednesdays, 3-4 PM): 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

Session 2 (Tuesdays, 2-3 PM): 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23

Session 3 (Thursdays, 3:30-4:30 PM): 4/1, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29

This 4-week, skills-based workshop offers concrete and practical approaches for students experiencing mild to moderate stress and anxiety. Participants will gain understanding about anxiety and learn skills that they can use in their everyday lives to better manage and reduce anxiety symptoms. Anxiety Toolbox teaches skills from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is an evidence-based treatment effective for anxiety. 

BREATHE - Mindfulness Strategies for Stress Reduction

Start date will be communicated by the group facilitator. (Fridays, 11-12 PM)

BREATHE is a holistic, integrative, body-mind approach designed to introduce mindful breathing and meditation practices as a way of reducing stress, and developing greater balance, harmony, and fuller participation in your life. Mindfulness is a way of learning to connect to your body and learn its responses to challenges of everyday demands. In this group you will learn myths and truths about mindful living, recognize your own unique reactions to stress, and cultivate tools that restore your body to calmness when you need them. No experience in mindfulness and meditation techniques necessary.

Mindfulness for Wellness

Session 1 (Wednesdays, 5-6 PM): 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3

Session 2 (Mondays, 11 AM-12 PM): 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5

Session 3 (Mondays, 3:30-4:30 PM): 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10

This group is for students interested in learning and/or developing mindfulness skills to improve mental and emotional wellbeing. We will explore the intersection of mindfulness, meditation, stress-reduction, and positive mental health practices with this 5-week instructional and experiential group. Learn to better calm the agitated mind, improve mental focus and clarity, and reduce the distressing impact of emotional experiences.

Addressing Procrastination Using Behavioral Activation

Session 1 (Thursdays 11-12 PM): 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/4

Session 2 (Mondays, 3:30-4:30 PM): 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5

This group provides you with evidence-based strategies to enhance motivation even when COVID-19 and zoom meetings are leaving you isolated. You will receive an overview of the behavioral activation CBT skill and then identify and plan value-driven activities. This group helps you incorporate behavioral activation to break down tasks and reduce avoidance. Learn that ACTION PRECEDES MOTIVATION!

Ride the Waves

Schedule varies. Please contact the Counseling Center for more information.

This group is for students who want to learn skills to help manage intense emotions through discussion, creative activities, and experiential exercises. This group is not discussion based, but more like a class on “emotional intelligence," and follows a set agenda in which new information is taught weekly and skills practice is assigned. The focus is teaching effective skill use for regulating emotions, changing destructive patterns of thinking and behavior, improving relationship skills, and building the life you desire. Skills taught in this group come from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is an evidence-based and effective treatment for persons struggling with intense feelings and troubling thoughts.

These are specific groups for students who are going through something in their lives and would benefit from connecting with others who share similar experiences. These groups operate on varying schedules, and may be open to new members throughout the semester.

Journey with Grief & Loss

This support and education group offers opportunities for sharing personal grief experiences while also receiving support from others who have experienced the death of a loved one. Discover how to develop personal approaches to address emotions around grief and loss.

Life After Sexual Assault

The Life After Sexual Assault group aims to create a community of support and understanding for Tulane students who have experienced sexual assault and involves group discussion and education. Each week we will discuss what it means to survive, recover, and thrive after sexual assault.

Women of Color

The Women of Color Group is an inclusive, authentic, and confidential space cultivated for women of color to share lived experiences and receive support and encouragement while learning strategies that promote healing from race- and gender-based stress. Additional topics explored in this group include self-esteem, healthy relationships, soul care, work/life balance, and other relevant topics.

Building Queer & Trans Resilience

Building your resiliency means increasing your ability to survive and thrive in a world that’s often ignorant at best and hostile at worst towards LGBTQ people. This group will help you explore and define your gender and sexual identities and understand them in the context of your larger identity as a whole person. Additionally, it will help you affirm your self-worth, advocate for yourself, set healthy boundaries, improve coping skills, challenge negative messages, and build a supportive community. All LGBTQ identified or questioning students are welcome.

*Dissertation Support

Graduate students participating in this group will explore barriers interfering with progress on their projects, discuss common dilemmas facing students in the dissertation stage, and identify strategies for taking the edge off the strain.

Positive Body Image

Many people struggle with unrealistic and oppressive expectations for their appearance and body size, and these expectations are difficult to let go. This group is a place for participants of all body sizes, genders, and other intersecting identities to take up space and to explore the forces that make “loving your body” challenging in today’s world.

New to Tulane Support Group

Designed for spring scholars and transfer students, this group provides a safe space to explore adjustment-related issues—social concerns, homesickness, isolation, academic difficulties, etc.—and receive support in the midst of a significant life transition that has likely been made more challenging by the current public health crisis.

International Student Support Group

Studying in another country is exciting. The transition to a new culture and university experience can also cause stress and anxiety. Use this safe and confidential space to gain a greater sense of connection to others, build skills to manage stress and anxiety, and normalize what you are experiencing. Some of the topics explored are homesickness, anxiety related to travel and visa restrictions, adapting to studying during a pandemic, being successful at school, and healthy relationships.