As you kick off the school year, it’s a good idea to get acquainted with the wellness support available to you. We surveyed students this summer: 86% agreed that having access to health and wellness services on campus improves the student experience. Knowing what’s available and how to access it can give you a real edge.
With the Student Wellness team, you can learn about health and wellness topics that interest you, explore resources, access medical and mental health care, and connect with the community through events and groups.
Two new ways to access support
This year, there are two new ways you can access student wellness support. A new team of wellness assistants trained to welcome you and direct you to the right resources or health care and a new AI-driven chatbot that will soon be available on the Student Wellness website.
The interdisciplinary Student Wellness team has also simplified its internal referral process from one service to another, making the path to accessing resources and health care easier for you. Wellness assistants act as a bridge to all of our services.
Dahlia Segal, a member of the new wellness assistants team, explains how all of this will improve students’ access to support in this brief Q&A.
“You must be able to take care of yourself to thrive academically, socially and professionally. Although you may come across challenges, Student Wellness is here to help. I love my job.”
Dahlia Segal
— Wellness assistant, Student Wellness
Q: Why are these new ways to connect with Student Wellness important?
A: The arrival of the chatbot and the creation of this team are crucial in getting support to students when they need it. When I was in CEGEP, I struggled with my mental health but didn’t have anywhere to go. I had to find the answers myself. Our philosophy at Student Wellness is to welcome every person with compassion, and with demand for our resources and health care increasing, it’s important for us to innovate and find new ways to expand our support for students. We hope the team of wellness assistants and the chatbot will allow us to help a larger number of students.
Q: What do wellness assistants do?
A: We do a lot! Our team of six wellness assistants rotates between the Wellness Lounge (in the UCU), the Academic Accommodations Service (on Marie-Curie) and the Student Health and Wellness Centre (in the Minto Sports Complex). Regardless of the location you come to, we’re trained to welcome and guide you. We can help you determine which resource or health-care support is best for you and accompany you through the process of preparing for it and accessing it. We help you access resources or connect you with the right team, ensuring your experience at Student Wellness is helpful.
Q: How can students connect with your team?
A: Students can email us at [email protected], call us at 613-562-5777 or come and see us in person at the Wellness Lounge, the Academic Accommodations Service or the Student Health and Wellness Centre.
Q: How does the chatbot fit into this new approach?
A: The AI-driven chatbot was developed in collaboration with Faculty of Engineering students and IT Services, and we’re looking forward to launching it soon!
We’re excited about this newcomer: it’s designed to provide tailored responses to students’ questions on health and wellness using natural language processing, the ability of AI to constantly improve the way it understands, interprets and responds to queries. It sources information from the uOttawa Student Wellness website and its resource library to guide students. It can even help book appointments! The more interactions it has, the better it gets at answering questions.
Q: Do you use the chatbot?
No. The chatbot is exclusive to uOttawa and St Paul University students. But we work with it to help us serve students. The chatbot recognizes when a student may need urgent support and transfers the conversation to one of our team members. During business hours, we take it from where the chatbot left off. If an urgent need is identified outside business hours, resources for immediate support are shared with the student and they are asked if they would like to provide their phone number for a follow-up call from one of our wellness assistants during the next business hours.
Having the chatbot answer questions frees up our phone lines and optimizes our capacity to support students. It’s like having another team member!
Q: What makes wellness assistants experts in supporting students at Student Wellness?
A: We go through comprehensive training on all the resources and health-care support that Student Wellness has to offer. From booking appointments to mental health training — such as Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) — we’re equipped to understand and assess students’ needs with compassion and empathy. Some students connect with us to learn about resources so they can be informed and prepared, while others may not be in their best state, either physically or mentally.
Q: What are some examples of questions students might approach you with?
A: The most frequent question is “How can I book a doctor’s appointment or a mental health consultation?” It can be hard to know where to start. There’s more than one way to book appointments! Also, many students don’t know about the benefits they receive through their insurance plan. We can explain this. Another example of what we do is helping students with disabilities register with the Academic Accommodations Service so they can succeed academically.
Reach out for resources
Visit Student Wellness at uOttawa for the wellness support you need in one place.
Learn
Wellness lounges and spaces | workshops and events | uoWellness app | @uohealth.uosante on Instagram
Explore resources
Academic accommodations | mental health support | peer support | personalized health education program | presentations and training
Access medical and mental health care
Student Health and Wellness Centre and case management | Pharmacy Care Clinic
Connect with the community
Campus events | spiritual communities | residence life | Carrefour Francophone