We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

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Mental Health Groups

Student Mental Health Services offers a range of groups and workshops to support your mental health. If you would like to participate in one or more groups, please click the respective button and complete the interest form. Each group will only run if sufficient interest is demonstrated.

Depression Support Group

This group has completed their sessions. Please check back for upcoming registrations.

Are you feeling sad, isolated, unmotivated, or tired? Do you experience extended periods of low moods or feeling blue? You are not alone. Join the depression support group to connect with other struggling students and learn coping strategies to help improve your mood and quality of life.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy skills group

The Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) informed skills group can provide support in the areas of emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and mindfulness. This group is a collaboration between Ontario Tech University and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences and will last up to 24 weeks. Sessions will be conducted virtually. If you are interested in joining the DBT Skills Group please email studentlifeline@ontariotechu.ca.

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon from May 20 to August 5.

There has been lots of buzz about mindfulness lately! Join us to learn about this effective approach to wellness. You will also have the opportunity to practice mindfulness and self-compassion each week. Join Bonnie Pedota, Student Wellness Coordinator, and your Ontario Tech peers as we learn how to be kinder to ourselves.

Recovery College

Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m.

Ontario Tech is partnering with Ontario Shores to bring their Recovery College model of student-driven mental health support to Ontario Tech students. Recovery College courses provide education about mental illnesses, treatment options, wellness and ultimately discovering or rediscovering passions, hope, and meaning. The Recovery College can support you in addition to professional therapeutic support by helping you understand your unique challenges and learn how to manage them better in order to pursue your goals. Groups are led by others with "lived experience" of being a student with mental health challenges and are blended with the expertise of mental health practitioners to help participants develop meaningful and practical goals for recovery. The focus is on hope, empowerment, possibility and connection.

See below for descriptions of each support group 'course' description.

Recovery College courses

We to Wellness 2.0: Confronting the Discomfort Together
Date:

Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. from May 5 to June 9

What will we do?

Are you feeling worried, nervous or uneasy? Are these emotions leaving you overwhelmed, tired, or drained? Life as a University student can be challenging as it is a time of many changes and uncertainty. From class presentations and midterms to juggling expectations from work, peers, and family, there can be a lot of pressure. In six weekly sessions involving structured curriculum and guided discussions, we will learn to confront the discomfort together!

This course has been updated based on feedback from your peers to be increasingly relevant to the current experiences of students in light of the pandemic. We welcome those who have taken this course before and newcomers alike!

What will you learn?
- What anxiety is and how it affects the body and daily life.
- Practical tips/strategies to help manage anxiety.
- Accessing and navigating mental health services on and off campus.
- Maintaining boundaries and expectations.
- Talking about anxiety and how to overcome the stigma surrounding it.
- How to develop your own wellness plan.
- Strategies to help cope with uncertainty of the pandemic
- How to connect with others during a pandemic
Register for a Recovery College Course
Let’s Talk About It: Adulting 101
Date:

Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. from June 23 to July 28

What will we do?

Keeping up with school, managing high expectations, navigating relationships, and facing the future are things we all experience as students that can produce stress, but we are not powerless against them! In this course, we will dive into some curriculum that will equip us with practical tips and tricks to identifying and reacting to life’s stressors. This course will involve guided discussions where you and your peers can connect in a safe space to work through stressful situations and uncomfortable feelings. We will validate each other, learn from one another and foster meaningful connections.

What will you learn?
- How to manage, cope with, and address feelings of stress
- How to identify and manage personal stressors
- How to apply practical strategies for self care
- How to find balance and harmony amongst all aspects of our lives
- About the different aspects of mindfulness and how to apply them
Register for a Recovery College Course