Group Counselling & Peer-Led Mental Health and Wellness Groups

Looking to improve your outlook and improve your results as a student? Register today for Thriving in Action, an 11-week extracurricular program designed to help you reach your goals.

Thriving in Action is a program that will help you learn to thrive in both your academic and personal life. In this group session, students will meet weekly to learn key skills to increase motivation, optimism and resilience. They will also be introduced to learning strategies that will improve their time management and study skills.

It’s not too late to turn things around, and it’s never too late to learn how to flourish!

Open to all Algonquin College Students. Space for the in-person session is limited.

Registration is now closed.

Brought to you by the Center for Accessible Learning and Counselling Services.

Are you ready to embark on a journey toward fulfilling and satisfying connections? At these weekly drop-in sessions taking place Wednesdays, you will learn about the essential practical skills that contribute to a healthy and vibrant sexual life and meaningful relationships.

Our facilitator will guide you through a series of interactive sessions, providing you with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of intimacy and strengthen your relationships. Whether you’re single or in a partnership(s), this group is for everyone seeking to deepen their understanding of healthy sexuality and cultivate fulfilling connections. Come ready to learn and ask questions. Drop in for any topic that interests you.

Topics by week:

• September 10 – The Relationship Escalator: Designing Your Ideal Relationship Journey
• September 17 – Long Distance Relationships: How to Enhance Relationships Even at a Distance
• September 24 – Wants and Desires: Understanding Your Wants and Desires
• October 1 – Healthy Boundaries in Relationships: Setting Limits in Romantic and Casual Connections
• October 8 – Jealousy: How to respond to jealousy and manage yours.
• October 15 – Dating Decoded: Mastering Etiquette for Modern Romance
• October 22 – Reading Week – No Session
• October 29 – Navigating Hookup Culture: Understanding Casual Sex and Its Implications
• November 5 – Non-Monogamous Relationships: What are KTP, OWL, and All These Other Things?
• November 12- Sex as a Buffet: Learning Sexual Creativity for Meaningful Connections
• November 19 – Sex and Mental Health: Recognizing the Impact of Stress and Anxiety
• November 26 – Body Image and Confidence: Building Self-Esteem for Healthy Relationships

Group location: Student Health & Wellness Zone (3rd Floor, E Building), Ottawa Campus

Our sessions are a safe and inclusive space, fostering a supportive environment for learning and growth. You’ll have the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking discussions, participate in hands-on exercises, and receive guidance from our knowledgeable facilitator. We believe that by combining knowledge, practical skills, and a dash of curiosity, you can unlock the full potential of healthy sexuality and relationships.

Open to all Algonquin College students. No registration is required. Feel free to attend only one session or all of them! This event will be held in the Student Health & Wellness Zone (3rd Floor, Student Commons).

Brought to you by Counselling Services and Project Lighthouse.

Join us for How to Human (Neurodivergent Edition) – a supportive group designed for neurodivergent folks to explore life’s challenges, share experiences, and discover practical strategies in a judgment-free space. Each week, we’ll tackle topics that matter to you, from daily life hacks to deep reflections on self-worth and relationships. This group is about learning how to navigate the world as your authentic self – messy, brilliant, and everything in between.

Weekly Topics:

• September 11 – Designing Life for the Messy Version of You
• September 18 – Self Care When You Don’t Feel Like It
• September 24 – Sleep Tricks for Challenging Times
• October 2 – Productivity – Is That Really a Thing?
• October 9 – You Are Not a Failure – How to Stop Thinking So
• October 16 – Communication Strategies for Better Relationships (how to start talking, why making friends is tough, and more)
• October 23 – Reading Week – No Session
• October 30 – Saying “No” and Reducing People Pleasing
• November 6 – Getting Back to Routines
• November 13 – Chaos or Calm? Which Works Best for You and Why
• November 20 – Participants’ Choice – Topic chosen by regular attendees

Group location: Room C263 (2nd Floor, C Building), Ottawa Campus

This group offers practical tools, relatable conversation, and a safe place to be yourself. Come as you are – there is no “right way” to be human here. This is a drop-in group that anyone can come based on topic of interest.

No need to sign up just show up when it works for you and be part of the group. Open to all Algonquin College students. No registration is required. Feel free to attend only one session or all of them!

Brought to you by Counselling Services.

Stop by Snack Chats to connect with the Campus Connectors! The Campus Connectors are peers from the Student Health and Wellness Zone who will give out yummy snacks and chat about important topics each week that you, as a student, might be interested in.

