Wellness Ambassadors

Supporting student wellness takes not just one department, but our entire community.  In each of their roles on campus, staff, faculty, and student leaders have opportunities to express care for students, connect them with support, and create a culture of resilience.  Here are a few ways that community members can become Wellness Ambassadors at Cal State East Bay.

Donate to the STRONG Award

The STRONG (Support Through Resiliency, Optimism, and Nurturing Growth) Award is intended to support East Bay students who have been victims of violent crime orother traumatic incidents.

The Award recognizes that these individuals are more than just victims of these events, but are resilient individuals. The founding alumnus and donor, Theodore Vuong '17, wanted students to know they are not alone and that alumni are supportive of their bravery in overcoming trauma. He also wanted to inspire others to take action in their communities and for causes they care for, knowing every bit of support helps. Fundraising for the award is ongoing and potential donors can donate through the button below. 

Donate to the STRONG Award

Engage with CARE

Staff and faculty often encounter challenging situations with students, from emotional needs to troubling or disruptive behavior.  It is important to put these situations into the context of the larger challenges that the student may be experiencing. 

Know that you are not alone in managing the situation.  Our campus has a multidisciplinary Student CARE team that receives reports about students of concern, and connects them with supportive resources on and off campus.  For more information or to submit a CARE report, go to East Bay CARES.

The campus has also created guides for deescalating difficult situations in the classroom and on campus.  The Classroom Issues and Guidance for Faculty is on the Academic Senate website, and the Student Issues and Guidance for Staff is on the CARE website.  For more detail about how to respond to these situations, consider the Wellness Ambassador trainings below.

 

Participate in a Wellness Ambassador Training

Anyone on campus may encounter a student in distress.  The following is a list of trainings to equip staff, faculty, and student leaders to better support community wellness.

All trainings are currently being held over Zoom.  Please click on the appropriate links below to register for a live session.  Additional sessions may be added throughout the year.  We will also add videos of the trainings as they become available, so that partners who are not able to attend a live workshop can still receive the information.

Participants in multiple live sessions may receive thank you gifts!  Please email shcscounseling@csueastbay with questions or for additional information.

Helping Students in Distress

Please see this website for more information on our Helping Students in Distress workshops, as well as recording of a past workshop.

Avoiding Burnout and Compassion Fatigue

Using the book Trauma Stewardship by Laura Vandernoot Lipsky, we will explore how supporting students in the current climate is affecting us, personally and collectively. Workshop will focus on strategies to manage the potential for burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization. All staff, faculty, and student leaders are welcome.  Led by Shauna Olson Hong, LCSW and Rosa Mora, Ph.D from Student Health and Counseling Services.

We will also be offering a follow up session for participants in an initial Avoiding Burnout and Compassion Fatigue session.  This will be a chance to connect with other staff, faculty, and student leaders, discuss how you are trying to implement the ideas discussed, and find ways to support one another in this work.

Avoiding Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
Link to the slides used in the workshop.

Trauma Informed Teaching and Care Strategies

Students are entering their classes with a host of personal challenges that impact their ability to learn.  Trauma informed teaching strategies can help us engage students where they are, create spaces to build community, and connect students to the supportive resources that they need.  Led by Shauna Olson Hong, LCSW, and Sophie De Pillis, LMFT, from Student Health and Counseling Services.

We will also be offering a follow up session for participants in the Helping Students in Distress, Trauma Informed Teaching and Care Strategies, I Can Help, Supporting Survivors, or Gender Nonconforming workshops.  This will be a chance to connect with other staff, faculty, and student leaders, talk over scenarios and questions, and develop best practices together.

Trauma Informed Teaching and Care Strategies

Recording of workshop held on 2/1/23.

Helpful links:

I Can Help: Suicide Awareness and Intervention

Learn strategies to prevent suicide on an individual and systemic level.  Workshop includes interactive activities to practice to identifying students in distress, asking directly about suicide, and connecting students to supportive resources.  Led by Shauna Olson Hong, LCSW and Colleen Arnold, Ph.D LMFT, from Student Health and Counseling Services.

We will also be offering a follow up session for participants in the Helping Students in Distress, Trauma Informed Teaching and Care Strategies, I Can Help, Supporting Survivors, or Gender Nonconforming workshops.  This will be a chance to connect with other staff, faculty, and student leaders, talk over scenarios and questions, and develop best practices together.

I Can Help

Recorded workshop from Wellness Ambassador Training, Spring 2023.

Link to the slides used during workshop.

Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence

What do you do when a student or colleague reveals that they have experienced sexual violence? This workshop will discuss how to respond to disclosures about sexual harassment, dating and intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sexual exploitation. Join us to learn how to reduce trauma and the victimization of survivors.  Led by Michelle Luqueno-Diaz, Confidential Advocate, and Kathryn Kirkpatrick, LCSW, Counseling Services.

We will also be offering a follow up session for participants in the Helping Students in Distress, Trauma Informed Teaching and Care Strategies, I Can Help, Supporting Survivors, or Gender Nonconforming workshops.  This will be a chance to connect with other staff, faculty, and student leaders, talk over scenarios and questions, and develop best practices together.

Supporting Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students

Increasingly, students are disclosing more gender nonconforming identities, such as trans or nonbinary. These terms and identities can feel confusing when they are new to us, and many staff and faculty want to support and may feel nervous about causing offense.  In addition, trans and nonbinary identified students face specific challenges and pressures in society.  Join us to learn more about how to move beyond the gender binary in our own thinking, and to better support our campus community.  Led by Erin Harrell, Psy.D, and Andy Gonzalez, AMFT, Counseling Services.

We will also be offering a follow up session for participants in the Helping Students in Distress, Trauma Informed Teaching and Care Strategies, I Can Help, Supporting Survivors, or Gender Nonconforming workshops.  This will be a chance to connect with other staff, faculty, and student leaders, talk over scenarios and questions, and develop best practices together.

Supporting Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students

Recorded workshop from Wellness Ambassador Training, Spring 2024.

Link to the slides used during workshop.