The University of Wisconsin-Superior is one of many colleges and universities that have chosen to integrate Levelhead-Ed into their programs this semester. UW-Superior takes student health and well-being very seriously and they are doing many innovative things to better the lives of their students.
Here are highlights from our recent discussion with Randy Barker, MSE LPC, the Interim Director of Health, Counseling and Well-Being which includes the Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being at UW-Superior, and Lori Tuominen, the Program Manager for the Pruitt Center. Randy and Lori have truly been proactive leaders in their efforts to address student stress and well-being. Let’s learn about their efforts.
What Is UW-Superior Currently Doing for Mindfulness and Student Well-Being?
The Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being opened in 2018 and our mission is to promote and enhance the science and practice of mindfulness and well-being into the lives of students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding communities. We want to be leaders, not followers, in this area. The Pruitt Center’s goal is to help people learn to swim before they are in trouble. They need to proactively know and learn these skills before they need them.
How is the Pruitt Center Utilized?
We are implementing mindfulness in the daily lives of faculty, staff, and students in many different ways. We have workshops, trainings, and courses including Mindful Mondays which is a time to reflect on experiences in addition to meditating as a group.
Our goal is to create a culture of support and encourage well-being across our campus and our community as much as possible. We know how important mental health is and want to provide as many resources as possible to our students and campus community. We look at the Pruitt Center as the source for proactive and preventative services everyone needs.
As part of our work, we were looking for proactive ways to integrate mindfulness into the classroom – in a non-threatening, academic way. And, that’s where the partnership with Levelhead began.
How Is UW-Superior Using Levelhead-Ed?
With each semester, we are integrating Levelhead-Ed into more and more classrooms and programs. Currently, Levelhead-Ed is used by six different professors in nine different classrooms, ranging from criminal justice to education to health and human behavior classes. Students are using the app on a daily basis, going through the micro-lessons to help them improve their mindfulness skills. We are also piloting Levelhead-Ed in our Men’s and Women’s Soccer programs and our Intramural sports leadership.
Why did you decide on Levelhead-Ed?
We have explored other apps and think that Levelhead simply got it right.
We love working with you. We were looking for a way to implement mindfulness into the classroom and found that Levelhead-Ed was an ideal fit. It’s easy to add into any syllabus, the micro-lessons are just a few minutes long, and there are a variety of topics – from stress reduction to focus to compassion to building relationships.
Levelhead-Ed is really an ideal partnership and it supports our mission in two ways. First, you have done a great job of making sure your program and tools are based on science. The other area that was very, very attractive to us was the practice. We know these are teachable and learnable skills that require practice. We believe that education has that dual purpose, not only increasing the intellectual abilities of our students, but we also believe, just as important, are those social and emotional skills that prepare them for careers and the biggest test, which is life.
What have you heard from professors who are incorporating Levelhead-Ed, so far?
Professors have noticed their students having a better semester compared to previous semesters. When this was mentioned to a student, their response was “Thank Levelhead!”
“One of the big moments for me is that the faculty is saying that there is this common language that is starting to be used in the classroom. People, more and more, are talking about mindfulness. That’s very exciting. We are gaining a lot of energy and momentum on our campus because of this program.”
And, as the professors review the students’ self-reflection journals, they see that they are starting to notice differences and changes within the student’s personal lives as well, being able to use these tools at the right time when needed.
What’s also interesting is that the professors have seen the impact that Levelhead-Ed has and love it just as much as the students do. Professors like how it fits into their curriculum. In talking to professors, what’s been a big surprise to many of them is the increased awareness they are having of the stress and anxiety their students our facing. They are seeing that their ability to show more empathy and compassion towards their students is growing, they are becoming better listeners, and they’re getting to know the students on a deeper level.
So, benefits go both ways. That’s powerful. How is Levelhead-Ed used in Athletics?
The Levelhead-Ed program is used in the intramural department and part of the coaching of both the men’s and women’s soccer teams currently.
These teams use the Levelhead app and mindfulness teachings during practices and in their pre-games. It has helped to bring the players together and work better as a team and as players individually. It has helped improve their relationships with one another which has made them better as a team. The men's soccer coach has told us that they have had the best three years they have ever had, and mindfulness is helping with that.
To learn more about how you can implement Levelhead-Ed at your school, visit our website or contact kevin@getlevelhead.com to learn more! To learn more about the Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being, please visit them here.