Welcome to the UConn Library Wellness Collection Guide!
Welcome to the UConn Wellness Collection Guide! Let our easy guide help you navigate resources that help you be your best self! Resources for mental health and wellness are categorized by topics and are primarily available electronically. Recommendations from our partners, UConn SHaW (Student Health and Wellness) staff are accompanied by a statement to easily identify them. The resource tabs to your left (or above on a phone/tablet) are in alphabetical order by topic.
In addition to this library guide, which serves as a guide to wellness from a pedagogical perspective, we also feature a library catalog collection. Access the catalog by clicking on the image below.
Above: Screen Capture of the Wellness Catalog Collection
- Wellness Library Collection Catalog PageThis is the link to the UConn Wellness Library catalog collection page. It includes subcollections by category as well. You can also click on the image above to go to the catalog.
If you are interested in the Student Health and Wellness pages from SHaW, then please use the links below.
- UConn SHaW Mental Health ServicesAccess resources and services within the UConn Mental Health Circle of Care
- UConn Student Health and Wellness WebsiteLinks to SHaW Services
New Additions!
The Catalog Collection has new sub-collections on the following topics as of 2023:
- Body Image
- Parent, Caregiver, and Family Wellness
- Living Well with Disabilities and/or Chronic Illnesses
Spotlight On: New Books
Real Self-Care by ISBN: 9780593489734In Real Self-Care, Lakshmin helps readers understand what a real practice of caring for yourself could-and does-look like. Using case studies from her practice, clinical research, and the down-to-earth style that she's become known for, Lakshmin provides a step-by-step program for real and sustainable change and solace. Packed with actionable strategies to deal with common problems, Real Self-Care is a complete roadmap for women to set boundaries and move past guilt, treat themselves with compassion, get closer to themselves, and assert their power. The result-having ownership over one's own life- is nothing less than a personal and social revolution.
Atomic Habits: : tiny changes, remarkable results : an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones by ISBN: 9780735211308James Clear, an expert on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. He draws on proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.
Platonic: : how the science of attachment can help you make and keep friends as an adult by ISBN: 9780593331903Publication Date: 2022In Platonic, Dr. Marisa G. Franco unpacks the latest, often counterintuitive findings about the bonds between us--for example, why your friends aren't texting you back (it's not because they hate you!), and the myth of "friendships happening organically" (making friends, like cultivating any relationship, requires effort!). As Dr. Franco explains, to make and keep friends you must understand your attachment style--secure, anxious, or avoidant: it is the key to unlocking what's working (and what's failing) in your friendships. Making new friends, and deepening longstanding relationships, is possible at any age--in fact, it's essential. The good news: there are specific, research-based ways to improve the number and quality of your connections using the insights of attachment theory and the latest scientific research on friendship. Platonic provides a clear and actionable blueprint for forging strong, lasting connections with others--and for becoming our happiest, most fulfilled selves in the process.
Project Unlonely : Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection. by ISBN: 0593191951Publication Date: 2023 Penguin BooksEven before 2020, chronic loneliness was a private experience of profound anguish that had become a public health crisis. Since then it has reached new heights. Loneliness assumes many forms, from enduring physical isolation to feeling rejected because of difference, and it can have devastating consequences for our physical and mental health. As the founder of Project UnLonely, Jeremy Nobel unpacks our personal and national experiences of loneliness to discover its roots and to show how we can take steps to find comfort and connection.
This Arab is Queer: an anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab writersISBN: 9780863569753Publication Date: 2022 Saqi BooksThis ground-breaking anthology features the compelling and courageous memoirs of eighteen queer Arab writers - some internationally bestselling, others using pseudonyms. Here, we find heart-warming connections and moments of celebration alongside essays exploring the challenges of being LGBTQ+ and Arab. From a military base in the Gulf to loving whispers caught between the bedsheets; and from touring overseas as a drag queen to a concert in Cairo where the rainbow flag was raised to a crowd of thousands, this collection celebrates the true colours of a vibrant Arab queer experience
Defeating SAD (seasonal affective disorder) : a guide to health and happiness through all seasons by ISBN: 9781722527624Publication Date: 2023Rosenthal, who first described Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is the foremost authority on the subject, offers an up to date guide to overcoming the miseries and that millions experience with the changing seasons. In his lively style, Rosenthal offers advice on how to identify, treat and overcome both winter and summer varieties of seasonal affective disorder, as well as the less severe yet bothersome winter blues.
