The Counseling Center is dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of UMBC students, and staff are excited to offer new and expanded wellness resources. We hope your student will take advantage of these important tools to support their personal development and help them make the most of their UMBC experience.
New WellTrack Interactive Self-Help Therapy App for Students
The Counseling Center now offers the WellTrack interactive self-help therapy app free to UMBC students. Students are able to use the modules to address concerns related to stress, anxiety, depression, and public speaking (this module available only on the WellTrack website). If a student wants to follow up with a counselor, the Counseling Center staff is here to help. Services are free and confidential for registered UMBC students. To make an appointment, students can call 410-455-2472 or stop by the offices at the Student Development & Success Center on Center Road (in between Chesapeake Hall and Susquehanna Hall across from Erickson Field).
Students can download the WellTrack app and register with their UMBC ID for full access; no identifying information will be shared with counseling staff unless a student chooses the option to do so. Please note that all of the Counseling Center’s screening resources are for informational and educational purposes only, and are not intended as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
Mind Spa Expands, Moves to Albin O. Kuhn Library and Patapsco Hall
Mind Spa is an important campus resource with self-care tools to help students relax, improve concentration and memory, and overall success as a student. Counseling staff have collaborated with staff from University Health Services’ Office of Health Promotion, Residential Life, and the Albin O. Kuhn Library to make it more accessible to all students. Mind Spa has moved out of the Counseling Center and is now available in two locations: Albin O. Kuhn Library, Room 367, and Patapsco Hall, Room 163. A UMBC ID is required to access either space.
Mind Spa is a quiet space equipped for the practices of mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation, and includes a massage chair, meditation cushions, hot tea, and other wellness resources. Students will also be able to check out light therapy boxes from the library location, which they can use in the Mind Spa space or in their rooms.
Practicing mindfulness and meditation can have important physical and mental health benefits such as increased concentration, awareness, and regulation of emotions. Studies show that these practices have positive short- and long-term effects on the brain. Students might begin to notice benefits from their participation at Mind Spa immediately or after a few sessions.
“These resources tap into our goal to create a supportive culture of care and wellness for our students,” says Alayna Berkowitz, who recently joined the Counseling Center as assistant director of outreach and mental health promotion. “There are many different ways to engage with therapeutic resources beyond the in-person setting. The WellTrack phone app is great for a generation that is using social media and apps more than previous generations. Not all students present for traditional talk therapy, and both WellTrack and Mind Spa offer students other opportunities - through a phone app and quiet spaces - to take care of themselves.”
Berkowitz adds that the Counseling Center’s goal is to make sure its resources and programming take into account the complexity of UMBC students’ diverse and intersecting identities and needs.
Learn more about the Counseling Center’s services and resources.