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Wellness Programming and Messaging Guide

This page is designed as a starting point to support UT students, staff and faculty as they create programs, activities or messages about health and wellness. Each topic includes three types of guidance:

  • Messaging guidance that can help when creating materials, planning events or discussing various health topics
  • Simple and interactive activities
  • University resources available to UT students

For additional support in a certain health topic area, reach out to one of the consultant contacts listed in each focus area.

Faculty

View faculty resources on promoting well-being in UT learning environments. View resources related to faculty and staff health and well-being.

Helpful Tools and Resources

Online Tools

  • Sign up for HealthyhornsTXT, a text messaging program that shares health information and campus resources, by texting HORNS to 866-990-0082.
  • Follow @healthyhorns on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
  • Download the Thrive at UT app, a free app that enhances UT student well-being.
  • Check out the LWC Spotify Playlists as a resource for music for relieving anxiety, mindfulness, sleep and more.

Campus Resources

  • Collaborate with a Longhorn Wellness Center coordinator on a health topic/area to promote wellness (see consultants below for each topic).
  • Request a Longhorn Wellness Center workshop or check out the Longhorn Wellness Center’s Well-Being Activities and Tools page.
  • Share campus resources and services found within this web page. Check in with your community and ask what resources they specifically need or would like to know more about. Browse the health topics on the page to better direct to resources.

Mental Health

Messaging Considerations

  • Recognize the impact that your words can have on others and practice respectful language when discussing mental health.
  • Use person-first language referring to mental illnesses or any type of mental health condition. Ex. Say “they are an individual living with (or experiencing) a mental illness” rather than “they are mentally ill.”
  • Avoid stigmatizing language when talking about mental health by using this guide.

Activities

  • Utilize the Resilience Education Module with Dr. Mary Steinhardt.
  • Promote LWC Spotify Playlists as part of daily coping tools.
  • Organize music themed events or quick meditation routines.
  • Invite a yoga instructor (Recreational Sports, a friend, or even a YouTube video) as a grounding and stress-reducing activity
  • Invite the Longhorn Wellness Center Peer Educators to lead a workshop on self-care and/or resilience.
  • Encourage student groups your work with to become a trained Mental Health Ambassador for their organization.
  • Use or direct students to the massage services at Recreational Sports.
  • Promote the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), which is available to UT students and offers support through assessment and referral, group and individual counseling, psychiatry and well-being services.
  • Encourage students to get involved with the Longhorn SHARE Project, a resource for students seeking private, non-clinical, peer-based support around common issues and/or identities in individual or group settings.

Consultants

Justin Carter, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Longhorn Wellness Center
justin.carter@austin.utexas.edu

Adrian Lancaster, Student Peer Support Project Coordinator
Adrian.lancaster@austin.utexas.edu

Madeline Shaw, Mental Health Promotion Coordinator
madeline.shaw@austin.utexas.edu

Mindfulness

Messaging Considerations

  • Frame mindfulness as a tool for navigating challenges, managing stress and experiencing life in a new way.
  • Remind others that mindfulness is a skill that takes practice and time to develop, don’t worry if it doesn’t come naturally at first.

Activities

Direct to mindfulness resources

  • mindful UT – a resource for mindfulness-related opportunities and programs at UT Austin
  • MindBody Labs – self-paced environments designed to help UT students explore resources for improving their emotional and physical health

Have students download an app for mindfulness

Lead participants through a mindfulness activity

Request a mindfulness presentation through the Longhorn Wellness Center.

Consultant

James Butler, Mindfulness Campus Coordinator, Longhorn Wellness Center
james.butler@austin.utexas.edu

Movement

Messaging Considerations

  • Frame benefits of movement around increasing energy levels, self-esteem, memory and concentration, connecting with others through group movement and supporting mental health.
  • Emphasize that all types of movement are beneficial, and exercise doesn’t have to always be rigorous or intense.
  • Avoid messages surrounding weight, shape or size as reasons to exercise.
  • Be sure that your language is inclusive to people of all different abilities and experience with movement.

Activities

  • Invite Recreational Sports to stream a virtual exercise class for your group.
  • Organize outdoor events such as hikes, yoga, or stretching sessions with others, while accounting for the different abilities and needs of each group member.
  • Encourage your community to go for walks, or organize a group walk. You can find campus routes and nature spots on campus.
  • Promote scheduling time to move on a regular basis through posters, flyers, social media messages, etc. Make messaging accessible by including a time factor, such as suggesting 20 seconds of neck movements while sitting and studying.

Consultant

Sarah Frey, Manager for Prevention and Well-being, Longhorn Wellness Center
sfrey@austin.utexas.edu

Nutrition and Nourishment

Messaging Considerations

  • Avoid referring to foods or meals as simply “good or bad.” Instead, focus on the nourishing quality of different foods.
  • Recognize that individuals have different levels of accessibility to nutritious foods based on their socioeconomic status and resources available to them.
  • Recognize that everyone has their own relationship with food and be mindful about any assumptions you may have regarding how different people engage with food.
  • Avoid messages surrounding weight, shape or size, including using terms like “the freshman 15”.