Campus Wellness Resources
- UConn RecreationWebsite for UConn Recreation. Also offers virtual fitness classes during COVID
- UConn Recovery CommunityResources for those in recovery from addiction or substance use disorders.
- UConn Friends of RecoveryWeekly meetings for anyone in the UConn community: students, staff, faculty, alumni, and family members, who care about someone who has an addiction or substance use disorder.
- UConntactWebsite which regroups events taking place at UConn
- UConn Faith Communities WebsiteThis site regroups a list of the many faith communities at UConn.
- SHaW International Student Support GroupRegister to attend a session at this link
- UConn Engineering Diversity and Outreach Center (EDOC)Offers professional development classes on Wellness for engineers at UConn
- UConn Stamford Mental Health ResourcesResources for UConn Stamford students
- UConn Waterbury Mental Health ResourcesResources for students at UConn Waterbury
UConn Community Interest Groups & Centers
These centers offer community programming.
- UConn Rainbow CenterResources for allies of and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities
- Learning Community Innovation ZoneOffers the largest Makerspace on campus!
Graduate Students of Color Association: contact at gscauconn@gmail.com to be added to their email listserv to stay updated on upcoming events and initiatives. All graduate students of Color are welcome to join the UCONN Graduate Students of Color Association (GSCA)! GSCA is an organization that provides opportunities for fellowship, community, professional development, advocacy, support, and love to graduate students of Color
Off Campus Mental Health Resources
- Virtual (Zoom) Transgender & Gender Non-conforming Mental Health Group: hosted by Liz Clarkin, LCSW, Sr. Director of Community Services, She/Her/Hers, Perception Programs in Willimantic. For more information, contact: Liz Clarkin, LCSW at Elizabeth.Clarkin@perceptionprograms.org
- Find a Therapist in the US: Psychology TodayDirectory of therapists by zip code in US
- Triangle Community CenterFairfield county LGBTQIA health, wellness, & community center
Got a Health Question?
Wendy Urciuoli at the UConn Health Sciences Library coordinates a fantastic consumer health service called Wellness Through Answers. WTA connects Connecticut residents with personal health questions to reliable medical information.
When you have health questions consider calling Wellness Through Answers (WTA). WTA is a free, confidential health information service staffed by UConn Health medical librarians. We know where to find current, accurate, unbiased health information from authoritative sources. We also know how to tailor information to meet your specific needs.
Questions?
- Wellness Through AnswersEmail a UConn Health Librarian with your medical health questions
Wellness Library Founder & Designer: STEM Librarian
Avery Point Wellness Library Member: Chay Reed
Avery Point Library
1084 Shennecossett Road
Groton, CT 06340
New Wellness Collection Member: Vanessa Garcia, June 2023-Present
What is Educating the "Whole Student?"
What is teaching the "whole student?" In the introduction to the book below, David Schoem explains that,
Teaching the whole student represents recognition and appreciation for the fact that students (and faculty) bring into the classroom their hearts and spirits just as they bring their minds and intellectual capacities (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011).
For more information on this topic, click below to read this electronic book or download individual chapters:
Teaching the Whole Student by ISBN: 9781620363041Publication Date: 2017-05-19This book is a compendium of engaged teaching approaches by faculty across disciplines. These inspiring authors offer models for instructors who care deeply about their students, respect and recognize students' social identities and lived experiences, and are interested in creating community and environments of openness and trust to foster deep-learning, academic success, and meaning-making. The authors in this volume stretch the boundaries of academic learning and the classroom experience by seeking to identify the space between subject matter and a student's core values and prior knowledge. They work to find the interconnectedness of knowledge, understanding, meaning, inquiry and truth. They appreciate that students bring their full lives and experiences--their heart and spirit--into the classroom just as they bring their minds and intellectual inquiry.
