Mental Health and Wellness Services

Not sure where to begin? Take this survey to see which dimension of wellness you may need to address

Emotional

Intellectual

Occupational

Social

Financial

Physical

Spiritual

Environmental

• IUPUI Counseling and Psychological Services
• IU East Counseling & Group Support
• IU Northwest Office of Counseling Services
• IU South Bend Student Counseling Center
• IU Fort Wayne Counseling Services
• IU Southeast Counseling and Psychological Services
• IU Bloomington Counseling and Psychological Services

To request time away for an appointment or self-care under four hours, contact your clerkship or elective leadership along with your faculty/residents. If you need to request time away beyond four hours, fill out the time away request form and contact your clerkship or elective leadership and faculty/residents.

You may also review the Scheduling Conflict, Absence and Vacation Policy.

IU School of Medicine offers the Well-Being Index to all students as a personalized tool to improve individual wellness.

What is the Well-Being Index?
The Well-Being Index (WBI) is an anonymous, five-minute online self-assessment that provides immediate, individualized feedback, including tools as well as local and national resources to address personal well-being. The WBI is based upon validated research conducted by the Mayo Clinic and is currently used by residents and physicians across the country.

Why should I use the Well-Being Index?
Your WBI results will help you with your awareness and management of personal wellness. Additionally, the anonymous aggregate results will help the school improve its wellness culture and programming as well as plan for high-stress times in the curriculum.

IUSM is committed to supporting your mental health and well-being as you navigate through your academic and professional journey. As an IUSM learner, you have access to many resources that help aid you in maintaining your overall health and wellness. Read more about Headspace and the app.

Founded in 2018 by a group of medical students and student affairs staff members, the Wellness Coalition works to create curricular and co-curricular wellness opportunities for IUSM students. The Coalition is comprised of liaisons from all nine campuses and representatives from various student interest groups and organizations. There are vice presidents representing each dimension of wellness on the coalition, as well as a vice president of social media & communication, a vice president of curricular affairs, a secretary, a treasurer and a vice president of wellness (who works as the liaison to the Medical Student Council and administration).  The coalition sponsors several events throughout the year to connect students with activities that will help them to be well-rounded in their wellness. Each event will have at least one of the eight dimensions of wellness as its focus, helping students learn about and practice in IU School of Medicine’s eight dimensions of wellness model. Additionally, they work with faculty, staff, and administration to create programming for orientation, transitions courses, and professional development days.

Also be sure to check out the Students Advocates for Mental Health webpage.

Additionally you can view the current student advocates if you need to reach out.

Follow the Wellness Coalition on Instagram!

Kristen Heath writes informative blogs on wellness.

Check out upcoming events on IU School of Medicine’s events calendar.

Note: Be sure to read the rules and process about student-related events if you have questions.

Have suggestions or questions for the Wellness Coalition? Interested in joining the Wellness Coalition with your student group? Contact Kristen Heath for more information.

Students and professionals in health science fields face a risk of anxiety or depression at some point in their careers; studies show that suicide rates among physicians is 1.5-2.3x higher than the general population. In addition, physicians and students are not seeking help! In one study, 42.5% of students and residents screened positive for depression, yet only 22.7% of those sought treatment. So, how can we identify, understand, and respond to signs of addictions and mental illnesses?

Mental Health First Aid is the initial help offered to a person developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate treatment and support are received or until the crisis resolves. 

• Learn about:
• Risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance use problems
• Information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis and substance use
• A 5-step action plan to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or is in crisis
• Available evidence-based professional, peer and self-help resources

“I have used the techniques I learned in MHFA training in many different ways and in many different situations. It has been helpful in the clinical setting with patients, but it has been even more impactful in my relationships with peers. I have a better understanding of warning signs to recognize. I also feel much more comfortable approaching difficult topics surrounding mental health.”
– MS3 Student

Latest Impacts of Mental Health First Aid

Contact Kristen Heath at krrheath@iu.edu for more information regarding Mental Health First Aid 

Schedule a one-on-one personal wellness coaching session with Antwione Haywood, PhD, assistant dean of student affairs. Dr. Haywood has training from Real Balance Global Wellness, Mental Health First Aid, and the National Exercise Trainers Association. During sessions, Dr. Haywood provides helps students achieve their wellness goals by offering personalized guidance in the eight dimensions of wellness, which helps students determine individual strengths and challenges. Coaching typically focuses on topics such as physical and emotional well-being, goal setting, stress reduction and time management.

Contact Antwione Haywood (haywooda@iu.edu) for any questions.

The popular MBM elective for Phase 1 students at IUSM teaches medical students a variety of mindfulness exercises to promote overall well-being, stress management, empathy, self-awareness and self-care. MBM has been offered at IUSM since 2018 and the school continues to expand the number of trained facilitators across the state so that the elective can be offered to all medical students.

In this elective, students will: 

1. Engage in a variety of well-being modalities including meditation, guided imagery, autogenic training, journal writing and movement and reflect on the ways these skills can be helpful personally and professionally.
2. Articulate the importance of self-awareness and self-care for personal health and well-being and the importance of maintaining a balance between the intellectual, emotional, physical, social and spiritual aspects of their lives.
3. Appreciate the value of an ongoing commitment to personal growth as fundamental to the practice of medicine. 

Resources

• Faculty Mind and Body Medicine Program
• Mind Body Medicine Initiative Benefits
• Find electives by searching for Mind Body

For questions, contact Emily Walvoord (ewalvoor@iu.edu) or Antwione Haywood (haywooda@iu.edu).

The Food as Medicine SIG created a cookbook to provide healthy and cost-effective meal prep recipes. Download the cookbook here.

Food as Medicine SIG aims to empower physicians to take responsibility for their own nutritional well-being while encouraging patients to recognize the importance of nutrition in their health.