Center on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery
  Center on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
  • Practice, Policy, & Science Exchange
  • Solutions Suite
  • Policy Academy
  • Science Showcase
  • Current Research & Evaluation
  • Completed Research
  • Give us Feedback
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Team
  • Practice, Policy, & Science Exchange
  • Solutions Suite
  • Policy Academy
  • Science Showcase
  • Current Research & Evaluation
  • Completed Research
  • Give us Feedback
  • Contact

Wellness activities

Picture
Picture
Download the manual for free

What is the guide?

Wellness Activities introduces people to strategies that help them create new health habits of their own choosing. Each lesson has been constructed as a group activity that maximizes learning through building positive interpersonal relationships and actively involving participants.   

How does it work?

The Wellness Group meets weekly for one hour. The manual contains 9 lessons focused on physical, emotional, and intellectual wellness. The wellness activities cover the following:
  • Gratitude journaling
  • Mindfulness
  • Healthy food choices
  • Leisure planning for wellness
  • Habits and routines
  • Relaxation techniques 
  • Sleep for wellness 
  • Yoga
  • Tips for eating well 

Each lesson can be used as a stand-alone group or combined into a multi-session series. When running a group as a series of lessons, the facilitator should begin each lesson with a brief review of the previous lesson and orientation to the lesson of the day. Each lesson should end with a summary of the day’s lesson and a preview of the next lesson. A sample lesson is provided to allow the facilitator to create new lessons on a related topic or activity.   

​Lessons should influence the behavior of the participants outside of the group, not just provide a respite from their ordinary activities. With this is mind, discussions of practical applications and personal experiences are built into each lesson. Learning objectives for each lesson clearly identify the outcomes from each group session.  

​The class is best offered in community-based settings. It can be taught in mental health or social service agencies, peer-run programs, community health clinics, or anywhere in the community where people can gather comfortably and privately.
​
Wellness Groups are facilitated by a mental health peer. Lessons work best when attended by 10-12 people.

What resources are needed?

  • A computer and copier to download and prepare the manuals and handouts
  • A private room
  • Pencils or pens for participants to take notes and complete any handouts
  • Cell phone or computer speakers to play audio
  • Kitchen utensils and appliances to prepare healthy foods
  • Groceries and related supplies
  • Journals for each participant
  • Soft/foam ball for participants to play toss in a group  

What experience is needed?

While specialized training is not necessary to run these groups, experience with facilitating group activities and a general understanding of the concepts of wellness is beneficial. Also, it is important that the facilitator have good interpersonal skills to engage participants in the activities.
​
Helpful preparation also includes: ​ 
  • Deciding which lessons will be addressed to develop a schedule with participants
  • Reading the lesson and preparing all the materials before each group starts
  • Being aware of cultural differences and any limitations participants may have with a given activity

Picture
​Podcast length: 5 minutes
Download Wellness Activities podcast transcript
A free webinar on how to implement Wellness Activities (40 minutes)
Download Wellness Activities webinar transcript

Request Technical Assistance

Home
About
Contact
Contact Information:  Center Staff | Webmaster

Visit our other Centers & Programs:
UIC Center on Psychiatric Disability and Co-Occurring Medical Conditions
Illinois IPS Web Portal 
UIC Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Long-Term Mental Illness
Employment Intervention Demonstration Program
UIC Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy

©2024 University of Illinois at Chicago