2026–2027 Drop-In Support Groups and Skills Groups
A supportive space for students to connect, discuss, and build community. Students may attend as many of the meetings as they find helpful. Though a therapist will be present, please note that these services are not considered to be counseling, therapy, or treatment. They may, however, still be beneficial to the emotional well-being of participants.
Black Joy Sessions: Finding Joy Within
Wednesdays, 1:00 p.m. (weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
Location: Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Facilitator: Dr. Cecile Gadson
Black students, faculty members, and staff are invited to engage in activities that center Black joy including art, laughter, music, and movement. Black Joy Sessions create a space to center a celebration of Black culture, uplift, heal, and empower using a liberated narrative of the Black experience. This space is designed to be an easy, transformative, and love-infused space to create, express, and (re)claim Black joy. Part of Wellness Wednesdays at the BCC.
Black CommUNITY Conversations
Wednesdays, 1:00 p.m. (weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11)
Location: Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Facilitators: Dr. Cecile Gadson and Dr. Aris Hall
In collaboration with the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center, this is a space for Black** students and staff to connect for a weekly discussion related to the strengths and challenges within the community. The discussion varies weekly with topics ranging from campus climate and activism to mental health as well as popular culture. We welcome Black students and staff for an open dialogue where they can be their radical and authentic selves. Part of Wellness Wednesdays at the BCC.
Kuponya: Centering Black Healing
Register to attend
Location: Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Facilitator: Dr. Cecile Gadson
Black-identified* students, faculty members, and staff engage in guided soulfulness mindfulness; African-centered healing strategies; and dialogue to promote collective healing. Connect, breathe, and heal in a space designed specifically for you. Participants who attend will receive a free self-care package. Register to attend.
This group is also available upon request. Please complete the outreach and presentation request form.
*Black, African, African American, Afro-Latinx, Afro-Caribbean, or the African Diaspora
Kuponya Connect: Centering Black Grad Wellness
Dates: November 6 and December 3
Time: 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Location: 403 Ford Alumni Center
Facilitator: Dr. Cecile Gadson
Dedicated space that empowers Black* graduate students through community support, resources, and focus on holistic wellness. These events provide nourishing meals with activities that range from healing circles, Black joy sessions, meditation and wellness workshops. By achieving these goals, we aim to not only alleviate food insecurity but also empower Black graduate students through community support, resources, and a focus on holistic well-being.
*Black, African, African American, Afro-Latinx, Afro-Caribbean, or the African Diaspora
2026–2027 Therapy Groups
NOTE: All require a pre-group orientation meeting
Creating Healthy Relationships
Mondays, 2:00–3:30 p.m.; Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Facilitators: Sarah Anderson-Wilk and Haidee Reff
Creating Healthy Relationships is a processing and support group designed for individuals who want to build and maintain healthier, more meaningful relationships with themselves and others. Whether you’re navigating romantic partnerships, friendships, family dynamics, peer connections, this group offers a safe space to explore relationship patterns, strengthen communication skills, set healthy boundaries, and deepen self-awareness.
Executive Functioning (and More) Skills Group
Mondays, 3:00–4:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Kate Phillips
Join us for this weekly group that focuses on supports, executive function (EF) skills and more! Topics covered will include ADHD, neurodivergence, executive functions, and growth and change. As a group, we will also identify specific skills and strategies to focus on together. To wrap up the term and group, we will discuss final exams, navigating stress and anxiety, and practicing coping strategies.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Group
Tuesdays, 2:00–3:30 p.m. (only winter and spring terms)
Facilitators: tayler thompson and Sami Oswald
Join us for this weekly Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) group where we will explore, learn, and practice using tools to manage intense emotions, handle stress, and improve relationships, while also processing current life stressors. Each academic term will focus on one DBT core concept as follows:
> Winter term: Distress Tolerance
> Spring term: Emotion Regulation
Throughout each term, we will incorporate mindfulness skills and concepts to improve our ability to cope with daily life and enhance our relaxation.
TRIO / First Gen Group
Tuesdays, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Facilitators: Dusty Destler and Mary Ann DiDomenico
The First Gen Group is for first-generation college students wanting to connect with other first-gen students in order to find support and create community while navigating the realities of higher education. In this six-week group, facilitators and attendees support one another through struggles often experienced by first-generation students, such as low sense of belonging, family pressures, or feelings of inadequacy. Through group therapy, group members may improve a sense of belonging, heighten self-confidence, and learn to receive and provide support when navigating challenges associated with attending the university. (Fall term group in collaboration with TRIO; a general First Gen Group starting spring term.)
Sista Circle
Tuesdays, 4:00–5:30 p.m. (only winter and spring terms)
Facilitator: Dr. Cecile Gadson
Sista Circle is a processing and support group for African-American/Black-identified** womxn to work through concerns such as academic stress, self-esteem, family challenges, relationships, identity development, mental health concerns, and much more. Group members will be able to work through their presenting concerns, find community, and be empowered in a protected therapy space.
Empowered
Wednesdays, 10:00–11:45 a.m.