Activities

  • Foster a discussion over the importance of respecting foods from all cultures and acknowledge how people might engage with food for various reasons (i.e.: enjoyment, tradition, social connection, physiological function, community).
  • Direct students to UHS workshops on nutrition topics including, Meal Planning, Grocery Shopping, and Cooking, Emotional Eating, Intuitive and Mindful Eating and Nutrition for PCOS.
  • Have students do the 10-minute Raisin Meditation activity to practice mindful eating.
  • Practice meal planning with your group brainstorming one balanced meal with the recommended food groups.
  • UT Outpost is available for students with food-related needs.
  • Remind others to stay hydrated, especially during hot days.

Consultants

Jennifer Barnoud, Registered Dietitian, University Health Services
j.barnoud@uhs.utexas.edu

Sarah Frey, Manager for Prevention and Well-being, Longhorn Wellness Center
sfrey@austin.utexas.edu

Healthy Relationships

Messaging Considerations

  • When talking about relationships, consider all types (familial, friendships, between peers, etc.).
  • Acknowledge that it is natural for relationships to grow and change over time and communication is one tool that can navigate changing relationships.
  • When discussing relationships, do your best to not make assumptions regarding the individuals’ identities. For example, avoid referring to a romantic relationship as between a female-identifying and male-identifying person.

Activities

  • Host events or activities that allow your group members the opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Encourage a culture of care and mutual respect among your group.
  • Request a SHARE Circle through the Longhorn SHARE Project. Circles are a structured group storytelling and processing tool rooted in indigenous practices that can be used to build community, empathy and understanding.
  • Encourage students to download the Thrive at UT app and complete the community module.
  • Request a Longhorn Wellness Center workshop that covers bystander intervention, helping friends in distress or taking care of your fellow Longhorns.
  • Voices Against Violence provides counseling, workshops, and prevention resources for sexual violence.
  • Share resources and services available on campus that can guide students to effective problem-solving alternatives.
  • For students who are survivors of interpersonal violence or need extra support relating to sexual violence, Voices Against Violence offers an extensive list of on- and off-campus resources.

Recognizing and Reporting

Provide students with information to identify violent relationships and familiarize them with resources and on campus services they can access.

Consultants

Voices Against Violence
voicesagainstviolence@austin.utexas.edu

Longhorn Wellness Center
longhornwellnesscenter@austin.utexas.edu

Adrian Lancaster, Student Peer Support Project Coordinator
adrian.lancaster@austin.utexas.edu

Healthy Sexuality

Messaging Considerations

  • Ensure you are providing accurate and judgement-free information to your group. Avoid making assumptions regarding who is or isn’t sexually active.
  • Empower others to make decisions that make them feel safe and healthy.
  • Keep in mind that everyone has varying levels of sexual education and experiences with healthy sexuality.
  • Ensure your messaging is inclusive to all individuals of all identities and abilities.

Activities

  • Organize an event to discuss and share resources related to consent and boundaries in sexual relationships. The Longhorn Wellness Center can provide consultation for these types of events.
  • Invite the Longhorn Wellness Peer Educators to lead the Sex Talk 101 Workshop.
  • Share information about accessing free or low-cost safer sex supplies from the Longhorn Wellness Center or request condoms for an event or group.
  • Visit the Alcohol and Consent page to learn about how to approach consent during or after drinking.
  • Walk students through making an appointment using MyUHS or give them the UHS phone number, 512-471-4955.
  • For students who are survivors of interpersonal violence or need extra support relating to sexual violence, Voices Against Violence offers an extensive list of on and off campus resources.
  • The Title IX Office is available for all students. Inform students that they can submit a Title IX Report online or by calling 512-471-0419.

Consultant

Longhorn Wellness Center
longhornwellnesscenter@austin.utexas.edu

Substance Use Safety

Messaging Considerations

  • Practice using non-stigmatizing language surrounding substance use.
    • Ex. Avoid referring to individuals as “alcoholic”, “a drunk”, or “addict”. Instead, say “a person with a substance use disorder.”
    • Find guidelines for avoiding stigma and negative bias related to substance use disorders through language.
  • Be mindful of everyone’s different experiences around substance use. Don’t assume that everyone drinks, parties, etc.
  • Understand and share that many students’ perception of alcohol and drug use on campus is greater than actual reported UT student behaviors.
  • Openly discuss safer behavior around substance use, such as planning how you will get home, counting number of drinks consumed, eating before drinking, etc.

