Peer Wellness Coaching (PWC) is a FREE service offered by our Peer Health Educators for students at the UW-Seattle campus. A few of our most experienced Peer Health Educators go through additional and in-depth training and supervision to be able to serve as Peer Wellness Coaches.
PWC is a great option for students who are looking to strengthen and enhance their personal well-being, solve problems effectively, and work toward intentional change in their lives and self.
Our Peer Wellness Coaches are trained in evidence-supported models of coaching and relational support. They use a strengths-based, multi-culturally aware lens in supporting you during coaching appointments.
Peer Wellness Coaching is NOT psychological counseling or therapy of any sort. If you are struggling with a psychological issue that is severely impacting your functioning and well-being, we suggest you schedule an appointment with the University Counseling Center to see a licensed professional. We are also NOT an on-call or emergency service; please call 911 in all life-threatening situations.
Who are the Coaches?
Our Peer Wellness Coaches are members of our Peer Health Education Program and have specialized training and ongoing staff supervision. Visit our site to read bios of coaches and make an appointment!
What’s a coaching appointment like?
A PWC appointment is a collaborative process between you and your Peer Wellness Coach to identify areas of growth and barriers to success. Wellness coaching is focused on your holistic well-being and aims to strengthen your self-awareness, skills and tools, and empower you to do what’s best for YOU. Coaches support you with a variety of skills, tools, knowledge, and resources that they are trained in. Appointments are 40 minutes. Common subjects students use Peer Wellness Coaching for:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depressed/Low Mood
- Substance use
- Sleep
- Self-Image/Worth
- Relationships
- Sexual health
- Time Management/Motivation
- Academic pressures and stress
- Finances
- Environmental Issues
- Career/Resume/Internship Stress & success
- Social Media/News stress and media management skills
What happens when I schedule an apt?
You will receive a confirmation e-mail from Calendly within an hour of making an appointment that has location details (depending on if you chose Zoom or In-Person at our 109 Elm Hall Office) and your finalized meeting time for your coaching appointment. You will receive additional reminder e-mails (and texts if you sign up for them) before your scheduled appointment. Please cancel or re-schedule at least 2 days in advance.
What are some reasons people utilize PWC?
Students utilize our Peer Wellness Coaching for a diverse range of reasons such as wanting to more effectively manage their stress, improve their emotional health, work through conflict, learn better communication skills, achieve academic related goals, or make changes to other parts of their well-being.
- Wanting to improve one’s sleep to minimize disruptions and increase quality and quantity of sleep
- Learning effective conflict resolution skills for managing roommate issues or relationship issues
- Learning how to budget, save, and manage personal finances
- Establishing routines and practices to nurture positive emotion, meaning, purpose, engagement, and flow in one’s life
- Strengthening self-awareness for improved emotional regulation and self-management
Other Campus Coaches
Our Peer Wellness Coaching program is aimed at health and wellness topics, skills, and development, but we have a complementary program on campus through Academic Support Programs called Academic Success Coaching aimed at overcoming academic challenges and fostering academic success! Check them out below:
UW Academic Support Programs and CIRCLE offer free, one-on-one meetings with a trained academic success coach. The academic success coach is a peer who works with students to help build general skills for academic success. Topics include:
- Effective study strategies
- Transitioning to the UW
- Time management skills
- Setting and working towards goals
- Finding campus resources
- Motivation