Facilitator: Kimberly Wasserman
When is the last time you lived fully in your body without caring what others thought? Is it difficult to identify, honor and communicate your boundaries? Do you wonder if you’re good enough? For people socialized as women in US, it is nearly impossible to avoid messages that cause us to compare ourselves to others, fear rejection and believe our worth lies in our body. Empowered is a group, designed to critically consider oppressive systems that negatively impact our intersecting identities, and challenge the beliefs that have been holding us back from our fullest potential. This group will use a variety of mediums, which might include writing, art, pottery, yoga, and climbing to explore themes of self-worth, boundaries, communication, societal messages, intimacy, trust, and using your voice. Each session will start with an activity meant to stimulate discussion with opportunities to build trust within the group, while enhancing self-awareness and personal growth.
Graduate and Nontraditional Student Support Group
Wednesdays, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Facilitator: Melissa Gomsrud
This group is a safe, welcoming, and affirming space for all graduate and nontraditional students, including students who are parenting. Group members will be able to share and receive support in a space that acknowledges each person’s current concerns and life experiences while being able to navigate challenges within a strong and supportive community.
Connecting Through Chronic Health Conditions
Wednesdays, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Facilitators: Haidee Reff and Sarah Anderson-Wilk
Living with a chronic health condition can be isolating, overwhelming, and emotionally challenging especially while navigating your college career. This supportive process group offers a safe and understanding space for students managing long-term physical health issues.
Latine Support Group
Wednesdays, 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Facilitators: Karime Hernandez and Kate Phillips
Latine Support Group provides a culturally affirming space for Latine-identified students to process experiences, share information, and develop skills to navigate challenges such as academic stress, family expectations, imposter syndrome, relationships, mental health concerns, and more. The group fosters belonging and connection by creating a supportive community with peers who may share similar cultural experiences, values, and challenges. Members can find validation, build community, and feel empowered to navigate their experiences within a protected therapy space.
Healing from Family Challenges
Thursdays, noon–1:30 p.m.
Facilitators: Kimberly Wasserman and Julia Le Grande
For students who have experienced significant distress or dysfunction within their family of origin (such as abuse, substance use, divorce or separation, etc.), which has impacted core beliefs about self and others, self-worth, and relationships with others. Focus is on increasing self-awareness, exploring impact of family experiences, enhancing interpersonal skills, and working toward personal goals.
Living with Loss Support Group
Thursdays, 2:30–4:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Rachel Barloon
Navigating the loss of someone close to you can be an overwhelming and sometimes isolating experience as a college student. This group is aimed to help students navigate the grieving process to facilitate understanding and healing. Members of this group will have an opportunity to learn about the grief process, express and explore emotions related to grief in a safe space, feel connected to and supported by others experiencing loss, and gain a greater understanding of how grief and loss impacts them.
Survivor Space
Thursdays, 2:30–4:00 p.m.
Facilitators: Kimberly Wasserman and Haidee Reff
For students of all genders and identities who have had unwanted sexual experiences at any time in their lives. Members gain understanding of how sexual violence has impacted them, work on creating a sense of safety, grow their abilities to have meaningful connections with others, and address feelings that follow sexual violence.
Trans and Gender-Expansive Support Group
Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.–noon (Trans-Femme Group)
Facilitator: Kate Phillips
The Trans and Gender-Expansive Group is a place to build community, receive and provide support, share experiences, and find empowerment in the intersections between gender, life experience, and connection with others. Find support with TNBGD/E peers on identity, emotional health, relationships, self-esteem, academic stress, self-expression, and more
Men’s Group: Personal Growth for Men
Thursdays, 3:00–4:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Dusty Destler
This group is for men wanting to develop greater awareness about themselves and how they relate to others. In this six-week group, facilitators and attendees support one another through struggles often experienced by young men, such as stress, anxiety, self-doubt, and loneliness. Group time is used to achieve greater awareness of thoughts and emotions, and devoted to identifying new strategies for connection with self and others. Through practice, group members may apply their new knowledge and ability to benefit their personal relationships and communities.
Nourish: Disordered Eating and Body Image Group
Fridays, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Julia Le Grande
Nourish is a disordered eating and body image focused group for students who want to build a more empowering, safe, and compassionate relationship with food and their body. This group offers a safe, connected space where students can feel understood and encouraged as they navigate their healing journey. Group sessions blend education about the biological, psychological, and social influences that shape how we experience our bodies, along with guided skill-building to cultivate self-compassion and more flexible, affirming self-talk. Each meeting also includes open process time, allowing for meaningful conversation, shared experiences, and a sense of community. Throughout the group, members will explore new perspectives on body image, reconnect with personal values, and begin reshaping their body narrative into something more aligned, authentic, and nurturing of their growth.
**Black, African, African American, Afro-Latinx, Afro-Caribbean, or the African Diaspora
What to expect from a pre-group orientation:
You will be meeting with the therapists who facilitate the group for a 20- to 30-minute appointment. At this meeting, you and the group therapists will get to know each other, you will get information about the group and how it functions, and about the structure and format of the group. You will also be oriented to how you can receive the most benefit from the group through intentional participation. This is also an opportunity for you to be able to ask any questions you have about the group. Once you and the therapists have talked about your needs and your goals, a decision is collaboratively made about whether this group is the best fit for you.