Workshops and Drop-in Groups

Facilitators:  Devonte Joynes, LCPC and Adora Baokye-Ansah, MA

Mondays, 4:30-5:00pm on Zoom (starts September 29th)

Emotional Adulting is a drop-in skills workshop series designed to help participants work with emotions from a space of compassion, awareness, non-judgment, and curiosity. The skills taught in this series, which are generally drawn from mindfulness and trauma symptom management practices, are beneficial for our general emotional well-being as well as helping to manage distress related to depression, anxiety, trauma, and other experiences. Each session is just 30-minutes long, and you’ll leave each workshop with helpful resources and suggestions for how to practice the skills in everyday life. While all eight sessions are recommended, join one or more – when it works for you!

Week #1: Grounding

Week #2: Self-Compassion

Week #3: Working Within Your Window of Tolerance

Week #4: R.A.I.N. Technique

Week #5: Containment

Week #6: Creating Space for Emotions

Week #7: Calm Place Imagery

Week #8: Four Elements of Stress Reduction

Facilitator: Kelli Chen, OTR/L

Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00pm on Zoom

Learning how to make habits work and how to integrate them into the realities of daily life requires more than quick tips. HabitSpace offers a deeper, research-informed approach to organizing, planning, and following through.  Led by an Occupational Therapist, this virtual program blends interactive discussion with evidence-based strategies you can apply to real-life challenges. We focus on why habits and routines succeed or fail, and how to design systems that work for the long term. Each session combines practical tools, guided practice, and collaborative problem-solving so you leave with skills you can immediately use.

Facilitator: Matthew Benic, LPC, NCC

Mondays, 4:30-5:30pm BIWEEKLY at the New Student Center Room 104

Mental Health Services (MHS) is offering a bi-weekly Mindfulness workshop for JHU students & learners that want to improve their mental, physical, & emotional well-being. This interactive, in-person, 1-hour workshop will introduce students & learners to mindfulness & how to use it like a superpower to step back from difficult thoughts, feelings, & emotions. Together, we will explore how to be more present in your daily life by focusing more on your mind & body. Mindfulness has been shown to improve your resilience, help you focus & pay attention, give you more clarity to manage difficult thoughts & feelings, & improve your overall mental, physical, & emotional health. Come join us at the new Bloomberg Student Center every other Monday from 4:30-5:30pm! Anyone with questions or concerns please contact MHS at 410-516-3311.

Facilitator: Patricia Henry, LCPC, LPC

2^nd Wednesday of the Month at 1pm

Hopkins Bloomberg Center, DC Room 678

Designed for busy students, this is a series of monthly mini-workshops (30 minutes) to learn and practice evidence-based strategies for managing stress and enhancing wellbeing.

8/10 Hello, Present Moment- Learn and Practice Mindfulness

10/8 Networking When It’s Uncomfortable

11/12 Grit- The Power of Perseverance

12/10-Boost Your Mood and Lower Your Stress with Gratitude

Facilitator: Nila Berger E-RYT

Wednesdays, 5:00-6:00pm 

Mindful Yoga classes take place at the Ralph O’Connor Center for Recreation and Well-Being MPR B (Multipurpose Room B).  Log into the Rec portal or get the Rec App (in the Apple store or Google Play store) to see the full calendar of events.

What could be a better break in your hectic week than gentle yoga and a chance to ground yourself and simply just BE in the present moment? Join other students and learners for this rejuvenating break! No prior yoga experience and no special attire is necessary. Classes are FREE.

Facilitator: Gabriel Martinez, LCPC

Wednesdays, 3:00-4:30pm at the Homewood Campus

This workshop is intended for anyone interested in exploring their relationship to nature and learning ways to use nature as a tool to support their mental health. Ideal for those looking to meet others with similar interests in the outdoors and develop social connection that may persist upon conclusion of the workshop, the group will meet weekly to walk and talk in the natural beauty surrounding campus.

Facilitator: Jami Imhof, DSW, LCSW-C

Wednesdays, 2:00-3:00pm BIWEEKLY on Zoom (starts September 3rd)

This drop-in group is intended for learners who have received an official diagnosis, someone who is self-diagnosed, or someone who suspects they are neurodivergent and would like to explore their identity. Neurodivergent conditions may include, but are not limited to, autism, ADHD, learning difficulties (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia), and sensory processing disorders. The goal of the group is to provide psychoeducation on the conditions and the impact it may have on areas of function. Discussions around self-advocacy and accessing resources will also be addressed during sessions. All sessions do not need to be attended, but participants are welcome to join as many sessions as they would like.

