Are you interested in offering a group program to students at your educational institution? Are you interested in incorporating practices that support student well-being in your work? Apply today to participate in the Be REAL Facilitator Training.
Applications are due by December 10, 2021.
Please note: this training is for non-UW staff. If you are a UW staff member and wish to participate in our campus training, please email rblong2@uw.edu.
Our goal is to create a program that allows campuses to scale up programs to bolster student mental health and well-being. For this reason, Be REAL is designed to be delivered by non-clinicians (though clinicians are welcome too!). Additionally, the program blends mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral skills, as research has shown that programs combining these two areas are more supportive to student well-being than either one alone.
Be REAL is an outstanding program for campus professionals who want to support student well-being and contribute to cultivating a campus culture that centers well-being and resilience. A few reasons to bring Be REAL to your campus:
- Research has shown that participation in the program can significantly improve student well-being and mental health across a range of indicators;
- The program consistently receives outstanding feedback from students and staff who report that it is supportive to their well-being and inclusive of their cultural and personal beliefs;
- Staff report that the program also provides them with tools to manage the stress of working in educational settings, especially in the ongoing COVID pandemic;
- Staff who participated in Be REAL training report feeling more competent in supporting students with the skills they gained from the program; and
- The experiential training provides staff with everything needed to immediately launch a group, including a fully scripted manual and professionally developed resources to support a variety of student learning needs.
Who should apply?
Be REAL is an excellent program for higher education staff from a range of roles engaging with students, including advisors, counselors, instructors, program managers, and more. Ideally, staff enrolling in this training will be permitted to participate and offer the program as part of their standard work hours. During the training, you will have space to brainstorm how Be REAL could be embedded in existing programs to support a culture of well-being and resilience on your campus.
About the Facilitator Training
The Winter 2022 Facilitator Training will be offered online via Zoom. It has three parts: 1) the 7-week Be REAL Program; 2) the 3-day Facilitation Training; and 3) Individual Consultation Meeting.
1) The 7-week Immersion Program
Our research and experience show that Be REAL is best delivered by staff who have participated in the same program as part of their own development, which is why we ask that instructors interested in bringing BeREAL to their campus participate in the full program as a way to familiarize themselves with the content and practices. Further, staff report that the time and space to focus on their well-being enhances their group facilitation and 1-1 work with students.
Be REAL is typically 6-weeks long, with 90-minute sessions each week. The Facilitator Training includes one additional session (90-minutes) at the beginning of the program for introducing the pedagogy, foundational concepts in the training, and group introductions. This portion of the training accounts for 10.5 hours.
2) The Facilitation Training
The Facilitation Training is offered after the Be REAL group ends. The training includes three four-hour sessions, as well as two hours of independent study and reflection. During the sessions, participants review how to facilitate key mindfulness practices, deliver cognitive behavioral skills, facilitate inquiry, and review considerations for cultivating inclusive environments for students.
As part of the Facilitation Training, you will receive an electronic copy of the Be REAL manual and access to our facilitator webpage. The 180-page manual includes scripts for each session that you can use verbatim or adapt as needed for your students. You will also receive professionally developed materials to supplement your teaching, including:
- 10 handouts (all handouts available in English and Spanish)
- 6 weekly newsletters that align with the Be REAL program
- 8 videos on key topics and content areas
- More than 20 guided audio practices (English and Spanish)
- Templates for recruiting and registering students
This portion of the training accounts for 14.5 hours.
3) Consultation Meeting
At the individual consultation meeting, Be REAL Trainers hold individual consultation meetings with each participant to support the adaptation and implementation of Be REAL. This portion of the training accounts for 1 hour.
The three-part sequence accounts for 26 hours of professional training. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available.
After completing the entire training series, participants are welcome to join the monthly Be REAL Community of Practice sessions. These drop-in sessions offer staff a space to exchange ideas in supporting well-being, as well as a space to reflect on their own practice and well-being.
Robyn Long, Director of Programs and Training, Be REAL
Megan Kennedy, Director of the UW Resilience Lab