Mental Well-Being for Graduate Students
Mental Well-Being for Graduates equips graduate students with the knowledge and tools to navigate advanced academic life’s unique mental health challenges. The course explores everyday stressors such as academic pressure, isolation, burnout, and imposter syndrome, while offering practical strategies for self-care, stress management, and emotional resilience. Students will also learn to recognize signs of struggle in themselves and others, build healthy habits, foster supportive relationships, and access relevant mental health resources on campus and beyond.
Demos + Pricing
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Course Details
Learning Objectives
- Define the concept of mental well-being
- Identify common challenges faced by graduate students and their potential impact on mental health
- Recognize verbal, physical, and behavioral signs that may indicate someone is struggling, including oneself, friends, peers, colleagues, or loved ones
- Explore strategies for self-managing mental well-being
- Identify healthy habits, practices, and protective factors that support positive mental health
- Learn how to access, utilize, and recommend peer, institutional, local, and national mental health resources and support services
- Distinguish between signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships
- Develop strategies for navigating or safely exiting unhealthy relationships
Specs
- English (US)
- Spanish (US)
- Spanish (European)
- Spanish (Mexican)
- French (Canada)
- French (European)
- Arabic
- Chinese (Simplified Mandarin)
- Chinese (Traditional Mandarin)
- Filipino Tagalog
- German
- Hindi
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese (Brazilian)
- Portuguese (European
- Russian
- Thai
- Vietnamese
Frequently Asked Questions
What are common mental health challenges faced by graduate students?
Graduate students often face intense academic pressure, financial instability, and uncertain career prospects, which can contribute to mental health issues. Common challenges include anxiety, depression, burnout, imposter syndrome, and social isolation. These issues are frequently compounded by long hours, a lack of work-life balance, and limited access to mental health resources.
How can graduate students manage stress and anxiety during graduate school?
Managing stress and anxiety starts with recognizing your triggers and adopting healthy coping mechanisms. Strategies include developing a consistent routine, practicing mindfulness or meditation, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, and maintaining social connections. Professional support, such as therapy or campus counseling, can also be incredibly helpful in learning how to manage stress over time.
Where can graduate students find mental health support?
Many universities offer free or low-cost counseling services specifically for students. Graduate students can also find support through student health centers, mental health hotlines, online therapy platforms like BetterHelp or Talkspace, peer support groups, or national organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It’s also worth checking for graduate student associations that offer wellness resources.
What are healthy coping strategies for graduate school burnout?
Grad school burnout is real and can be overwhelming. To cope, it’s important to take regular breaks, practice self-care, and set realistic goals. Try scheduling downtime just as you would a class or meeting. Journaling, creative outlets, exercise, and therapy are all practical tools. It’s also okay to ask for extensions or support from advisors when needed.
Sample Video Transcript
Mental health or mental wellness is a topic that means different things to different people. To some, it may seem natural to think in the context of a grad school environment. To others, it might be something that hasn’t even been considered. This course is designed to encourage you to think about your mental health, explore some aspects of graduate education that may impact it, and learn how to strengthen it or seek support.
To begin, take a moment to reflect on the following questions. What made you decide to pursue a graduate degree? What are you most looking forward to? What, if anything, are you unsure of? Have you discussed these feelings with anyone? If so, how did they respond? You’ll likely face challenges and opportunities during your graduate school experience. And sometimes, you’ll face both at the same time. Let’s look at some of them as fellow students have told us.
