Winter Groups provide supportive spaces for UW Seattle students to discuss various mental health topics and improve their well-being. These groups are facilitated by therapists and are available at no out-of-pocket cost.

Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy where a small group of individuals come together under the guidance of a trained therapist to share their experiences, discuss their challenges, and work on their personal growth. For college students, group therapy can provide a supportive environment to address common issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and academic pressures.

Monday

Beginning Mindfulness Meditation 

Start date: January 6th, 2025 

Time: 3:30-5:00 

Location:  Remote 

Facilitators: Treg Isaacson 

Focus: An 8-week practice and discussion-oriented group that helps people calm and soothe their nervous systems, looking at different aspects of mindfulness and sharing thoughts about the practice. We look at groundedness to the senses in the body, loving kindness, self-compassion, gratitude, and dealing with difficult emotions.  

Tuesday

Healthy Connection – Going Beyond the Body Image

Start Date: January 21, 2025

Date and Time: Tuesdays 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Location: UW Counseling Center (Schmitz Hall 4th Floor – 1410 NE Campus Pkwy, 98105)

Style: In-Person

Size: 6-8 people

Facilitators: Seiko Ryan MS-LMHC & Wendy Lendrum MN – ARNP

Focus: The Healthy Connection is a group therapy program designed to address common issues encountered by people struggling with disordered eating and body image. The group learns and practices healthy connections between the self, body, and eating behaviors in a safe and supportive environment. The group is an opportunity to reimagine one’s relationship with food and body. Active participation, a commitment to the eight weekly sessions, and participation in home exercises are all crucial components of the program. Appropriate for any students who are struggling with any types of disorder of eating and wanting to make changes.   

Wednesday

Between Cultures

Start Date: Rolling Admission

Time: Wednesdays, 3:00 – 4:30 PM

Location:  Remote over Zoom

Facilitators: Sashya Clark 

To register: Call the UW Counseling Center at 206.543.1240

Focus: This group is open to all UW students with intersectional cultures and identities. This is an ongoing group for students who are connected to and identify with multiple cultures but may struggle with finding a full sense of belonging to these cultures.  

Thursday

ACT for Anxiety  

Start date: January 30, 2025

Time: Thursdays, 2pm-3:30pm  

Location: Remote over Zoom  

Facilitators: Heidi Li  

Focus: Do you feel you overthink so much that you are stuck in your head? Do you feel that your anxiety is out of control? In this 7-week program, you will learn how to “unstuck” – to stay in the present moment and handle your anxious thoughts and feelings, while focusing on the things you find important in your life. This program is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model, a mindfulness-based therapy model focusing on how to embrace different emotions (instead of avoiding them) and live a value-based life. Group participants are expected to attend all 7 weekly sessions.  

Feminist Process Group for Graduate Students  

Start date: January 16, 2025

Time: Thursdays, 10am-11:30am  

Location: Remote over Zoom  

Facilitators: Amy Collins 

Focus: This process group focuses on connection, support, and exploring the range of experiences group members have while navigating life as graduate students. Members will have the opportunity to communicate authentically and relate in healthy ways within a supportive, feminist space. This group focuses on the experiences of graduate students and non-traditional age undergraduate students who identify as women, non-binary, genderqueer, or agender.  

Getting Through Grief 

Start Date: Rolling Admission

Time: Thursdays, 9:00am – 10:30am

Location:  Remote over zoom 

Facilitators: Treg Isaacson & Sashya Clark 

To register: Call the UW Counseling Center at 206.543.1240

Focus: Open to any UW student affected by grief or loss in their life. This therapy group is for students to come to terms with the support of others to the loss of loved ones in their lives and is open to any student affected by grief and loss in their life

Ongoing Mindfulness Group

Hour long sessions at noon on Thursdays, where experienced mindfulness practitioners gather to practice mindfulness together. Silent settling practice lasts about 20 minutes and is followed by guided meditation and sharing of observations. 

Start Date: Rolling Admission

Time: Thursdays 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Location: In-person, Counseling Center, Schmitz Hall 

Focus: This therapy group is for more advanced student practitioners of mindfulness who find it helpful.

Facilitators: Treg Isaacson

To register: Call the UW Counseling Center at 206.543.1240

Queer Tabletop Role Playing Game Group   

This group for participants who are navigating the Queer experience is built on a tradition of tabletop gaming as therapy. This alternative format group therapy will allow participants to build and role play characters in a fantasy setting with their individual presenting concerns in mind.  Participants will develop strategies to cope with social anxiety, practice using social skills, and address other mental health concerns brought to the table by the group. No previous gaming experience necessary.   

Start date:  TBD 

Time: 12:00pm-2:00pm 

Location: Small Group Room, Counseling Center, Schmitz Hall   

Facilitator: Jamie Welch   

Friday

Procrastination and Perfectionism 

A weekly group open to anyone who feels badly about how much they procrastinate, or who struggles with perfectionism.

Start Date: Ongoing

Time: Fridays 10:30am – 12:00pm

Location:  Remote over zoom

Focus: This is a therapy group for graduate and undergraduate students that struggle with perfectionism and/or procrastination.

Facilitators: Arionna Scott

To register: Call the UW Counseling Center at 206.543.1240

Information on this page is updated quarterly. Check back each quarter for new group offerings.

We are currently offering both virtual and in-person groups. Please refer to the descriptions of each group for details about attendance and format. For virtual groups, you will need a smartphone or computer with webcam to participate, as well as a good internet connection.

To request disability accommodations for your appointment, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 (voice), 206-543-6452 (TTY), 206-685-7264 (fax), or dso@uw.edu, preferably at least 10 days in advance.