Workshops and events
Health and wellbeing
The Student Wellbeing Service provides a programme of events, workshops and courses expanding on our distinctive Wellbeing for Learning approach. The focus is on learning and practising strategies to manage common issues and improve your wellbeing.
You can drop in to our weekly Wellbeing Cafe for friendly company and fun wellbeing activities, or attend the popular annual Feel Good Fest with hands-on activities and taster sessions for feeling good.
When you register with us we will work out a personalised support pathway that may include one or more of our workshops. Or you can just browse our full programme to book directly onto a course or workshop that suits you.
Special online events programme
Taking time out for self-care and wellbeing is even more important in the current circumstances, and our new online weekly events are there to help with this:
- Virtual Wellbeing Café, Wednesdays, 3-4.30pm
Wellbeing Café is a weekly opportunity to connect with others and take time out to focus on fun and relaxing wellbeing activities. Until further notice, the Virtual Wellbeing Cafe will run as a zoom space open between 3-4.30pm every Wednesday. You can drop in just to listen to the weekly talks or watch the craft demos, and you can choose whether or not to join in with discussions, games or other activities. To find out more and sign up to receive the weekly invitation email wellbeingcafe@port.ac.uk. - Virtual Mindfulness, Tuesdays, 5-6pm
Learn and try out a different mindfulness practice every week in this rolling 4-week course focused on deepening your awareness and ability to respond more skilfully to difficult events and feelings. The sessions will take place via zoom and you can choose to attend with video off. Email wellbeing-admin@port.ac.uk to find out more and sign up to receive the zoom invitation.
Wellbeing Café and Feel Good Fest
Wellbeing Café is on every Wednesday during term-time, between 4.00 and 5.30pm at Café Coco (please use the entrance at the back next to the Students’ Union office) . Highlights include
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Free hot drinks and snacks
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A wide range of activities to join in with - from crafts such as crochet, to mindfulness exercises and wellbeing walks
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Short talks and informal discussions about common concerns such as managing stress and anxiety, or getting a better night’s sleep
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A range of board games, instant ping and quirky coffee table books.
There are always members of staff from the Wellbeing Service there to meet and greet you, and something to listen to and get involved with, but for those who want to simply hang out there are crafts and games always available too. Just drop in, or alternatively, a Wellbeing Adviser can arrange to meet you beforehand. Email or call us and ask to be put in touch with Ruth or one of the other Café advisers.
Then every year on the first Wednesday afternoon in February, 1.00 to 4.00pm join fellow students, staff, local artists and organisations at the Feel Good Fest - our free annual celebration of the things that help us feel good. Just drop in but leave yourself enough time to join in with all the fun and relaxing activities, including a variety of crafts, performances and entertainment from student societies, free food tasting, hand or shoulder massages, activity taster sessions, giveaways and raffles.
Workshops and courses
Our workshops and courses expand on our distinctive Wellbeing for Learning approach through our flagship Be Your Own Best Friend and Compassionate Mind Training programme. All workshops include positive wellbeing skills, such as mindfulness and self-compassion. Many workshops target common student issues like sleep difficulties, procrastination, perfectionism, low mood or anxiety.
Our courses and workshops are run in small groups and offer a chance to share and learn from others in a relaxed and friendly environment. You will not be asked to share personal information but will have the opportunity to develop strategies and implement them in your life.
Places are limited, so it’s essential to book these courses in advance.
How to book
Places are limited, so it's essential to book these courses in advance. Contact the Student Wellbeing Service:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 3466
Email: wellbeing-admin@port.ac.uk
Student Wellbeing Service
Floor 2, Nuffield Centre
St Michael's Road
Portsmouth PO1 2ED
Our wellbeing workshops and events
Explore our upcoming workshops and events.
Current workshops and events
The surprising way that our minds work and how we can work with them, not against.
This workshop offers an introduction to the concepts of the Compassionate Mind Model. Armed with this understanding you will be able to benefit from it's application in many areas of your life like building positive relationships (with others as well as yourself), increasing emotional resilience, and feeling more optimistic.
In this workshop you will learn:
- The 3 Systems Compassionate Mind Model and how it can help make sense of your inner life
- How developing compassion for yourself and others will improve relationships
- Breathing exercises and visualisation techniques to help you manage your mind and be your best you
- To develop your own compassionate mind toolkit
- The benefits of attending the full compassionate mind course
The aim of this course is to build on your understanding of the theory behind the Compassionate Mind Model. This is a skills-based personal development course which will help you thrive personally and academically and help you build more positive relationships.
