Groups and Support Spaces

We offer in-person and virtual groups and gathering spaces.  These are spaces for skill-building and support. Group facilitators can connect students to therapy at Counseling Services or in the community, should that be appropriate. While the expectation is that participants maintain privacy, we cannot guarantee confidentiality. Groups offer a safe space to share experiences, learn from others, and deepen self-awareness regarding a variety of issues such as relationships, transitions, loneliness, anxiety, trauma, and identity. Please see below for a current listing of our group offerings.

Transitions: Leaning into Change and Growth

Attending graduate school is a significant life transition that is often accompanied by a variety of new and challenging experiences. This group offers peer support to students navigating adjustments that come with the graduate experience like moving to a new city/country, homesickness, imposter syndrome, difficulty fitting in, and/or living with roommates. Students will have the opportunity to share their experiences with transitions, current challenges or stressors, strategies to cope, and ways to access support. This group is accepting new members!

First Gen

A support space offering a community for students who identify as the first member in their family to pursue higher education in the US. Conversation topics may include family expectations, generational/cultural differences, fear of failure/disappointment, financial stressors, and impostor phenomenon. This group is accepting new members!

Relationship with Food and Body

This group offers a safe space for students who are impacted by an eating disorder, disordered eating, or those who are seeking support in recovery. Students will explore their current patterns, discuss challenges, and consider opportunities for change. Participants will discuss the intersectionality of self-esteem, body image, and relationships as they relate to achieving recovery. Students will be provided with tools to assist in their recovery including identification of coping strategies. This group is accepting new members!

Connecting Through Loss

A support space for CUIMC students who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Topics for discussion may include reluctance to burden others with feelings of grief and isolation, managing the demands of a graduate program while grieving, experiencing intense feelings of missing the loved one, and feeling isolated. This group is accepting new members!

Thriving at the Margins

Underrepresented communities experience many forms of exclusion that make life challenging, including in higher education settings. Thriving at the Margins is a support space for CUIMC students who belong to such identity groups, including Black, Indigenous, Asian, AMENA, Latinx, LGBTQ+, low-income students, students belonging to minority faith groups, and students with disabilities. Topics such as discrimination, bias, prejudices, and structural/systemic racism will be discussed. Participants will have the opportunity to come together to share and gain insight into their experiences, learn from and with each other, and move towards radical healing.

Overcoming Imposter Phenomenon and Increasing Self-Confidence

This weekly group will offer a safe space for students to examine tendencies for overthinking, perfectionism and self-doubt. Students will come together to boost their confidence, own their successes and cultivate their agency.

Creating Fulfilling Relationships

This group is open to students who are interested in learning more about their relationships in order to create healthy, meaningful connections. This group will be a safe space to process changes in relationships, explore challenges, and gain insight in order to improve communication, establish healthy boundaries, and resolve conflicts. Participants will gain support, develop self-awareness, and improve their interpersonal effectiveness.