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Bureau of Study Counsel Center for Academic and Personal Development |
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Home · About · Staff · Contact Us · Search |
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Counseling ·
Workshops
& Discussion Groups
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Reading
Course ·
Peer Tutoring |
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Workshops & Discussion Groups Workshops & Discussion Groups provide students with opportunities for self-exploration, interpersonal support, skill-building, and problem-solving in topic areas related to student life and academic development. The confidential and respectful format of workshops and groups allows students to express their concerns and stretch their limits within a context of mutual trust and creative exploration.Below are sample comments from students: “I really learned something about myself in this group.” “It’s good to know I’m not alone.” “Around here there is so much competition, pressure to perform... the group is a place where we feel safe to talk about ourselves.” “Hearing other people’s perspectives helps me get clearer about mine.” “The group is great because it’s almost like I can hear my own voice coming from someone else!” Unless otherwise noted, groups and workshops are open to students in Harvard College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education, and the Harvard Kennedy School. All groups and workshops meet at the Bureau of Study Counsel, 5 Linden Street. Groups and workshops are confidential. If you miss a group or workshop, feel free to contact the Bureau to set up an appointment with the counselor who is leading it. Group and workshop leaders welcome your questions, so please do not hesitate to call for more information or to set up a consultation appointment. Workshops on Request Bureau counselors are happy to facilitate workshops and/or individual Houses, dormitories, classes, or student groups. Popular topics include time management, managing difficult writing tasks, creative problem-solving, cultural adjustment, conflict-resolution skills, and other student life issues. Please contact the Bureau at 617-495-2581 to speak with a counselor or to request more information. CURRENT GROUPS AND WORKSHOPS (click on the title to see the description):
ADD/LD Group This group provides a supportive space to talk with other students with Attention Deficit Disorder and/or Learning Disorders (ADD/LD), and to learn coping skills to manage difficulties in three core areas: organization/planning, reducing distractibility, and developing adaptive thinking. To register, email Jennifer Page (jpage@bsc.harvard.edu).
Creative Relating A group to try out new ways of communicating and relating to others in our lives. We address staying present and centered when under stress; speaking to be heard and understood; verbal and non-verbal cues; and communicating authentically. Creativity, openness, and risk-taking is encouraged.
Dissertation
Writers' Support Group GSAS, GSE, and HKS students are invited to discuss their dissertation work in a group context and gain emotional and intellectual encouragement from others struggling with the process. The group may elect to continue to meet without the leaders after the group ends.
Exam-taking
Workshop A review of strategies for effective exam preparation and for taking exams with a minimum of anxiety. To register, please call 617-495-2581.
Getting
Started in Graduate School This group provides a supportive setting for discussion of the various challenges in the beginning years of graduate school. Topics of discussion include learning to balance multiple commitments, building relationships with mentors and your fellow students, navigating your department, and setting goals for yourself. Learning
Styles Workshop We all have different learning styles - characteristic strengths and preferences in the way we take in and process information. This two-part workshop will focus on helping you identify your own learning style and develop learning strategies that work for you. To register, please email Jennifer Page (jpage@bsc.harvard.edu) or Claire Shindler (cshindler@bsc.harvard.edu)
Making the
Best Use of Reading Period We will talk about making good use of unstructured time, studying for and taking exams, and coping with anxiety and stress. To register, please call 617-495-2581.
Mindfulness, Balance, and Academic Life This group guides students in practicing mindfulness techniques to help them find and maintain balance in their busy lives. Topics that will be covered include guided imagery, body scan, progressive muscle relaxation, and other mindfulness meditation practices. To register, please email gkaddouh@bsc.harvard.edu
Perfectionism: A Double-Edged Sword Many students struggle with the fine line between striving for excellence vs. suffering from perfectionism. Through discussion and practical exercises, this workshop will help you begin to distinguish motivation for healthy achievement from perfectionism and overcome some of the pitfalls of perfectionism. To register, please email Jennifer Page (jpage@bsc.harvard.edu)
Procrastination Group Through discussion and practical exercises, we will work on understanding the experience of procrastination and on freeing ourselves to use our creative processes in moments when we feel resistant, blocked or paralyzed. Pre-group consultation necessary. Call (617) 495-2581 to make an appointment.
