The new Wellness Skills Program offers a series of workshops and brief structured groups designed to help students enhance wellness and develop personal, academic and social skills. To sign up for a group, or for more information, call CAPS at (310) 825-0768 or visit us at John Wooden Center West. 

Biofeedback Training I & II
Achieve a state of inner calm and experience life more clearly. Biofeedback combines modern technology and ancient wisdom to increase awareness of subtle physiological indicators of stress. Learn how to recognize early signs of distress and utilize feedback from electronic devices to restore inner calm. The latest innovation in biofeedback, heart-rate variability feedback, is effective in reducing stress and improving intellectual, emotional and physical functioning. Access to our biofeedback laboratory and portable equipment check-out are available upon completion of this training.

Tuesdays, 2:00-3:00pm, Two Sessions
Section One: April 14-21
Section Two: April 28 - May 5
Section Three: May 12-19

Thursdays, 4:00-5:00pm, Two Sessions
Section One: April 30 - May 7
Section Two: May 14-21
Section Three: May 28 - June 4

Learning Objectives

• Define biofeedback and its many applications
• Describe heart rate variability feedback and its benefits
• Gain awareness of physiological processes and the effects of coherence

Building Social Confidence
Stress is often related to social factors, such as the quality of social interactions and the availability of social support. This group is for students who would like to learn practical ways to meet more people and feel more confident in social situations. Participants will be encouraged to identify social fears and related self-defeating patterns and practice effective social skills in a supportive group setting.

Wednesdays, 4:00-5:00pm, Four Sessions
Section One: April 8-29
Section Two: May 6-27

Learning Objectives

• Define social anxiety and describe the costs and benefits of anxiety
• Explain the theories of why we become anxious in social situations
• Identify social fears and related self-defeating patterns
  Acquire and practice effective social skills

CBT for Insomnia
Sleep – it’s essential to your health! CBT is a proven non-drug treatment for insomnia. This 6-week group will help teach you strategies to improve the quality and efficiency of your sleep. Learn new habits and ways of thinking that not only improve sleep but reduce stress.

Thursdays, 1:00-2:30pm, Three Sessions
Section One: April 23 - May 7

Learning Objectives

• Improve quality and efficiency of sleep through sleep hygiene, cognitive and behavioral strategies.
• Learn cognitive and behavioral strategies (including relaxation/mindfulness) for stress reduction, to be applied to sleep as well as emotional distress.
• Identify and refer students whose insomnia may be related to issues such as depression requiring additional treatment.
  

Don’t Panic!
Panic attacks can be scary and unsettling, leading us to worry about the next attack and avoid situations where an attack might be triggered. Learn proven psychological techniques that can reduce and even prevent panic attacks. Join this group if you are concerned about panic attacks and want to learn effective ways to manage them.

Mondays, 1:00-2:00pm, Two Sessions
Section One: April 27 - May 4

Learning Objectives

• Understand the reasons why people experience panic attacks
  Decode the misinterpretations about the causes and consequence of the attacks
• Realize your panic attack triggers and behaviors that might maintain the attacks
• Manage attacks and ultimately reduce/prevent their recurrence

Mindful Pathways to Wellness
Ancient spiritual traditions have recognized mindfulness as a powerful pathway towards enhanced well-being. Mindfulness-based psychological techniques are effective for coping with difficulties in life and in improving the overall quality of life. Learn basic principles of mindfulness and practice a variety of ways of being in the present moment.

Tuesdays, Three Sessions
Section One: April 7-21 (4:00pm-5:00pm)
Section Two: April 28 - May 12 (3:00-4:00pm)
Section Three: May 19 - June 2 (3:00pm-4:00pm)

Learning Objectives

• Understand the basic principles of mindfulness
• Increase your well-being through increased self-awareness
• Practice a variety of ways to experience daily events in the present moment

Overcoming Procrastination
If your procrastination has become problematic or embarrassing, this group can offer some help. Explore reasons behind excessive procrastination and discuss the costs involved through this hands-on, structured and supportive group. Learn and practice specific tools to create realistic goals, manage time better and increase productivity.

Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00pm, Three Sessions
Section One: April 14 - April 28
Section Two: May 5 - May 19

Learning objectives

• Articulate 3 patterns that increase procrastination and productivity.
• Practice and discuss 3 or more skills to facilitate “start now” behavior, including goal setting, reinforcement scheduling, and removing blocks to action.
• Discuss skills implemented and work through trouble shooting.
• Identify 3 or more personalized ways to maintain pattern of productivity.
• Acquire and practice specific strategies for managing stress

Public Speaking Confidence
Many Americans rate speaking in public as their top fear. Graduate student responsibilities demand public speaking, ranging from performing in competitive seminars, to teaching and to delivering formal conference presentations. Join this supportive group of fellow graduate students to learn effective tools for managing public speaking anxiety and practice speaking publicly with greater comfort.

Mondays, 3:00-4:00pm, Three Sessions
Section One: April 27 - May 11

Thursdays, 5:00-6:30pm, Four Sessions
Section Two: April 30 - May 21
(Section two is for graduate students only)

Learning Objectives

• Define public speaking anxiety and its main signs
• Identify fears underlying public speaking anxiety
• Acquire and practice specific strategies for increasing public speaking confidence
  

Transforming Worry
Do you spend too much of your time worrying? If so, this group is for you! Learn to differentiate between productive and unproductive worry, understand reasons why you worry and learn strategies to manage and overcome excessive worry.

Thursdays, 1:00-2:00pm, Three Sessions
Section One: April 23 - May 7
Section Two: May 14-28

Learning Objectives

• Identify and challenge one’s meta-beliefs about worry (e.g., “I worry to prevent something bad from happening”)
• Distinguish between productive vs. unproductive worry and be able to restructure unproductive thoughts.
• Utilize mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies to become more present in life and accept uncertainty and imperfection.
  

REQUESTS FOR NEW GROUPS:
The Wellness Skills Program staff strives to meet your needs as best as possible. Any suggestions for new Wellness Skills groups will be considered seriously. Please contact Alan Nagamoto, Ph.D. at anagamoto@caps.ucla.edu if you have any requests.