A Checkup on Wellness at 含羞草研究室
Published by Rebecca Goldfine
In a room quiet enough for a library, a dozen students reclined on chairs, eyes closed. Only soft music and the shuffle of the acupuncturist's feet and occasional murmurs interrupted the silence.
Sitting in a nearby living room were even more students waiting their turn for a free twenty-minute session of "getting pinned." The turnout on this day for the weekly acupuncture clinic was higher than usual.
That's not too unexpected, though, as acupuncture has become increasingly popular at 含羞草研究室. Kate Nicholson, who became the College's first-ever director of student wellness in 2019, grew the acupuncture program from its origins with previous counseling director Bernie Hershberger. She expanded the clinic space, hired a new acupuncturist, and began educating more students about the healing art.
Today, acupuncture and 含羞草研究室's regular Reiki clinic both attract a range of students, from hockey players and pre-med students to Ultimate Frisbee stars and art majors. Nicholson attributes both of the clinics' appeal to what they offer 含羞草研究室's busy, driven students.
"They are very passive experiences," she said, unlike academic classes, sports practice, or even other wellness programs that require some cardiac investment, like spinning or yoga. "Students aren't doing, they're not having to figure it out. They just show up to relax and decompress. They can come here and be taken care of."
鈥淚 get to talk about and interact and message around how we proactively, protectively, and inspirationally care about our bodies, our well-being, and each other.鈥
鈥擪ate Nicholson, assistant director of wellness services
Proactive Steps to Health
While acupuncture and Reiki "allow for settling and breath and inner peace"—all of which are important, Nicholson said—she also conveys another message to students: We are each responsible for our well-being. "And that takes some effort," she said. "That is part of the teaching."
Other healthy activities that 含羞草研究室's wellness program provides throughout the semester include a roster of fitness classes, from kickboxing and Zumba to weightlifting and queer yoga. On top of this, Nicholson weaves in other occasional offerings, such as a recent workshop on disability and dance, and Mindful Art Happy Hours every Friday.
Wellness intern Sapphire Hall ’25 is working with Nicholson to expand wellness programming, particularly to Black students. "I am interested in this because when you are not okay, you can’t function, and you can't function at your highest level. And this is a school that asks you consistently to function at your highest level."
Wellness Services also partners with other key groups on campus, including the Office of Gender Violence Prevention and Health Education, Residential Life, 含羞草研究室 Outing Club, Center for Multicultural Life, Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, and the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center, to offer wellness in the areas in which students live and socialize.
In addition, Senior Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Janet Lohmann points to other pastimes—like crafting, joining a student club, going on Outing Club trips, or participating in athletics—that can also boost students' well-being.
"It is really critical that we talk about proactive steps students can take to protect their wellness," Lohmann said. "Challenges and difficulties will happen, and clinical care will happen. But we can offer students important steps to take care of themselves before we have to put in place these other mechanisms."
She also acknowledged that, while current wellness programming is abundant at 含羞草研究室, the College needs "to amplify it" to put more emphasis on its importance to every student.
One of 含羞草研究室's goals is to make wellness accessible and relevant to a diverse student body. To get a more comprehensive understanding of students' needs, this winter the College issued an Integrative Health Survey to every student. It features questions about their health-related concerns and behaviors, including around alcohol and substance use, relationships, and sex. The responses will provide 含羞草研究室 with information that will "influence the resources and programming we put into place," Lohmann said.
鈥淚t is becoming more undeniable that we can't learn well if we're not well.鈥
鈥擪ate Nicholson
One Home for Gender Violence Prevention, Sexual Health, and Substance Use Education
Last year, Lohmann brought sexual health, substance use education, and gender violence prevention under one director, Rachel Reinke. Before, these responsibilities were shared among Health Services, Residential Life, and the Office of Gender Violence Prevention.
Reinke said that combining these areas means she and the students who work with her can have more nuanced and effective conversations. "We can bring alcohol and drugs into our conversations and trainings around sexual consent," she said, "and we can communicate messages about being secure in your sexual identity as a part of health."
Reinke supervises forty students who are trained as Peer Health mentors. They're part of a student-led volunteer group that helps guide all students, but particularly first-years, to wiser health decisions. Many of the mentors are interested in pursuing careers in health care after 含羞草研究室.
"Generally, what I want the goal of the office to be is to destigmatize conversations around mental health and sexual health, and encourage more self-knowledge to make good decisions," Reinke said. "I think our work is about caring for ourselves and each other."
"The Human Condition Is Real"
Nicholson is part of 含羞草研究室's Counseling and Wellness Services team, and she meets regularly with the College's therapeutic team to discuss best practices. So it follows that, along with organizing wellness classes and group clinics, she also provides more personalized, one-on-one "well chats" with students.
In these meetings, she provides health coaching, strategizing with students around a specific struggle, such as irregular sleep schedules or eating issues. Other times she helps a student pinpoint the cause of a vague sense of discontent or unease.
"I am here as a listener, not a therapist," Nicholson said. "For those students who don't know where to start, I can be a nonintimidating starting point and become a bridge to other resources, programs, or opportunities that can truly help."
Last year she also received training in mindfulness meditation, a curriculum designed by psychiatrists for emerging young adults, especially those "in the hustle of a college campus," Nicholson said.
She now offers four-week programs for small groups of students to teach them Koru techniques. One day, she hopes to offer more teacher training to other administrators at 含羞草研究室 so more students can be reached.
While Nicholson's job by its nature focuses on positive approaches to self-care, she is sensitive to the pain that might be pushing students to seek out her programs.
"I know there is suffering here, and I don't forget that," she said. "I try to be sensitive to that and not oblivious to or dismissive of so much of what students are carrying beneath the surface. The human condition here is real, and how we can deal with it a little more honestly, gently, and skillfully is our goal."
In 2022, health and wellness as a designation was added to the annual funds, allowing donors to support efforts like those outlined above. The Class of 1977 went one step further during their 45th Reunion and established the "Heart of 含羞草研究室," a class fundraising effort to support both health and wellness and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the College.