Groups and Workshops

Tuesday 5/5 1-2pm 

Wednesday 5/6 12-2pm 

Friday 5/8 2-3pm 

Tuesday 5/12 12-1pm (12:15pm and 12:35pm)

In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex house)

Stop by CCPH for the opportunity to spend time with a therapy dog alongside a small group of people! Visits with our dogs happen on a first-come basis. Interested participants can walk into the Middlesex building, check in with the front desk, and sign up for a 15-minute session.

Hosted by: Cindy Brown, LMHC with George

Registration: Arrive at CCPH (Middlesex Building) prior to your chosen time slot and check-in at the front desk.

Wednesday 5/6 4-5pm. In-Person at the Herb Library (Science and Engineering Library, 3rd Fl, far end)

Mix a customized blend of locally harvested and foraged plants, steep, sip and enjoy over informal conversation (questions welcome!). Led by Kira Rib, a visiting herbal ethnographer from University of South Florida, and Madeleine Charney, environmental sciences librarian and student of herbalism. There will be time to browse books and seeds and other offerings.  

Registration: No registration necessary! Just drop in!

Monday 5/11: 1-3pm. In-Person at Sylvan Woods. Meet at Lot 44 sign.

Take some time to disconnect from the chaos of the semester and reconnect to yourself and to nature.

Over forty years of research has shown that forest therapy can reduce stress, lift depression, improve anxiety, and sharpen cognitive performance. Healing is truly rooted in nature, so please consider joining this workshop in a forest therapy session by stepping to a world where time slows, perception expands, and nature guides you home.
 

We will be outside the whole time, so please wear layers, comfortable shoes, and bring water!

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext. 5). Students can attend one, two, or all three sessions of the series! Register for each session.

Hosted by: Sarah Archibald, PMHNP-BC

Mondays 3pm-4:15pm. Telehealth via Zoom. 

Dates: 5/18, 6/1, 6/8, 6/15, & 6/22

In this workshop series, participants will gain a better understanding of ADHD and feel empowered to embrace their ADHD. We will discuss several strategies to manage symptoms and improve well-being, such as creating structures and routines, recognizing your strengths and challenges, and seeking support. This workshop series will focus on self-compassion & motivation, as well as practical strategies & implementation.

Hosted by: Jeston Sussman, LICSW & Raegan Harrington, MA

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext 5). Students should plan to attend all sessions and participate in the full workshop series.  

Tuesdays & Thursdays 12pm-1:30pm. Telehealth via Zoom.

Dates: 6/2, 6/4, 6/9, & 6/11

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skills can help to reduce challenging behaviors and cope with sudden or intense surges of emotion. In this workshop, students will learn how to:

• more effectively manage intense emotions
• live more fully in the present moment
• more effectively communicate and express their needs
• more effectively negotiate relationships

Skills covered in this workshop include:

• mindfulness
• emotion regulation
• distress tolerance
• interpersonal effectiveness

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext. 5). Students should plan to attend all sessions and participate in the full series.  

Thursdays 2:30-3:45pm. Telehealth via Zoom.

Begins 6/22. Runs through July.

Co-ed experiential personal growth groups with a focus on mutual support, self-exploration, self-expression, interpersonal relationships, managing anxiety, balancing multiple roles, and addressing obstacles to completing dissertations/theses. Build connections, process experiences, and explore new perspectives. Graduate students only.

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413)545-2337x5 and ask for a 30-minute group screening appointment for the Graduate Student Support Group. If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you.

Hosted by:  Raegan Harrington, MA & Joe Kennedy, MS, MEd

Mondays 4-5:15 p.m. Telehealth over Zoom. Begins 2/2. Runs while classes are in session. 

Are you interested in being in community with fellow international folks? Do you want a space to socialize, make friends, and talk about topics like school, mental health, and being an international student? 

Come to Around the World--a weekly drop-in Zoom space to talk about your experiences and build community! 