Understanding why it's good to replace counter-productive self-criticism with greater tolerance, kindness, and self-compassion, will help you to realise what is really holding you back and support you in stepping out of the vicious cycle of self-judgement.
Week 1:
- Improving relationships with others and learning how to be a better friend
- Why we struggle with compassion
Week 2:
- Using the concept of compassion to help deal with difficult and challenging situations in your life
- Understanding the benefits of receiving help and compassion from others
Week 3:
- Understanding the functions of self-criticism and self-judgement and how self-compassion can help you feel better about yourself
- Creating and applying a personalised self-compassion toolkit to transform your relationship with yourself and others
It is mandatory that you first attend the Be Your Own Best Friend workshop before enrolling on to the Compassionate Mind Training course.
Participants will need to commit to attending all three Compassionate Mind Training sessions to benefit most, as each builds on the previous one, so do check your availability before signing up.
Mindfulness is an integrative, mind and body based approach that helps us change the way we think and feel about our experiences. During the 4-week course, you will learn to:
- Stay in touch with the present moment and less caught up in negative thoughts and overthinking
- Deepen your awareness and respond more skilfully to events in your life
- Reduce and manage low levels of anxiety, depression and stress
You will be invited to practise mindfulness on a regular basis and you will gain most if you can make a commitment for the full course.
When
Tuesdays from 5.00pm to 6.00pm (term time only from 15 October 2019 to 24 March 2020)
Where
Blue Room, 2nd Floor, Nuffield Centre
For many, CBT is the key to a good life. Want to see if it's yours?
CBT recognises that how we think (cognition), how we feel (emotion), and how we act (behaviour), interact together and impact on each other.
Identifying negative thinking patterns and learning constructive alternatives can enable us to change our behaviour and result in a positive shift in the way we feel.
In this workshop you will:
- Learn how CBT can transform your mindset
- Gain a better understanding of the things that influence your mood and wellbeing
- Learn how to make positive changes in your life
- Be prepared to go on to the From Stress to Success course
When
- Tuesday 21 January 2020 from 1.00pm to 2.30pm
- Tuesday 28 January 2020 from 1.00pm to 2.30pm
This is a skills-based course designed to help students understand and manage the impact of stress more effectively. The course runs for 4 weeks with a 90-minute session each week. In this course your will learn:
- Week 1: What is stress, getting a balanced life and how to create SMART goals.
- Week 2: Time management and prioritising. What is rumination and challenging negative automatic thoughts.
- Week 3: Assertiveness and communication skills.
- Week 4: How nutrition, sleep, and exercise impact on your mood and wellbeing.
Relaxation techniques and practical problem solving.
It is mandatory that you first attend the Introduction to CBT workshop before enrolling onto the From Stress to Success course. This is so that you can make an informed decision about making the commitment to attend the full course.
To enrol for this course, you need to be registered with a Portsmouth GP.
Expanding your learning and support
A key part of our Wellbeing for Learning approach is about expanding your support network. We work closely with other parts of the University and encourage you to make full use of all the other study support options available to you. As part of your personalised pathway we may also support you to engage with services and programmes offered by some of our other partners.
More support
Talking Change is a free NHS service offering supported self-help and talking therapies (mainly cognitive behaviour therapy) for people registered with a Portsmouth GP and suffering from anxiety or depression. Self-referral is possible by completing the online referral, or your GP can refer you. You can also access Talking Change on campus, via the Student Wellbeing Service.
Whether you use mental health services in Portsmouth or support someone who does, the University's Student Wellbeing Service is collaborating with the Solent Recovery College to offer you the opportunity to learn about recovery through a range of free courses and short sessions.
Taught in a classroom setting, students can learn practical skills for living with ongoing symptoms and learn how to get the best from mental health services in a safe and confidential space.
All of the sessions are designed in partnership between Solent Mind's Peer Trainers and staff from Solent NHS Trust, allowing those who have lived with mental health issues to share their experiences and skills supported by mental health professionals.
Courses offered include:
- Skills for Life at University
- Understanding and Living with Anxiety
- Understanding and Living with Depression
- Understanding and Living with a Personality Disorder
- Supporting Someone else’s Recovery
- Living with Bipolar
- Understanding and Developing Mindfulness
- Understanding Mind and Body; and Making a Change
- Coping in a Crisis
- Exam stress
- Writing your Recovery Narrative
Browse the Solent Recovery Centre's current courses.
The Students' Union Advice Service, which is a separate service to the Student Wellbeing service, can also offer confidential, impartial and non-judgemental support on a range of issues. The service is independent from the University and all enquiries are dealt with in confidence. The team works closely with the University to resolve issues and ensure students are treated fairly. For more information, see the Students' Union website.