Wellness at Penn is located in the Student Health and Counseling office at 3624 Market Street. Credit: Abhiram Juvadi 
Wellness at Penn launched a new service this month called Wellness Coaching. This provides students with one-on-one support from a peer wellness coach designed to enhance overall health.
According to the Wellness at Penn website, wellness coaching focuses on “eight areas of wellness,” including physical health, mental health, time management, relationships, navigating change, finances, career, and spirituality. ” to provide support, resources and accountability. Students can sign up for individual sessions aimed at setting health goals and creating an action plan to achieve them.
Wellness at Penn says its peer wellness coaches are made up of both undergraduate and graduate students. A typical coaching relationship lasts 5-6 sessions, but students have the option of meeting with the same coach each time or with a different peer coach.
Jihui Lu, Wellness Coaching Manager at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Daily Pennsylvanian that wellness coaching is aimed at students who are doing “perfectly well” and students who are seeking mental health counseling services. He said it is between.
“The third group of students in the middle are dealing with some stress related to academics or life… but not severe enough to require clinical support at the counseling center,” Lu said.
Mary Kate Coghlan, director of communications for Wellness at Penn, said the new service will make Wellness at Penn more accessible to students and help eliminate the stigma of seeking help.
“It’s really helpful for students who are in between, to bridge the gap that they experience because of the stigma of seeking care or not feeling like they need care at a clinical level,” Coghlan said. To tell.
David Clark, a peer wellness coach and nursing graduate student, said peer coaches help students work toward wellness goals, whether they relate to their daily lives, career trajectories, or academic plans. The goal is to help people find a plan of action that will help them, he said.
“I think coaching is something that anyone can do,” Clark says. “Everyone has goals, whether they realize it or not. Sometimes it’s helpful to have someone to sit down and talk to.”
Lu also emphasized the role of coaches in holding students accountable. At the end of each session, the peer wellness coach helps students set action items based on what was discussed during the session. Also, during the next session, the coach will review the student’s progress.
Although wellness coaching is new to Penn State, many peer institutions currently have similar programs in place, including Columbia University, Cornell University, and Stanford University.
Research to develop the University of Pennsylvania program began in April 2023, drawing inspiration from programs at other universities, Lu said. Applications to become peer wellness coaches were opened to all Penn State students in September, with approximately 80 applicants.
Professor Lu said the selection committee was looking for “students who have shown an interest in mental health and health promotion within the university, and who want to set a good example for themselves.”
Five students from a variety of backgrounds and education levels, ranging from second-year undergraduates to Wharton MBA students, were hired and trained as peer wellness coaches, meeting for two hours each week to develop their coaching skills by simulating real-life scenarios. I learned various aspects.
“We coach each other, record it, get feedback along the way, and do some hands-on practice before we meet the students,” Clark said.
Coaching sessions are arranged after completing the enrollment form on the Wellness at Penn website. A student’s first session will be held in-person, with the opportunity for subsequent sessions to be held in-person or virtually.