Student Wellness & Academic Libraries by ISBN: 9780838948644Many university libraries across North America are expanding their service offerings to include student wellness initiatives or are making their space available to other campus entities to provide wellness support as mental health issues and awareness of mental health challenges on campus have increased. Student Wellness and Academic Libraries gathers multiple perspectives on wellness programming and discussions of current activities, with case studies, commentary, and research on student wellness initiatives in academic libraries.
Supporting neurodiverse college student success : a guide for librarians, student support services, and academic learning environments by ISBN: 1538137380Publication Date: 2021 Rowman & LittlefieldThe growing population of neurodiverse college students prompts new approaches to support their success and change traditional student services and collegiate experiences. Chapters cover tutoring, learning supports, academic coaching and advising, career services, residential living, and classroom experiences that impact and assist these students
Transformative Student Experiences in Higher Education by Call Number: on orderISBN: 9781498560665Publication Date: 2018-01-01Transformative Student Experiences in Higher Education: Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century Student and Modern Workplace presents a thorough consideration of the role, use, and implications of transformative and active instructional strategies in higher education. It examines the changing landscape of higher education and serves as a foundational lens and framework for thinking through higher education from both an experiential and transformative instructional context.
Request a Purchase Form Link
If you would like to make a suggestion for a future Wellness Library book purchase, then fill out the "Request a Purchase Form." New acquisitions are subject to available funding and vendor licensing. Not all titles are available as ebooks to university libraries. Thanks for stopping by the guide!
About the Guide and the Wellness Library Collection Initiative
This project was conceived of by STEM and Data Management Librarian Renee Walsh during the Fall 2020 semester. The team members of the project are STEM librarian Renee Walsh, Avery Point Access Services Coordinator, Chay Reed, and Babbidge Library Access Services Associate, Vanessa Garcia. The collection aims to offer books outside of the library's traditional collecting scope (popular personal growth titles, popular self-help, popular psychology titles, etc.) which are part of nurturing the growth and advancement of the whole student. The Wellness Guide and Digital Library aims to support UConn students' success by providing easily accessible and introductory level information about mental health and wellness. Finally, we host one in-person event per semester since Spring 2022.
In the process of creation of this guide, we consulted with UConn SHaW (Student Health & Wellness) Staff and asked them for book recommendations around the theme of mental health and wellness. It is our hope that students, faculty, and staff are able to connect with new ideas about wellness through this collection. Finally, we want to destigmatize the shame of discussing mental health for university students, graduate students, faculty, and staff.
-Renée Walsh, Project Lead and Founder, established in Fall 2020
Chay Reed, Access Services Coordinator, UConn Avery Point: Project Member AY 2022-Present
Vanessa Garcia, Babbidge Library Access & Visitor Services Associate, Member May 2023-Present
UConn Wellness Library Collection Strategic Framework Project
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Former Project Members :
Carolyn Mills, now retired (AY 2021)
Hilary Kraus and Clara Nguyen (AY 2020)
Jennifer Chaput, 2021- May 2023
This initiative is guided by the UConn Library Strategic Framework. The Strategic Framework charts the UConn Library's direction and builds on our strengths as a hub of scholarship, research, and learning for UConn students, faculty, and staff. We connect our community to information resources; to the spaces needed for thinking, studying learning, collaborating; and to the essential expertise of library staff.
To fully realize the potential of the Strategic Framework, the Library encourages all staff members to propose individual projects, group projects, or events/programs that further the Framework.
Disclaimer
This content guide is meant to be solely informational in nature. It is not meant to provide professional care or recommendations. It includes general considerations, but readers should contact their medical provider for individualized advice, treatment, and recommendations.
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call 911 or go to your local hospital. If you are in crisis, please call 860-486-4705 to be directed to the UConn on-call therapist. During winter breaks, crisis support is available only during business hours.
