This session will focus on the development of wellness practices that strengthen staff, faculty, and student learning. Janice Abarbanel will expand on her idea of an "emotional passport," a dynamic skill set that can be learned and practiced as one prepares for shifting and settling into new cultures. Cynthia Mitchell will address issues of visibility and invisibility as students from different racial and cultural backgrounds negotiate the ways they're perceived in new environments. Participants will learn strategies to support students' emotional engagement, to enhance curiosity, and to help students recognize their accomplishments as they learn abroad.

1. What
to
Include
in
a
Wellness
Orientation:
by
Janice
Abarbanel,
PhD
Introduction
Introducing
Wellness
in
a
study
abroad
orientation
is
not
an
event
and
it
is
not
a
place.
Wellness
is
a
process
and
a
mindset.
Most
students
and
staff
think
of
Wellness
as
information
about
emergency
care
or
as
a
resource
for
when
they
feel
overwhelmed.
Present
Wellness
at
your
Orientation
as
a
conversation.
Introduce
your
students
to
a
broader
vision
about
emotional
health
and
accompanying
opportunities.
We
know
that
emotions
drive
learning,
and
that
a
calmer
and
curious
student
will
be
a
more
skilled
global
citizen
than
one
arriving
and
living
abroad
with
anxiety
and
low
moods.
Name
the
set
of
skills
learned
and
used
to
shift
cultures,
“The
Emotional
Passport.”
Studying
abroad
is
an
emotional
time.
Some
students
are
surprised
about
how
intense
they
may
feel,
something
they
hadn’t
felt
in
the
past.
Is
it
homesickness,
confusion,
depression,
exhaustion?
Sometimes
it’s
a
mixture,
and
a
student
might
feel
at
ease,
and
engaged,
and
just
occasionally
worried
or
off
balance.
All
of
us
are
impacted
by
culturally
pervasive
negative
mindsets
for
emotional
health.
Historically,
study
abroad
programs
and
staff
have
viewed
student
emotional
challenges
as
exceptions
or
conditions
for
referral
to
a
psychiatrist.
The
mindset
for
an
inclusive
Orientation
where
Wellness
is
normalized
and
integrated
is
based
on
the
understanding
that
the
interface
between
the
developmental
stressors
of
emerging
adulthood
and
the
challenges
of
studying
abroad
can
contribute
to
students
needing
extra
support
across
all
parts
of
the
program.
Ensure
that
your
staff
is
open
about
the
positives
of
help
seeking
-­‐-­‐
that
students
feel
comfortable
asking
for
Wellness
help,
either
in
the
form
of
a
chat
with
one
of
the
staff
or
requesting
a
sit-­‐down
with
the
Director.
Move
away
from
the
clinical
language
of
“culture
shock”
which
tends
to
reinforce
the
negative
mindset
of
mental
health,
and
move
towards
the
more
positive
language
of
skill
development.
Pointers
for
Your
Inclusive
and
Integrated
Orientation:
1. Arriving
is
Not
Day
One
–Emphasize
that
students
have
been
planning
to
study
abroad
for
a
long
time
–
they
have
likely
been
in
touch
with
the
Student
Life
office
both
in
the
US
and
abroad
for
some
months.
Speak
about
the
reality
that
mood
shifts
come
with
culture
shifts,
and
that
it
is
normal
to
feel
confused,
excited,
perhaps
disappointed,
and
amazed.
The
mood
intensities
mean
that
you’ve
arrived
where
everything
is
new
and
that
the
experiences
long
desired
are
now
present.
It
takes
time
to
adjust
–
studying
abroad
is
a
process,
not
a
single
event.
2. “It’s
not
about
time;
it’s
about
energy.”
–
Focus
on
how
you
use
and
restore
energy
as
a
key
to
having
a
successful
emotional
journey
abroad.
We

