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Student Wellness Services
Queen's Student Wellness Services (SWS) supports the personal, academic, and social development of students by providing welcoming, confidential, and integrated services that are responsive to student needs.
The SWS has a multidisciplinary health team that includes family physicians, psychiatrists, registered nurses, and support staff. Services offered by SWS include:
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Accessibility Services for students with disabilities
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Health Promotion to support and improve student health and well-being, including physical, mental, and social health.
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Health Services for appointments with physicians and nurses as well as walk-in appointments for urgent care during the academic year (September to April).
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Mental Health education programs and workshops to promote an understanding of the complexities of mental health and supporting someone in distress.
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Counselling Services provides short-term counselling to assist students in dealing with various personal difficulties. The Counselling Services team also works closely with partners in the Kingston community to assist students who need specialized services or longer-term counselling support. Counselling Services is staffed by psychologists, certified counsellors, social workers, and trainees from the graduate program in the Department of Psychology.
Students can also access on-site counsellors in Residences, the Faculties of Engineering and Applied Science and Education, the Smith School of Business, the School of Medicine, and the School of Graduate Studies.
Campus Wellness Project
The Campus Wellness Project is a collaborative, campus-wide initiative to advance, encourage and support a culture of well-being at Queen's. The initiative will follow a community-wide approach to engagement, leading to the design of a well-being framework that provides structure to align and inspire thinking about campus health and well-being when considering actions, processes, policies, and programming.
Learn more on the Campus Wellness Project website.
Awareness and Education Programs
Student Wellness Services offers mental health awareness sessions for faculty, staff, and students that range from a 45-minute workshop to a 2-day Mental Health First Aid certificate program.
Information on understanding mental health and supporting individuals in distress can be found on the& Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs website.
Cross-Cultural Counselling
All Queen’s Counsellors provide culturally sensitive advisory services. Students from culturally and racially diverse backgrounds can also access the specialized services of the cross-cultural counsellor. Issues of concern that may be addressed include social identity, personal development, crises, personal and family problems, adjusting to university life in Canada, stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem and self-confidence, ethnicity, race and minority issues, intercultural relationships, intimate relationship issues, racism, abuse and assault, cultural and sexual orientation concerns, grief and mourning.
Contact Queen’s Cross-Cultural Counsellor:
Dr. Arunima Khanna
613-533-6000 ext. 75774
7ak1@queensu.ca
Sexual Violence
Queen’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator, Barb Lotan, offers non-emergency support for individuals who have experienced sexual violence by helping them understand their options, assessing possible next steps, and connecting them to support services.
Nutrition and Alternative Diets
Queen's offers services designed to help students with particular dietary requirements, including diet restrictions related to allergies, food intolerances, or religious observances.
Learn more about alternative diet options and support resources on the Hospitality Services website.
Graduate Studies
The School of Graduate Studies Habitat provides online resources for living well and staying well in graduate school. Graduate students can access tailored information on financial planning, getting involved in the Queen’s community, dissertation support, career development, and much more.
Athletics and Recreation Centre
The Queen's Athletics & Recreation Centre (ARC) offers state-of-the-art workout facilities, a pool, squash courts, and several gyms.
- More than 30 fitness classes, such as Yoga, Pilates, cardio, cycle dance, strength, and swimming, are offered each week.
- Students can participate in various recreation clubs, such as archery, climbing, tennis, dance, martial arts, and gymnastics.
- Intramurals offer students an opportunity to stay involved in the sports they love, or to try a new sport while they attend university.
- The Human Resources Learning and Development Departmentfacilitates lunchtime programs targeted to physical health and managing stress.
Just for Women Programming
Athletics & Recreation offers programming for women in a comfortable and exclusive environment. Facility space and time is set aside for women in weight and cardio training, drop-in basketball, and swimming activities. The Marion Ross Room is reserved for women and is equipped with the latest weight and cardio equipment and open early mornings, lunch, and after-work hours.
Accessible Workouts
The ARC offers several areas with accessibility in mind. All of the weight and cardio zones are available via elevator and the pool is accessible with a ramp. The ARC also offers a number of pieces of weight and cardio equipment which are specifically designed with accessibility in mind.
"Revved Up" is a twice-weekly exercise program for people with a mobility impairment. Workout sessions take place through the week in the Queen's University Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) or at the gym in Providence Care Hospital.
Thrive Week
Thrive is a week-long series of events focused on building positive mental health for Queens students, faculty, and staff. The goal of the Thrive initiative is to increase education and communication on the topic of positive mental health and what it means to the Queen’s Community.
Employee Family Assistance
The Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is a confidential counselling and wellness service that provides support for Queen’s faculty and staff. The program provides access to masters' level counsellors, a full suite of lifestyle and specialty services, and a variety of online services. The EFAP is available to Queen's employees and their families as defined by Queen's benefits programs.