If you think you have come into close contact (within 6 feet for cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with a confirmed COVID-19 positive person, please complete our COVID-19 Reporting Form.
Facilitated by Counseling Center clinicians, groups are a great way of getting support through talking with other Tulane students with similar concerns.
The Counseling Center offers groups that fall into three categories: Interpersonal Process Groups, Skill Building Groups, and Support Groups. Please note that groups must have at least two student members to begin meeting.
For more information about joining a group, please call the Counseling Center Group Coordinator at 504-314-2277 or visit our Group Therapy FAQ page.
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 & 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.
Session 1 (Wednesdays, 3-4 PM): 9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30
Session 2 (Tuesdays, 2-3 PM): 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27
Session 3 (Thursdays, 3:30-4:30 PM): 10/29, 11/5, 11/12, 11/19
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.
Start date will be communicated by the group facilitator. (Fridays, 11-12 PM)
This group is designed to introduce mindfulness and meditation practices as a way of reducing stress, and developing greater balance, control, and fuller participation in your life. Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life including the challenges of stress, emotional distress, and everyday demands. This group is also intended to dispel myths about meditation and mindfulness, teach you how to recognize your own unique reactions to stress, find more effective ways to respond to stressful situations, and discover how to use your own inner resources to manage overall health and well-being. No experience in mindfulness and meditation techniques necessary. This group is for graduate students only.
Session 1 (Thursdays, 5-6 PM): 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8
Session 2 (Mondays, 10-11 AM): 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9
Session 3 (Mondays, 3:30-4:30 PM): 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23
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.
Start date will be communicated by the group facilitator. (Wednesdays, 2-3 PM)
Sometimes when we experience anxiety, depression, distressing thoughts, etc., our well-intentioned attempts to rid ourselves of these negative experiences can backfire, potentially leading to even more suffering. In this group, we will practice relating to difficult experiences with mindfulness and acceptance by learning the skills of psychological flexibility. By learning and practicing these skills, group members will be able to connect with their chosen values and engage in their lives more meaningfully and authentically.
Session 1 (Thursdays 11-12 PM): 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8
Session 2 (Mondays, 3-4 PM): 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9
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 skills 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!
Start date will be communicated by the group facilitator. (Tuesdays, 3:30-4:30 PM)
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.
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
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.
Join an accepting, authentic, and confidential space cultivated for women of color to share their lived experiences, receive support and encouragement from others, and learn strategies that promote healing from racial trauma and misogyny. Additional topics discussed include self-esteem, healthy relationships, soul-care, balancing multiple life demands, and other meaningful experiences or topics.
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.
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.
Our bodies carry pain related to relationships, trauma, and histories of oppression. 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.
Designed for first year students, Freshman Transition 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.
Black men sometimes see themselves as invisible to therapy as an institution, fearing that their natural instincts and attempts at coping with their lived experience could be perceived as cognitive distortions. Thus, creating a sense of invisibility. This support group, focused on the experiences of Black men, is a space where the lived experiences of Black men will have an opportunity to be heard and humanized.
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.
Changes to university life and life in general as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to create and exacerbate stress and present new challenges. This group offers a supportive space for students who would like to talk about the impact of the pandemic with others who have also been affected, whether directly or indirectly. It's a confidential space for participants to share their experience and get support during this unprecedented time.