Group details:

• Snack Chats will take place on Fridays, between 11 am and 12 pm, until Dec. 5.
• This is an in-person group.
• This group is free and drop-in.

This group takes place in the AC Hub (2nd Floor, E Building). Attendees will receive free tea and coffee and a variety of snacks.

Brought to you by the Student Health & Wellness Zone.

Getting Started and Avoiding Procrastination – From To Do to Done: “If I’d just started earlier, I could have done so much better.” Although many students claim to work better under the pressure of deadlines, not having enough time to complete assignments can mean that you are not reaching your potential as a student. Learn to maximize your marks by starting early and breaking down your assignments into manageable parts using an “assignment tracker.” This workshop is also about sharing techniques that will help you break the habit of putting off work and learn strategies to avoid procrastination.

Say Yes to Less Stress: Balancing your course-load and personal commitments can be a stressful experience for many college students. This workshop, led by an Algonquin College counsellor, will help students learn more about stress. It will also introduce practical strategies to help with stress management so that you can focus better on your learning!

Learning to Learn Online: While learning online has many advantages, it poses unique challenges for many people.  Come to this workshop to learn more about the ins and outs of learning in an online environment, including your responsibilities as student.  Learn tips and tricks that can help you optimize your time and learn more effectively.  Feeling lost in cyber-space? — discover on-campus resources that may be able to help.

Study Smart: Practice makes perfect! If you want to feel more comfortable with new material, you need to review regularly and actively! Trade in straight reading for techniques that will allow you to rehearse material, test yourself, and come up with memory devices. Learn how to prioritize your studying and focus on the material that really matters. The techniques introduced in this session will help throughout the semester, as well as leading up to exams.

Make it Stick: It can be challenging to listen to your professors while also writing class notes . . . and how do you balance all of the readings that you need to get through, anyway? Come to this workshop to learn more about different note-taking systems, and figure which one best fits your courses and your own learning style.

Perfectionism – Taming Your Inner Critic:  Perfectionism is a trait that is often associated with achievement and success. It’s OK to want to work hard and achieve a goal, but the question is “at what cost?”. If you are picky and have too high of standards and want to feel better, reduce stress and enjoy your life more, then this workshop will cover ways to tame the inner critic to allow you to live the life you want.

Ace that Test, Part 1: This workshop will help you to plan out your time in the weeks leading up to exams so that you have enough time to study each subject. It will also introduce the “Stoplight Study Technique” to help you determine what material you need to cover. Other strategies will include active study techniques and memory tools that can improve your exam results.

Ace that Test: For many students, exam time can be filled with stress, anxiety, and worry. This workshop will help you to better access the material that you have learned while studying so that you can demonstrate all that you have learned during the semester.  There will be a focus on strategies to reduce anxiety in testing situations.

Have your final exams been switched to open book?  Never had an open book exam and wonder what it might look like?  . . . before you celebrate and decide that you don’t even need to study, come to our “Preparing for and Writing Open Book Exams” Workshop offered online through Zoom.

This 30-minute workshop will tell you more about what to expect from an open book exam and how to best prepare, depending on the type of exam.  The facilitator will give practical tips on how to set up your workspace, how to avoid possible academic offences (such as sharing information with classmates or plagiarism), and how to minimize issues with technology.  Be informed about this type of exam so that you can do your best on your upcoming exams!

Secrets to Creating Great Group Projects: Do you cringe when your professors assign group projects? Do you dread completing these projects because you know it’s going to be difficult to get everyone on board to get the job done? This workshop will teach you how to set expectations, assign roles and responsibilities, create standards for your group to follow, facilitate communication, and increase motivation in your group so that your group can work together to successfully complete your project.

Email communication is one of the easiest ways to reach out to professors, staff, and other students to share information or ask quéstions in a college setting. But how can you make sure that you are communicating clearly and effectively using email? And when should you use another form of communication instead? This session will explore the pros and cons of relying on email communication and share tips to make your emails professional and easy to read. There will be a focus on communicating with college professionals, especially professors. Several templates and examples will be provided to help you with emails regarding common requests.

Whether you are concerned about time management, organization, studying, or finding balance in your life, being a truly effective student really comes down to the habits that you cultivate every day. Learn about the basics of habit formation, including tips for making new habits easy and manageable by using the “Four Laws of Behavior Change.” Discover how these laws can be used to both build positive habits and eliminate negative ones. By the end of the session, participants will have the chance to create an “ABC Recipe Card” and commit to a new academic habit. Who knows? Maybe this habit will change your life as a student!