Hosted by: Fusako Yamagiwa, LICSW 

Registration:​  https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/meeting/register/msZSSkGJS-mycJ4rA_ztzw

Thursdays 4-5:15 p.m. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House). 
Begins 3/5. Runs while classes are in session.

Explore how creating art can improve your mental, emotional and physical well-being by reducing stress, increasing cognitive function and boosting your mood! Experience how these practices increase the “feel good” chemicals and engage multiple regions of the brain, creating a sense of calm while improving focus and emotional regulation. Whether you are navigating stress, feeling down or seeking more balance and connection, this group offers a welcoming space to feel happier, foster resilience, and connect to others in a meaningful way.

All students are welcome—no prior artistic background or skill necessary!

Registration: No registration required. Just drop-in—feel free to come late and/or leave early! Note: CCPH front door locks at 4:30pm.

Hosted by: Cathe Bruso, LMHC, LCAT (NY)

Wednesdays 2:30-3:45 p.m. In-Person at Worcester Dining Hall Room 155. Begins 2/4. Runs while classes are in session. -- CANCELED WED 4/1

Explore how creating art and engaging in mindfulness can improve your mental, emotional and physical well-being by reducing stress, increasing cognitive function and boosting your mood. Art and mindfulness offer alternative paths to healing that can help you navigate stress and depression while increasing emotional regulation. This drop-in space is casual, fosters resilience and connection with others in a meaningful way.

No previous art or mindfulness experience is required to participate.
Co-Hosted with UMass Recovery

Registration: No registration required. Just drop-in—feel free to come late and/or leave early! 

Co-Sponsored by: UMass Recovery 

Hosted by: Diane Fedorchak, M.Ed., Dir. of Substance Misuse Prevention Strategies & Cathe Bruso, LMHC, LCAT (NY)

In-person on Wednesdays, 4:30 – 6 p.m. at Goodell 327. Begins 2/4. Runs while classes are in session.

No Group tonight, 2/18/26!!!!

A weekly drop-in space for students to connect and talk about their experiences of living on the spectrum, supported by co-facilitators. 

*Spectrum refers to people who experience any elements of autism spectrum disorders, including (dis)abilities related to perception, sensory processing, language, executive function, and motor skills. Group members do not need a medical diagnosis to attend the group. The group will work with the philosophy of ‘support needs’ rather than ability. 

You are welcome to honor your needs and come after the start time and/or leave early. Please refrain from using products with fragrances. 

Co-Hosted with the Office of Disability Services

Hosted by: Aspen Prager, LICSW, & Mark Sena

How to Join: No registration required. Just drop-in—feel free to come late and/or leave early! Open to UMass students only. 

Co-Sponsored by: Office of Disability Services

In-Person on Wednesdays 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Goodell 327. Begins 2/4. Runs while classes are in session.

Are you interested in being in community with lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual and/or questioning peers? 

Do you want a space to socialize, make friends and talk about topics like school, mental health, and being queer/trans? 

Come to the LGBTQ+ Talk Space--a weekly drop-in space to talk about your experiences and build community! Open to all Five College students.

Co-hosted by the Stonewall Center 

Hosted by: Aspen Prager, LICSW & Zeke Shenk

Registration: No registration required. Just drop-in—feel free to come late and/or leave early!

In Person - University Village Community Center (990 N. Pleasant St., Amherst)
Fridays -- 2/13, 2/20, 2/27 & 3/6 between 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.

A space for students interested in discussing the unique challenges of being both a student and a parent. Each session will begin with learning skills to manage stress and anxiety as well as discussing the impacts that stress and anxiety have on parenting students. The space will be an open, non-judgmental environment where students can learn skills, get support, validation, and connect with one another. Partners of student parents are also welcome.

Co-Sponsored by Student Parent Program
 
Hosted by: Jessi Bond, LICSW

Registration: No registration required. Just drop-in. 

Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House). Begins 2/4. Runs while classes are in session.

Stop by CCPH for the opportunity to spend time with a therapy dog alongside a small group of people! Visits with our dogs happen on a first-come basis. Interested participants can walk into the Middlesex building, check in with the front desk, and sign up for a 15-minute session.