2. encourage
students
to
build
a
skill
set
with
their
personal
ways
to
disengage
from
high
energy
use,
exhaustion,
ways
that
work
for
them.
“Everyone
is
different”
is
emphasized.
3. Identifying
as
a
global
citizen:
write
down
your
full
name,
place
of
birth,
passport
countries,
and
a
note
‘imagining’
where
you
might
be
and
what
you
might
be
doing
in
10
years.
This
identification
places
you
‘today’
at
your
abroad
site,
reflects
backwards
and
forwards
–
reinforces
the
idea
that
you
are
in
a
larger
world,
jump
starting
a
process
of
reflecting
and
considering.
4. Expectations:
Contribute
to
managing
expectations:
“Red,
Yellow,
Green”
cards:
write
down
one
or
two
things
on
each
card:
(1)
what
you
are
excited
about,
(2)
ambivalent
or
a
bit
concerned
about,
and,
last,
(3)
very
worried
about.
These
cards
are
then
sampled
aloud
–
students
find
that
their
worry
or
point
of
excitement
is
just
like
their
classmates.
The
entire
list
is
posted
a
few
days
later
in
the
student
lounge.
(no
names
on
cards
or
posters)
5. Many
ways
to
use
Wellness
resources:
Emphasize
staff
support.
Suggest
students
find
at
least
one
staff
member
they
feel
comfortable
with.
All
staff
should
be
trained
about
ways
to
listen,
support,
and
when
to
refer
a
student
for
further
evaluation.
6. Summary
–
an
important
goal
for
including
the
Wellness
conversation
at
Orientation
is
to
welcome
students,
to
acknowledge
what
they
are
already
experiencing
(usually
feeling
a
bit
overwhelmed
and
confused,
excited
too),
and
to
let
them
know
that
staff
and
faculty
are
aware
that
“planes
fly
faster
than
emotions
settle
in,”
eg
hours
ago
they
may
have
just
left
loved
ones
at
the
airport,
and
now
they’ve
landed
where
they
have
dreamed
about,
but
could
still
feel
a
bit
sad
from
the
departure!
When
they
leave
this
Orientation
session,
they
understand
how
their
brains
process
change
and
how
they
have
some
control
over
creating
a
new
routine,
sleep
and
eating
schedules,
making
new
friends,
attending
to
academics,
and
using
staff
as
helpful
resources.
Wellness
During
the
Semester:
At
Orientation,
tell
students
about
ways
that
Wellness
will
support
them
during
the
term.
Here
is
a
partial
list:
1. Through
events
sponsored
by
the
program:
sports,
picnics
–
places
and
ways
to
relax
and
focus
on
the
present.
2. Through
notes
and
Wellness
information
in
an
online
Newsletter
or
on
an
academic
center
white
board.
Articles
can
be
posted
about
social
media,
stress,
relationships
–
anything
current.
Post
relevant
cartoons
too!
3. Through
availability
of
the
staff
or
counselors
to
meet
students
as
needed,
individually
or
in
groups.
4. Through
a
workshop
towards
the
end
of
the
term
on
“Transitions”
to
“home”
or
wherever
they
may
settle
next.
The
skill
set
is
about
transitions
more
than
about
“re-­‐entry”.
3.
Conclusion
Be
comfortable
with
the
idea
that
Wellness
is
a
mindset
about
constructive
emotional
support
integrated
into
programming
at
every
level.
Because
your
staff

3. understands
the
importance
of
guided
support
for
the
healthy
development
of
Emerging
Adults,
work
together
mindfully
to
ensure
that
each
student
has
the
resources
for
positive
experiences
in
your
program.
Stay
flexible
in
your
communications
with
your
students,
and
respect
the
reality
that
best
learning
is
nurtured
when
students
learn
to
disengage
from
high
stress
and
refocus
their
energy
towards
personal
and
academic
goals.
It’s
a
tall
order
to
be
20
years
old
and
taking
on
a
new
culture,
a
new
city,
language,
friendships,
and
relationships
with
abroad
staff.
Your
Orientation
is
an
important
part
of
supporting
this
process.