Though often treated as such, graduate students are not exempt from the mental health crisis present at institutions across the country (Evans et al., 2018). Among the myriad of factors that may contribute to this crisis, relationships and self awareness have been shown to mediate student well-being (Bal et al., 2003; Kaler & Stebleton, 2019; Joshi et al., 2024). The Seeking Emotional Grounding and Connection Workshop is a 90-minute practice-focused workshop facilitated by current graduate student, Adam Marino. This workshop incorporates a multimodal pedagogical approach utilizing reflective practices (Howell, 2021), active learning experiences (Strayhorn, 2008), and small group discussions (Pollock, Hamann & Wilson, 2011). The primary goal of the workshop is to create a conceptual bridge between social support and self-advocacy by reframing resilience and connection as tools for emotional regulation. Throughout the workshop, students will co-create understandings of key concepts (emotional intelligence, emotional regulation and resilience). Advancing understanding and application of these three concepts in daily life can help to improve relationships and personal well-being (Schutte et al., 2002; Graham, Powell & Truscott, 2016).
The content of this workshop is largely adapted from the Sanger Leadership Center’s Resilience and Emotional Intelligence workshops designed for their Ross Leaders Academy. Students will spend some time engaging with the Sanger Leadership Center’s Resilience Model to create links between well-being, social support and emotional regulation (Durso, Afonso & Beltman, 2021; Ceglédi, Fényes & Pusztai 2022). Later, they will advance their understanding of emotional intelligence as an application for seeking connection with others (Bond & Donaldso-Feilder, 2004; Perkins, 2021). Students will interact with an expanded iteration of Robert Plutchik’s emotion wheel to understand the nuance behind characterizing emotion alongside this discussion. In this way, students will understand emotional intelligence as a vehicle towards accessing a more varied and effective toolkit in response to significant stressors (Pau et al., 2004).
Students will apply the content to three exercises throughout the workshop: a personal temperament visualization, a nonverbal relation practice, and a Board of Directors activity. The temperament analysis allows students to construct an idea of personal well-being and engage with self-concept. They will physically demonstrate the cumulative detraction from and refueling of their self-concept and bandwidth that occurs through intake of negative and positive stimuli respectively. The nonverbal relation praxis asks students to recognize and name emotions with increased specificity, verbally and auditorily interpret emotions in others and exercise emotional intelligence as a tool for connection. Finally, the Board of Directors activity encourages students to articulate their current networks of social support as a method of exploring the support roles that are present and absent in their lives. Following these activities, students will be encouraged to reach out to these individuals and name the importance of their roles. Additionally, students will reflect on how to complete their networks of social support through naming their needs and seeking out specified support from resources around campus.
