Wellness Workshop Outline:
"What everyone should know about Wellness"

C. Kimo Alameda
Counseling and Student Development Center
University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Goal: To provide information about and sensitize participants to issues of personal wellness.

Group size: 20-30

Time required: 1 1/2 hours

Materials: Handouts 1, 2, and 3. Signs for each of the six wellness areas to hang around the room.

Place: Room large enough to move around

Outline:

1. Introductions and Overview (15min)

• Students will choose a partner and interview them asking questions such as, place of birth, favorite food, etc. Then, each student will introduce their partner to the group. The person who lives closer to U.H. will be the first to introduce their partner.

2. Assimilating and Conceptualizing: Clarifying Terms (10min)

• Post descriptors around the room of the six different areas. Each descriptor should include one of the following: Social, Intellectual, Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Occupational. Text from the first handout can be used.
• Distribute Handout 1: Six Areas of Wellness
• Give a brief introduction to the workshop. Provide a handout (1) of the six areas mentioned above with a definition of each area. Participants can be asked to read the definitions out loud.

3. Reflecting on Experience: 6 Area Exercise (10min)

• Describe different areas of wellness and ask participants to move to one of the areas in the room based on how they respond to the following questions:
  • The one area that you feel most fulfilled?
  • The one area that you struggle with the most?
  • The one area that you want to develop as soon as possible?
  • Have participants sit down in the chairs provided under each area.

4. Reflecting on Experience: Debrief (10min)

• Have participants sit together in each of the groups they have formed. Ask them questions about what it feels like to be "struggling" in that specific area. (Don't have to ask everyone, just enough to facilitate discussion).

5. Experimenting and Practicing: Practice makes Perfect (20min)

• Have participants stay in their respective groups. Thus, there will be 6 small groups.
• Distribute Handout 2: Defining Wellness and Brainstorming Options
• Then have participants:

1. generate a definition(s) for the specified area; and
2. brainstorm as many options as possible that would allow a variety of ways to achieve wellness in the specified area.

• The facilitator will then debrief with all participants about the group exercise, allowing each group to share their definition(s) and options with all participants.

6. Planning for Application (10min)

• Distribute Handout 3: Incorporating Wellness Into My Life
• Have each participant develop an action plan that addresses wellness in their specified area and in another area of wellness.
• The facilitator will define each area of the model, including:
  • Awareness (where am I unbalanced?)
  • Knowledge (what options do I have?)
  • Decision Making (what options do I choose?)
  • Planning (what is the most realistic plan?)
  • Action (when, where, how can I take action?)
• Have volunteers share their action plan of wellness (one area) with the group.

6. Questions and Answer / Discussion (5min).