Be Well at Mount Holyoke

What is Be Well at Mount Holyoke?

Be Well at Mount Holyoke is a student focused, developmentally grounded, and community based model which is inclusive of curricular and co-curricular environments to promote well-being at Mount Holyoke College. The model interconnects components and themes that include:

Healthy Body: Choosing to be your best self

  • Athletics & Recreation
  • Health Education
  • Risk Taking Education

Healthy Mind: Engaging as emotionally resilient learners

  • Emotional Wellness
  • Spiritural Wellness

Healthy Life: Learning for life, developing skills from now into the future

  • Academic Skills
  • Career Skills
  • Life Skills

Healthy Community: Caring for community, making MoHome

  • Creating Connections
  • Understanding Others
  • Celebrating Together

History of Be Well at Mount Holyoke

Under the leadership of Marcella Runell Hall, Vice President for Student Affairs/ Dean of Students and Karen Engell, Executive Director of College Health Services, a three stage well being implementation model was developed Summer of 2016. The three stages are: 1) Research, 2) Development, and 3) Launch. 

Stage 1: Research

Fall 2016, a well being task force was developed to design a holistic well-being framework, rooted in positive psychology, for the Mount Holyoke Community which would decrease the impact of stress culture on Mount Holyoke Students while also researching initiatives which would encourage students to cultivate and sustain healthy habits. Through this task force, the Be Well at Mount Holyoke model was created. 

Members of the task force were:

  • Marcella Hall: Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students (co-chair)
  • Karen Engell: Executive Director of College Health Services (co-chair)
  • Christine Albain: Area Coordinator, Residential Life 
  • Latrina L. Denson: Assistant Dean of Students  
  • Lori Hendricks: Chair of Physical Education and Director of Athletics 
  • Anna Hope, Ph.D.: Licensed Psychologist and Counseling Service Clinician 
  • Alison Hopkins: Class Dean for Sophomores and Juniors
  • Karen Jacobus: Coordinator of Health Education, Health Services
  • Annette McDermott: Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life and Catholic Advisor
  • Ivonne Ramirez: Assistant Director for Student Programs & Leadership
  • Katie Gay: Nutritionist, Dining Services (withdrew from task force in late October)
  • Kate Wasserman: Associate Director of New Student Orientation (left college in October) 

 Stage II: Development

During the Fall of 2017, a Be Welling Steering Committee was created. The purpose of the committee is to:

  • Create a working set of Be Well core principles/ values using the four part model
  • Working with Communications and the Division of Student Life to create a logo, website, and long term marketing plan.
  • Create a criteria and assessment for Be Well events. 
  • Solicit Be Well events from partners and create a comprehensive shared calendar.
  • Facilitate opportunities for the Mount Holyoke community to share Be Well ideas.
  • Identify locations/ venues for Be Well initiatives on campus. 
  • Submit a report on the progress of the committee Fall 2017 and Spring 2018. 
  • Develop a financial proposal for 2018-2019.
The chairs of the steering committee are:
Jennifer Balut, Director of the Alcohol, Drug, and Awareness Program
Erica Weathers, Clinical Social Worker and Outreach Coordinator for Counseling Services
 
Stage III: Launch
We are excited to announce that a comprehensive Be Well at Mount Holyoke is scheduled to launch Fall 2018.

Be Well Resources

There are many spaces, programmatic initiatives, and services which provide opportunities for students to engage in well being through out the year.

Examples of previous and current programs and initiatives are:

Below are a list of many on/ off campus well being resources.  

Quiet Contemplative Spaces on Campus 

Online Apps

Deep Breathing/Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Mindfulness Meditation

  • Headspace for iPhone and Android - Headspace is a free meditation program that gives you a taste of meditation practice in 10 minutes/day.
  • Stop, Breathe & Think - For iOS, Android, and Web. A friendly, simple tool to guide people of all ages and backgrounds through meditations for mindfulness and compassion.
  • Mindfulness Meditation for iPhone - Mindfulness-based technique for stress reduction has scientifically proven health benefits. Guided mindfulness meditations were written and narrated by Stephan Bodian, author of the Meditation For Dummies®.
  • The Mindfulness Summit - The Mindfulness Summit is a not-for-profit project with a mission to make mindfulness mainstream. We’re making high quality mindfulness training accessible to everyone and supporting mindfulness based charities at the same time.