Hosted by: Cindy Brown, LMHC with George; Beth Prullage, LICSW with Rosie; and Eileen Hirsch, CFNP, CPMHNP with Doolin

Registration: Arrive at CCPH (Middlesex Building) prior to your chosen time slot and check-in at the front desk. 

Wednesdays 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex Building).

Begins 2/4. Runs While Classes are in Session.

Open to all UMass and Five College students who are interested in talking and connecting with trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and/or questioning peers. Will run every week of the semester.

Co-sponsored by Stonewall Center

Hosted by: Brad Landon, LICSW & Jade Schapiro

Registration: To register, please call the office at (413) 545-2337 x5 and ask to speak with Brad about the TGNC group.

Mondays 2:30-3:45 p.m. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House).

Dates: 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, & 4/13

In this workshop series, participants will gain a better understanding of ADHD and feel empowered to embrace their ADHD. We will discuss several strategies to manage symptoms and improve well-being, such as creating structures and routines, recognizing your strengths and challenges, and seeking support. This workshop series will have two parts: the first three sessions will be focused on Self-Compassion & Motivation; the last three sessions on Strategies & Implementation.

Hosted by: Jeston Sussman, LICSW

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext 5). Students should plan to attend all sessions and participate in the full workshop series.  

Thursdays, 2:30-3:45 p.m. In-person at CCPH (Middlesex Building)

Days/dates:

• Series I:  3/5, 3/12, 3/26 & 4/2

• Series II: 4/9, 4/16, 4/23 & 4/30

Building resilience through DBT skills can help to reduce challenging behaviors and cope with sudden or intense surges of emotion. In this workshop, students will learn how to:

• more effectively manage intense emotions
• live more fully in the present moment
• more effectively communicate and express their needs
• more effectively negotiate relationships

Skills covered in this workshop include:

• mindfulness
• emotion regulation
• distress tolerance
• interpersonal effectiveness

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext. 5). Students should plan to attend all sessions and participate in the full series.  

Wednesdays 1-2:15 p.m. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House). 

Dates:

• Series I: 2/25, 3/4 & 3/11

• Series II: 4/1, 4/15, & 4/22

Do you find it difficult to advocate for your wants and needs in conflict with others? Do you find yourself avoiding hard conversations with your friends, parents, professors, or managers? Is “people pleasing” your best tool for conflict resolution? This three-part workshop series will build confidence in your ability to navigate inner and outer conflicts, especially as it relates to decision-making, avoidance, and self-abandonment. Together we’ll explore how media, family, past experiences, and stress over time develop our conflict styles and create barriers to equitable resolutions, and what we can do to stay true to our most authentic selves.

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext. 5). Students should plan to attend all sessions and participate in the full series.   

Hosted by: Aaliyah Bell, LCSW and Ana Seiler, BA, BS _________________________________________________________________________________

Thursdays 11a.m. - 1 p.m. In-Person at Sylvan Woods. Meet at Lot 44 sign.

Dates: 2/26, 3/26, & 4/30

Take some time to disconnect from the chaos of the semester and reconnect to yourself and to nature.

Over forty years of research has shown that forest therapy can reduce stress, lift depression, improve anxiety, and sharpen cognitive performance. Healing is truly rooted in nature, so please consider joining this workshop in a forest therapy session by stepping to a world where time slows, perception expands, and nature guides you home.
 

We will be outside the whole time, so please wear layers, comfortable shoes, and bring water!

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext. 5). Students can attend one, two, or all three sessions of the series! Register for each session.

Hosted by: Sarah Archibald, PMHNP-BC _________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesdays 4 - 5:15 p.m. In-Person at CCPH. Join a series at anytime!
 

Dates: 

• Series I: 2/24, 3/3 & 3/10

• Series II: 4/14, 4/21, & 4/28

Do you attribute your success to luck or outside factors?

Do you ever find yourself consistently experiencing self-doubt, even in areas where you generally excel?

Do you often feel like a fake or a fraud despite all your accomplishments--and fear you may be "found out"?

