Thriving

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Graduate Students Who Excel in Thriving:

Evaluate Wellbeing

You have the knowledge and skills to evaluate your wellbeing and the wellbeing of close colleagues. 

Cultivate Wellbeing

You customize strategies to manage stress, overcome procrastination, challenge imposter syndrome, and ask for help when needed. 

Promote Healthy Workplaces

You recognize the impact that wellbeing has on performance at work and actively contribute to healthy workplace cultures.

Organize Tasks and Manage Time

You evaluate your personal and professional responsibilities, commitments, and opportunities and prioritize your time and attention to achieve desired outcomes.

Assess Your Thriving Skills  

2025-2026 Schedule 

Cultivating Wellbeing in Workplaces and Communities

Self-Paced Online Module 

This 3-module online course promotes lasting success by delivering practical, concrete strategies you can use to build a strong foundation of wellness. Assess your skills and knowledge in cultivating mental health at a personal and professional level. Customize strategies to manage stress, overcome procrastination, challenge imposter syndrome, and ask for help at work. Practice answering interview questions about your role in cultivating well-being at work.

Making The Most of Your Time in Grad School

January 13, 2026, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET; Online/Virtual

In this interactive workshop led by Meghan O'Hara, Program Specialist - Graduate Student Life, you will delve into practical strategies for maximizing your time and impact during grad school. Topics covered include: navigating campus resources; opportunities to connect with others in the community; how to get involved beyond the classroom; and finding balance between work and life. Join us for this workshop to equip yourself with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive throughout your graduate studies. Whether you're just starting out or well into your program, this workshop will provide valuable guidance to help you make the most of every moment.

This is a virtual workshop. Please register here via Zoom.

Stress Management

January 29, 2026, 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET

This workshop is offered in partnership with Western's Wellness & Wellbeing team.

Graduate students lead busy lives juggling both academic demands and their personal lives which can be stressful at times. Stress and stressors fluctuate constantly and can become overwhelming and unhealthy if not identified and managed correctly. Participants in this workshop will:

- Define stress and identify common and personal stressors

- Describe some ways our bodies respond to stress

- Discuss optimal levels of stress and explore coping skills

- Identifying and confront barriers to effectively managing stress

Mindfulness for Graduate Students

February 4, 2026, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

Join us for an introduction to mindfulness, the positive benefits of being mindful, and why mindfulness is relevant (and important) for graduate students. This session will focus on mindfulness practices and strategies and will include two mindfulness exercises. The seminar will also include a discussion about focus, concentration, distraction and your cell phone!

About the presenter:

Dr. Thomas Telfer is a Professor at Western's Faculty of Law with a personal and professional interest in mindfulness education. Dr. Telfer is a frequent speaker on mindfulness and mental health, and has been teaching the course, Mindfulness and the Legal Profession since 2019. Additionally, Dr. Telfer is co-editor of the book, The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession, and he has facilitated over 100 mindfulness workshops for lawyers, doctors, professors, and students.

more Thriving resources for grad students

Learning Development & Success

PhD planning groups and more!

Wellness & Wellbeing

Physical, mental, and spiritual health support.

Learn2Thrive

Strategies and resources to support resilience in academics and beyond.

Mindfulness and Learning

Workshops and modules on mindfulness.

Time Management Self-Assessment

Learn about your strengths and areas for improvement when it comes to time management.

Virtual Calming Room

A space to find tools and tips for dealing with intense emotions during challenging times.