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: Patricia Henry, LCSW-C

Wednesdays 2:00-2:30pm on Zoom

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.

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.

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

This workshop series has two sections this semester, participants can register for either the in person or Zoom option.

Fridays 3:00-4:30pm, alternating Zoom and in-person at AON Cottage (3101 N. Charles St.) on the Homewood campus 

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)

This is a comprehensive sex-positive workshop series that will help participants learn how to talk about sex and intimacy, navigate how your identities affect sexual experiences (e.g., disabilities; race; religion; queerness), dating and sexual health, and more! While all eight sessions are recommended, join when you can!

Week #1: Consent

Week #2: How to Date

Week #3: General Anatomy

Week #4: Contraceptives

Week #5: Intersections of Gender and Sexuality

Week #6: Relationship Types/Structures

Week #7: Intersectionality and Sexual Wellness

Week #8: Pleasure Advocacy, Communication, and Worthiness

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.