GWN Toolkit: Mental Health & Wellness

• Understand the Dynamics of Wellness in Mentoring Relationships: Identify and describe the key elements that contribute to a healthy and supportive mentoring relationship, including communication, boundaries, and mutual respect.
• Implement Wellness Practices in Daily Interactions: Develop and apply practical wellness practices and techniques to enhance personal well-being and the well-being of your mentee, including mindfulness, stress management, and self-care strategies.
• Utilize Teen & Young Adult Wellness Resources: Explore and effectively use various resources and tools available for supporting the mental health and wellness of teens and young adults, including counseling services, online platforms, and community programs.
• Reflect on Personal Growth and Impact: Evaluate your own growth and effectiveness as a mentor or mentee by reflecting on the integration of wellness practices, assessing the impact on your mentoring relationship, and identifying areas for continued improvement.

Coursework

A list of asynchronous coursework can be found in the curriculum tab.  As you progress through each lesson, make sure to press COMPLETE before moving on to the next.

Mentorship

You are in one of the following pair types. Your pair type is listed on your GWN Portal profile.

• Type 1: Mentor/Mentee: Meet 2-3 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.
• Type 2 : Peer-to-Peer: Meet 2 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.

Engagement Types

There are no required events for this course, but we encourage you to check the Events Page in your portal for information on upcoming live events.

Submissions

There are no required submissions for this course.

As part of the Orientation Journey, there are four asynchronous GWN Collaboratory Toolkit courses to introduce you to the GWN Collaboratory, provide you with mentoring tips and practices, develop your DEIB competencies, and promote mental health/wellness awareness. The courses are recommended to be taken in the following order:

• GWN Toolkit 1: Collaboratory Overview
• GWN Toolkit 2: Mentoring Best Practices
• GWN Toolkit 3: DEIB: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
• GWN Toolkit 4: Mental Health & Wellness

There is an optional fifth course that you will have access to, as part of the GWN Collaboratory Toolkit:

• GWN Toolkit: Building Foundations for English Language Learners

While there are no required engagement events, we do have opportunities for mentees to engage in a Mental Health & Wellness oriented studio.

Below are two Expressive Arts Therapy Studios in which mentees can further explore and apply Mental Health & Wellness Toolkit concepts:

• Therapeutic Writing Group: In this wellness group studio, a mental health professional introduces mentee participants to therapeutic writing as a tool to process challenging personal events and feelings, shift perspectives, and counter negative thoughts, stress, and anxiety. Participants also examine and reframe their own personal narratives under the care and guidance of a professional therapist.
  • This group requires a 3-5 session commitment.
• Therapeutic Visual Arts Group: In this wellness group studio, a mental health professional introduces therapeutic art-making practices to mentees as a tool to process challenging personal events and feelings, shift perspectives, and counter negative thoughts, stress, and anxiety. Mentees also examine and reframe their own personal narratives under the care and guidance of a professional therapist.
  • This group requires a 3-5 session commitment.

There are no required submissions for this course.