Activities

  • Encourage students to follow @UTBruceTheBat on social media for tips on reducing risks while drinking and statistics about UT Austin students’ actions and attitudes when it comes to drinking.
  • Visit the SHIFT website for information on substance (alcohol, cannabis, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, etc.) use safety and available online and on-campus resources.
    • Encourage others to follow @utshift for information and tips related to substance use safety.
    • Request SHIFT Makers, a team of UT students who foster community and conversation while serving delicious zero-proof cocktails, to be at your event.
  • Request a workshop about substance use safety for your group.
  • Direct to the Alcohol and Consent page to learn about how to approach consent during or after drinking.
  • Direct students to the BASICS and CASICS program if they want to learn more about alcohol and cannabis or feel that it is impacting their personal well-being or academics.
  • Direct any students in recovery or in hope of recovery to the Center for Students in Recovery, a supportive community where students can enjoy a genuine college experience free from alcohol and drugs.

Consultant

AJ Inglis, SHIFT Outreach and Program Manager
aj.inglis@austin.utexas.edu

Lilly Ettinger, Director for the Center for Students in Recovery
lilly.ettinger@austin.utexas.edu

Sleep Promotion

Messaging Considerations

  • Emphasize the connection between sleep and mental and physical health, as well as academic success. Sleep increases memory consolidation, learning, decision making and critical thinking. Sleep also helps to support our immune systems and regulate our metabolism and emotions.
  • Avoid associating sleep with stress or pressure as to not increase individuals’ anxiety towards sleep.
  • Be mindful of different sleeping conditions (insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, etc.) when discussing sleep.
  • Try not to normalize lack of sleep while being in college. Instead, promote healthier sleep by trying out some of the activities below.

Activities

Consultant

Angelique Karditzas, Health Promotion Coordinator
angelique.karditzas@austin.utexas.edu

Body Image

Messaging Considerations

  • Focus on appreciation towards all of things our body does for us, such as allowing us to move, breathe, live and laugh.
  • Advise others to see themselves as a whole person, and not only focus on their outward appearance.
  • Avoid placing shame, blame, or guilt on anyone regarding their actions or attitudes surrounding body image and eating habits. Instead, express your care for them and provide continued support.
  • Avoid messages that reinforce stigma around weight, shape or size.

Activities

  • Direct students to the Longhorn Wellness Body Image Program that provides tools and resources addressing body image at UT Austin.
  • If someone expresses concerns related to food and/or weight, direct them to CMHC’s Mindful Eating Program.
  • Help others brainstorm ways they can show their body that they appreciate it, such as taking a relaxing shower, stretching or spending time outside.

Consultant

Sarah Frey, Manager for Prevention and Well-being, Longhorn Wellness Center
sfrey@austin.utexas.edu

Madeline Shaw, Mental Health Promotion Coordinator
madeline.shaw@austin.utexas.edu

Programming and Resources for Resident Assistants

Promoting Well-Being: Where to Start

RAs have a direct impact on the health and wellness of their communities. A great place to start is understanding how setting community expectations and being knowledgeable about resources can impact each resident in a positive way.

Creating a Well Environment: Quiet Hours and Roommate Agreements

  • Send weekly reminders to remind residents when quiet hours start throughout the week.
  • Explain why quiet hours and quiet hour violations are in place and how they impact resident health. For example, quiet hours exist to help residents maintain a regular sleep schedule, which can improve the quality of their sleep, increase their productivity and support their mental and physical health.
  • Encourage roommates to look over their roommate agreements together mid-semester and communicate about any present issues that may be impacting their wellness.
  • Consider creating a separate questionnaire to accompany the standard roommate agreement, elaborating on sleep habits, nighttime routines and noise/light preferences.

Campus Resources

  • Collaborate with a Longhorn Wellness Center coordinator to create a bulletin board or outreach campaign on a health topic/area to promote wellness (see consultants below for each topic).
  • Request a Longhorn Wellness Center workshop or check out the Longhorn Wellness Center’s Well-Being Activities and Tools web page for accessible activities to plan for your residents.
  • Share campus resources and services found on this web page, making sure that residents know what is available for them.
  • Check in with residents and ask what resources they specifically need or would like to know more about. Browse the health topics on the page to better direct residents to resources.

RA-Specific Activity Ideas

Utilize the Healthyhorns Sleep Page

  • Plan a week for residents to utilize the Healthyhorns Sleep Diary to track their daily sleep habits and learn what may be helping or hindering their sleep.
  • Throw a “get ready for bed” event as a hall and walk residents through setting up their room for a successful night’s sleep using this Healthyhorns guide.
  • Direct residents to the Healthyhorns Sleep Strategies Worksheet to identify barriers that could be impacting their sleep and strategies to address these barriers.

Share information about Play It Safe Post, where residents of all on-campus residence halls can request free condoms, internal condoms and dental dams, delivered weekly in discreet envelopes.

RAs can get free and low-cost resources and condoms for hall events they organize by submitting a bulk condom request.