Support Groups

Thursdays (11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/30)
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
11/2/2023 - 11/30/2023

Facilitator: Andrew Colitz, Ph.D.

This is a 4-session virtual workshop that will help teach skills that can help regulate your emotions when feeling stressed. The focus of these skills is to learn how to cope with emotional distress and to help increase positive emotional experiences in your every day life. Strategies include learning:

1. How to identify and label your emotions
2. The purpose your emotions serve or the needs they fulfill
3. How to let go of painful emotions by being mindful of them and working towards accepting rather than avoiding them
4. How to increase positive emotions

If you would like to participate in the workshop, please email [email protected] with "Stress Regulation" in the subject line.

Every 3rd Thursday
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
9/21/2023 - end date TBD

Locations: Virtual (by Zoom) and in-person (John Jay Hall Conference Room, 300 Level)

Facilitators: Motoni Fong Hodges, Ph.D. and Daniel Chiarilli, Ph.D.

Queer Academics at Columbia (QuAC) is a friendly, supportive discussion group for students in all of the graduate and professional schools of Columbia, as well as the School of General Studies. Meet students from other programs, learn about resources at Columbia, and identify and discuss issues relevant to our communities.

To join, email [email protected] and [email protected] with "QuAC" in the subject line. Please contact facilitators for Zoom link.

Tuesdays
2:10 - 3:30 p.m.
9/19/2023 - 12/5/2023

Facilitator: Shirley Matthews, Ph.D.

This virtual workshop will focus on helping you to develop the life-skills that will help you to achieve your goals. If you are working on a professional project, thesis, or dissertation this virtual support group may be what you need to break free of the secret pleasures of mismanaging time and put you in position to achieve your important long- term goals. Participants will learn how to set priorities when there is “too much to do.” You will learn techniques to help you break free of procrastination.
 
Skills known to be helpful in addressing time wasting, thought distortions such as imposter syndrome and self-defeating behaviors will be addressed. And of course, we will look at ways to cope with interruptions and everyday competing demands.
 
All of this will be built on a foundation of kindness, with emphasis on self-compassion, in an environment of safety and shared accountability. We will work together to create a shame free zone of collaboration that has in the past, helped participants reach successful goal completion.

To join, email [email protected] with "Time Management" in the subject line.

This group is full and is no longer accepting additional participants.

Fridays
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
9/22/2023 - end date TBD

Facilitator: Maria Narimanidze, Psy.D.

A psychotherapy group to help participants understand and improve their relationships with others – friends, romantic partners, family, and others. Members will have a chance to explore their personal histories, including attachment histories, and practice, in vivo, more effective ways of communicating.

The group will address areas like:

• Understanding boundaries
• Managing expectations
• Disagreeing/ addressing conflict effectively
• Asking for what you want
• Active listening & validation
• Receiving feedback
• Knowing when and how to end a relationship that is not working

To join, email [email protected] with "Relationships" in the subject line.  Please note that an initial consultation with the facilitator will be required in order to gauge whether this group is an appropriate fit.

Monday (11/20, 11/27, 12/4, 12/11)
5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
11/20/2023 - 12/11/2023

Facilitators: Yaniv Phillips, Ph.D. and Kim Nguyen, Psy.D.

Have a strong foundation for your committed relationship, but want to make it even better? This might be the workshop for you!

This hands-on, sequential 4-session workshop will provide practical tools for couples who wish to strengthen their relationship. Topics include: Understanding Relational Expectations and Beliefs, Nurturing the Positives in the Relationship, Improving Problem-Solving Ability, and Communication Skills.

The workshop is open to all Columbia students who have paid the full Columbia Health and Related Service Fee and their partners.

To join, email [email protected] and [email protected] with “Couples” in the subject line.

Fridays
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Start date TBD

Facilitator: Mercedes J. Okosi, Psy.D.

This group is for students who are adult children of immigrant parents and who have experienced trauma. Often, it can be difficult to grow up in the United States and have parents from another country with a different understanding of mental health, and their own values and stigmas. Trauma may also occur across generations of a family. Ideally, students in this group will also have had some experience in individual therapy. Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome.