9/3 – Overview of Neurodiversity

9/17 – Executive Functioning Skills and Resources

10/1 – Interpersonal Interactions

10/15 – Learning Differences

10/29 – Persistent Demand for Autonomy (PDA)

11/12 – Last Workshop, TBD

Facilitators: Leeanne Tobler, OTR/L 

Fridays 3:00-4:30pm, in-person at AON Cottage (3101 N. Charles St.) on the Homewood campus, with occasional virtual option

This 8-week series will focus on development and implementation of practical skills and strategies for individuals looking to tackle procrastination. If you find it difficult to actually do the things you want to do, you’re not alone! This group will provide a safe space to address underlying causes of procrastination, identify barriers of productivity, and set achievable goals to overcome challenges. Participants are invited to attend any or all sessions. Topics will be selected based on the needs of participants, but may include: focus and attention, sensory integration, low motivation, time management.

Facilitators: Adrian Hernandez, PsyD and Paul El-Meouchy, MA

Fridays, 3:00-4:00pm on Zoom (starts September 12th)

An educational workshop series about sexual wellness topics centering intersectional, sex-positive, and harm reduction approaches. The weekly topics are sexual desire, dating, relationships, general anatomy, sexual health, LGBTQ+, and pleasure advocacy. While all eight sessions are recommended, join when you can!

Facilitator: Matthew Benic, LPC, NCC

Mondays, 4:30-5:30pm BIWEEKLY at the New Student Center – Room 104

Mental Health Services (MHS) is offering a bi-weekly Stress-Less Workshop to support those JHU students & learners who struggle with stress. This interactive, in-person, 1-hour workshop will help students & learners better understand stress & how to overcome it in healthy ways. Together, we will identify the effects stress has on the body, mind, & spirit, pinpoint individual signs & symptoms of stress, & explore 9 research proven ways to manage stress.  Come join us at the new Bloomberg Student Center Room 104 every other Monday from 4:30-5:30pm! Anyone with questions or concerns please contact MHS at 410-516-3311.

The Sleep Workshop

Facilitators: Leeanne Toble, OTR/L and Kelli Chen OTR/L

Thursday, October 23rd, 3-4:00pm (Zoom)

Friday, November 14th, 11am-12:00pm (Zoom)

If you’ve been feeling tired, wired, or just not getting the rest you need, this workshop can help you take control of your sleep in a practical, sustainable way. In just one hour, you’ll learn how sleep works, what’s disrupting it, and evidence-based strategies you can start using right away, without overhauling your entire routine. Guided by an occupational therapist, you’ll design a personalized nighttime plan, explore habits and environments that support better rest, and set a realistic sleep goal for the week. Open to all students and learners, this is your opportunity to boost focus, mood, and overall well-being through better sleep.

Facilitators: Kelli Chen, OTR/L and Leeanne Tobler, OTR/L

Mondays, 3:00-4:30pm on Zoom

Body doubling is a productivity strategy to promote focused time spent on a less desirable task. For many with executive functioning or attention difficulties, having someone nearby can assist with feeling focused, engaged, and motivated. For this drop-in group, individuals can log in during this time slot to work in the company of an occupational therapist. Executive functioning skills and strategies such as the Pomodoro technique and structured breaks may be used based on participant preference and needs.

Facilitator: Jami Imhof, DSW, LCSW-C

There are two sections of this virtual body doubling group offered this term:

Wednesdays, 2:00-3:00pm BIWEEKLY on Zoom

Fridays, 2:00-3:00pm on Zoom

This 60-minute virtual accountability group is for students who benefit from support starting tasks and maintaining workflow. The concept of body doubling leverages the presence of others to support tasks that might be tough to get started or seen through to completion. Bring a task to work on!

Outreach is about increasing mental health awareness through prevention, awareness, education, and stigma reduction. Through various outreach programs, Mental Health Services staff are able to connect with the larger JHU community and ultimately strengthen a campus atmosphere that is conducive to the well-being, personal growth, and psychological health of all students and learners.

To this end, the Mental Health Services staff provide presentations and programs to various groups on campus on topics related to mental health and well-being. Topics include: coping with stress, time management, suicide prevention, dealing with anxiety, developing a growth mindset, resilience, managing emotions, bouncing back from failure, developing a balanced lifestyle, handling transitions, healthy relationships, body image, and many more. If you are interested in a program or workshop, please complete contact Amani Surges Martorella or call 410-516-3311 to speak with a leadership team member about your request.

The staff within Mental Health Services collaborates with staff across Johns Hopkins University to provide suicide prevention training sessions for the JHU students, learners, faculty, staff and community. These evidence-based programs are shown to be effective prevention programs to identify students at risk, empower staff and faculty with skills and knowledge around mental health, and to train the JHU community on making effective referrals.

To learn more, click here.