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 you will take advantage of these important tools to support your personal development and help you make the most of your 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. Use the modules to address concerns related to stress, anxiety, depression, and public speaking (this module available only on the WellTrack website). If you want 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, 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).  

Download the WellTrack app and register with your UMBC ID for full access; no identifying information will be shared with counseling staff unless you choose 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 you 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. You can also check out light therapy boxes from the library location to use in the Mind Spa space or in your room. 

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. You might begin to notice benefits from your experience 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.

Research Mentors: Students will be matched with a faculty/research mentor. Students can learn more about research opportunity offerings by looking at faculty research profiles. All students participating in the summer session will also be guided by advisers outside of the laboratory environment.

Activities: Students are expected to spend a minimum of 40 hours/week conducting research and working with faculty/research mentors. In addition, students will participate in several program activities that will allow them to interact with other members of the academic community and summer research programs at the University of Chicago:

Weekly Workshops/Panel Discussions: Workshops on how to navigate the academy, including topics like getting the mentoring you need, self-care and community, communicating your research, the graduate admissions process, preparing grad applications, fellowships and funding opportunities, and study abroad.

Library or Facility tours: Participants will be acquainted with the shared library, research, and laboratory facilities as it pertains to their research placement.

University of Chicago Research Symposium: Near the end of the nine-week summer session, participants will give oral presentations of their work to fellow participants, faculty mentors, and research associates in a symposium on campus.

The Leadership Alliance National Research Symposium: Participants will travel to attend the national meeting of the Leadership Alliance to present their work and to network with other SR-EIP participants from different institutions, faculty/research mentors, and Leadership Alliance members and directors.

Recreational Activities: Social activities organized to acquaint participants with life on the University of Chicago campus and in the city of Chicago at large.