The group will provide a safer space for adult children of immigrants to process their own trauma histories and feel supported by others who may relate to them. Students should be prepared to discuss how their trauma and responses to their trauma have been impacted by family dynamics. The group will focus on psychoeducation about trauma and the impacts of intergenerational trauma, coping skills, tools for better communication, and exploration of cultural norms and stigmas.

To join, please email [email protected] with "First Gen" in the subject line.

Thursdays
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
10/26/2023 - 12/7/2023

Facilitator: Sherina Persaud, Ph.D. and Sowmya Kshtriya, Ph.D.

This is a group for students who are ready to process the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. The group leader will meet with interested students to discuss fit for the group and answer any questions prior to joining. Ideally a student in this group will have some previous experience in therapy and/or currently be in individual therapy.

The group will provide a safe space for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to heal and support one another. In this group, we will discuss the ways in which trauma has impacted the body and mind, and learn coping skills for feeling safe and connected with the self and others. Group members will share their experiences and bear witness to one another. We will process how to incorporate past experiences of trauma with hope, empowerment, and making meaning for the present and future. The group incorporates art therapy, movement, and processing through discussion.

To join, email [email protected] and [email protected] with "Healing" in the subject line.

Every 3rd Thursday
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
9/21/2023 - end date TBD

Locations: Virtual (by Zoom) and in-person (John Jay Hall Conference Room, 300 Level)

Facilitators: Motoni Fong Hodges, Ph.D. and Daniel Chiarilli, Ph.D.

Queer Academics at Columbia (QuAC) is a friendly, supportive discussion group for students in all of the graduate and professional schools of Columbia, as well as the School of General Studies. Meet students from other programs, learn about resources at Columbia, and identify and discuss issues relevant to our communities.

To join, email [email protected] and [email protected] with "QuAC" in the subject line. Please contact facilitators for Zoom link.

Day TBD
Start and End Times TBD

Facilitators: Annette Santiago-Espana, Ph.D. and Melanie Kressel, Psy.D.

This confidential support group is for undergraduate and graduate students of all genders who are motivated and invested in their path toward recovery from a range of eating and body image concerns. Group members will have the opportunity to explore issues related to eating concerns such as relationships, body image, self-concept, race and culture, gender, social media, trauma, family, academic pressures, and coping with relapse. The students in this group will feel empowered, supported, and work towards building a strong sense of self as they develop and maintain healthy attitudes and behaviors.

To join, email [email protected] and [email protected] with "Reawakening" in the subject line.

Wednesdays
5:00 - 6:15 p.m.
10/25/2023 - end date TBD

Facilitator: Wardeh Hattab, LCSW

Location: Lerner 8 Conference Room

This in-person confidential space is intended to provide comfort and support for students with personal connections to Palestine or Lebanon, worried about the safety and well-being of their loved ones there or contending with grief at the loss of friends or relations in the conflict.

To sign up for the group, please email Wardeh Hattab at [email protected] with the subject line "Support Space for Students with family or friends in Gaza, Lebanon, or the West Bank."

Wednesdays
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
10/25/2023 - end date TBD

Facilitator: Yaniv Phillips, Ph.D.

Location: Lerner 8 Conference Room

This in-person confidential space is intended to provide comfort and support for students with personal connections to Israel, worried about the safety and well-being of their loved ones there or contending with grief at the loss of friends or relations in the conflict.

To sign up for the group, please email Yaniv Phillips at [email protected] with the subject line "Support Space for Students with family or friends in Israel.”

Day TBD
Start and End Times TBD

Facilitators: Annette Santiago-España, Ph.D. and Mengpin Zhang, Psy.D.

This weekly support group provides women of color (cis-female identified graduate and undergraduate students) a safe, confidential space to discuss with one another issues such as relationships, managing stress, sadness and/or anxiety, body image, family issues, gendered racism, trauma, asking for what you need, and developing a personal identity. Group members will be empowered to accept their strengths and growth areas, declare their own authentic beauty, build community, practice self-compassion, incorporate gratitude practices into their daily living, and be intentional about reclaiming their overall health. Each session will end with a mindfulness exercise.

To join, email [email protected] and [email protected].