Join this workshop to better understand Impostor Phenomenon, the ways that it can manifest, and developing strategies to overcome it.

Hosted by: Marymar Rivera Castro, PhD, & Jeston Sussman, LICSW

Registration: Register for each individual session of a series via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext 5); OR just come to CCPH by 4pm on the day of the workshop, and check-in at the front desk. While it is encouraged for students to attend all sessions in a series, participants can join either series at anytime!!

Wednesdays 4 - 5:15 p.m. In-Person at CCPH.

Dates: 

• Series I: 2/18, 2/25, 3/4 & 3/11

• Series II: 4/1, 4/8, 4/15 & 4/22

This four-session workshop is designed for individuals who want to learn how to improve their current relationships or prepare for a future connection. We will focus on how to manage conflict constructively, enhance friendship and intimacy, learn how to address perpetual and solvable problems, create shared meaning in your relationship, and improve your dating skills. Lessons in love is a Gottman Institute program based on the latest research about what makes and breaks partnerships.

Hosted by: Cindy Brown, LMHC

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext 5). Students are encouraged to attend all sessions of a series.

Wednesdays 3:30-5 pm. In-Person at CWC (New Africa House). Join a series at anytime!

Dates: 

• Series I: 3/25, 4/1 (Cancelled) & 4/8 (Cancelled)

• Series II: 4/15 (Cancelled), 4/22 (Cancelled) & 4/29

Have you been impacted by trauma? Feeling disconnected from yourself or others Feeling out of control and/or shut down? 

This three-session educational workshop series will empower you with the knowledge of how trauma impacts the mind/body and your relationships. You will learn grounding and mindfulness practices to calm the body and help you have new emotional responses. Safety is our goal, so you will be asked not to share the traumatic details of your story.

Hosted by: Marymar Rivera Castro, PhD and Jenny Li

Registration: Register for each individual session of a series via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext 5); OR just come to CWC by 3:30pm on the day of the workshop, and check-in at the front desk. While it is encouraged for students to attend all sessions in a series, participants can join either series at anytime!!  

Tuesdays and Fridays 3-4 p.m. Telehealth over Zoom. Wednesdays and Thursdays 3-4 p.m. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House).

Begins 2/3. Runs while classes are in session.  

**Stress GPS is cancelled on Thurs 4/16 due to a CCPH event**

An innovative skills-based free workshop open to all UMass students, focused on learning practical tools for coping with stress and anxiety.

• Increase your sense of emotional well-being
• Practice strategies to calm your mind and body
• Increase your mindfulness
• Learn to better manage emotional distress and feeling overwhelmed 

Stress GPS is a three-session workshop. To get the full curriculum, it is recommended that you attend three weeks in a row. (Totaling 3 hours in the workshop, any 1 hour each week)

Click the links below to learn more about each session:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3

Registration:  

Tuesdays and Fridays: Zoom registration

Wednesdays and Thursdays: Arrive at CCPH (Middlesex Building) by 3 pm and check-in at the front desk.

Tuesdays 2:30-3:30 p.m. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House).

Single-Session Workshops Offered on: 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, and 4/28

Join us for this single-session workshop to better understand how stress and sleep intersect in your life! Learn how stress and sleep show up in our daily lives, impact academic/physical/athletic performance, and affect our overall sense of wellbeing. Walk away with some practical tips and strategies to reduce stress and improve sleep!

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext 5).OR just come to CCPH by 3:30pm on the day of the workshop, and check-in at the front desk. This is a single session workshop, so you only need to attend one! Content will be the same at each session.

Tuesdays, 4 - 5 p.m. or Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Both Telehealth over Zoom.

Series I: Tuesdays, March 3 & 10 between 4 - 5 p.m.
Series II: Wednesdays, April 1 & 8, between 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

This two-session workshop invites students to explore how sadness and depression can form repeating patterns that keep us feeling stuck. Through reflection and guided practice, participants will learn to recognize the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral loops that sustain low mood. The workshop offers a space to acknowledge and understand your personal journey with low mood while learning practical strategies to manage depressive thoughts, reduce guilt and self-criticism, and reconnect with what truly matters. Join us in discovering new ways to move forward.

Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions, held over two consecutive weeks, for the best experience, skill learning, and skill application.

Registration: Register via the Patient Portal or by calling CCPH directly (413-545-2337 ext 5). Students are encouraged to attend all sessions of a series.

Mondays 4-5:30 p.m. In-Person at Campus Center 168.

Dates: 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/23, 3/30, 4/6, & 4/13

Join us for a free six-week series which provides education on ways that trauma impacts us and offers a way to heal the nervous system using breath and mindful yoga movements. Each class will offer a check-in, 45-minute breath and movement practice and a closing check-out. No prior yoga experience needed. You will not be asked to share details of your trauma. You can bring your own yoga mat and/or one can be provided for you. All genders are welcome.

Co-Sponsored by CWC and WOCLN.

Hosted by: Yolanda Ramos, LICSW, RYT-200

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413)545-2337 x5 and ask for a 30-minute screening appointment for the Yoga for Trauma Healing workshop. If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you. Students should plan to attend all sessions and participate in the full series.

Click here for a detailed description of the workshop sessions

Tuesdays 3:30-4:45 p.m. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House).

Co-ed experiential personal growth groups with a focus on mutual support, self-exploration, self-expression, interpersonal relationships, managing anxiety, balancing multiple roles, and addressing obstacles to completing dissertations/theses. Build connections, process experiences, and explore new perspectives. Graduate students only.

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413)545-2337x5 and ask for a 30-minute group screening appointment for the Graduate Student Support Group on your desired day. If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you.

Hosted by:  Amanda DiStasio, PhD 

Tuesdays 1-2:15 p.m. in-person at CCPH (Middlesex Building).

Group will begin when full.

Don't struggle alone. Come together with other students who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413)545-2337x5 and ask for a 30-minute group screening appointment for the Grief and Loss Group. If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you. 

Reach out to CCPH for more information.

In this group we will use different writing approaches such as freewriting, storytelling, and memoir, to connect to and express the feelings that might flow better onto paper than through talk. Members of the group will receive writing prompts and write together. We will also have the opportunity to read our writing and to offer each other supportive reflection. 

This group is designed to:
• Express and create
• Develop greater insight
• Feel a sense of ownership of our healing process
• Receive support, kinship, validation, and hope from our peers

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413) 545-2337x5 and ask for a 30-minute group screening appointment for Let's Write! If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you.

Mondays 2:30-3:45pm. In-Person at CCPH (Middlesex House). 

Group will begin when full.

This depression therapy group is designed to be a place where group members will be invited to share their experiences, emotions and challenges in a safe and
supportive environment. Through interpersonal processing we will work toward helping each other reflect, gain insight, learn from each other's experiences, and feel a sense of universality and reduced isolation. This will be a closed group and will begin when the group is full.

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413) 545-2337x5 and ask for a 30-minute group screening appointment for Real Talk: Depression and Connection. If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you.

Reach out to CCPH for more information.

Transferring to a new institution involves more than just academics—it's about finding your community. Join us to share experiences, build relationships, find study partners, and navigate "transfer shock" together. Connect with peers who understand the unique challenges of transferring, to share experiences, and to find encouragement. This group offers a welcoming space to build community, navigate academic and social transitions, and find support to ensure a successful and integrated college experience.

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413) 545-2337x5 and ask for a 30-minute group screening appointment for Transfer Student Support Group. If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you.

Reach out to CCPH for more information.

An experiential personal growth group for women-identified graduate students, focusing on mutual support, self-exploration, self-expression, and interpersonal relationships to help navigate experiences of anxiety, multiple roles, and obstacles to completing dissertations/theses.

Registration: To register, please call the CCPH front desk at (413) 545-2337x5 and ask for a 30-minute group screening appointment for Women’s Graduate Group. If you're currently seeing a CCPH clinician, your clinician can also book the group screening appointment for you.

Hosted by: Katie Brenner, PsyD