Public Speaking This group provides opportunities for students to learn practical skills and strategies for becoming more confident, clear and effective at public speaking, and to explore the discomfort that often accompanies it. We will discuss such topics as participating in class discussions, managing anxiety, and organizing and practicing presentations. To register, email gkaddouh@bsc.harvard.edu
Returning To
Harvard: A Discussion Group Coming back to Harvard after time away can sometimes be surprisingly unsettling. Despite familiarity with the Harvard community, we might feel out of step with our cohort or taken aback by the renewed academic or social demands. This group will create a shared environment in which members can discuss and support one another in their return to Harvard. Pre-group consultation necessary. Call (617) 495-2581 to make an appointment.
Roots: Where Are You
Coming From? And Where Are You Going? Families can be a source of support and inspiration, or a source of obligation and conflict. This group will provide an opportunity to explore points of connection and disconnection with your family and reflect on how past and present relationships at home affect your life, goals, and aspirations here and now. Pre-group consultation necessary. Call (617) 495-2581 to make an appointment.
Seasons of Grief For students who have experienced a significant loss, whether the loss occurred recently or years ago. This group provides an opportunity to talk about dealing with emotions, facing the loss itself, understanding the grieving process, finding ways to cope, and communicating with others. To register, email Sheila Reindl (sreindl@bsc.harvard.edu) or SungLim Shin (sshin@bsc.harvard.edu).
Senior Thesis
Workshops Topics include discerning the governing question of the thesis; using writing in the service of creative, careful thinking; writing a literature review, methods section, and other chapters; managing your time; and making good use of the adviser/advisee relationship. To schedule a workshop, email Sheila Reindl (sreindl@bsc.harvard.edu) or Craig Rodgers (craig@post.harvard.edu).
Speaking Up in
Class This group will provide strategies for students who wish to have more of a voice in classes. Through discussion and exercises in a supportive group context, we will focus on increasing self-confidence and managing anxiety in academic settings. Pre-group consultation necessary. Call (617) 495-2581 to make an appointment.
Time
Management Through exercises and discussion, this workshop offers an opportunity to build and develop time management strategies and to work towards understanding the priorities in your life in order to make time for what is important to you. To register, please email cshindler@bsc.harvard.edu.
What Are
You Doing with Your Life? A group to explore purpose, passion, and potential, along with the conflicts and challenges you feel in defining who you are, what you are doing, and where you are going in life. Limited to graduate students.Pre-group consultation necessary. Call (617) 495-2581 to make an appointment.
What Should
I Do? A Workshop for Friends, Lovers, and Roommates of People with
Eating Disorders This workshop will offer support and guidance to students who think someone they know has an eating disorder and who are concerned about how to speak with that person, as well as what their responsibility and role regarding that person should be. No advance registration required.
What We May
Be: Body, Mind & Spirit This workshop is designed for women who wish to increase self-knowledge and build a more dependable sense of self-esteem in a supportive group setting. Pre-group consultation necessary. Call (617) 495-2581 to make an appointment. Jointly Offered With Mental Health Services
Taking Stock: A Workshop for
Students Considering Whether (and When) to Commit to Recovering from
Disordered Eating Based upon the Stages of Change Model, this workshop will offer students an opportunity to take stock of their readiness and reluctance to recover from disordered eating. Students will engage in a process of self-assessment as they consider the benefits and burdens of changing, and the benefits and burdens of not changing. To register, email Margery Gans (mgans@uhs.harvard.edu) or Sheila Reindl (sreindl@bsc.harvard.edu)
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