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Student wellbeing is the foundation of student success. To help law students prioritize mental wellbeing/wellness and set them up to do well in school and beyond, the IU McKinney School of Law is partnering with the Indiana University School of Social Work on a new initiative.  

“We hope to remove the stigma and geographical challenges to our students by providing services in the building.,” said IU McKinney Dean Karen Bravo. “We also aim to head off potential issues by having wellness-generating activities which could serve as an offramp before larger issues develop.”

The initiative was inspired by similar programs at a small number of other law schools in the United States. Professor Michelle Moore, Clinical Assistant Professor of Field Instruction and Coordination at the IU School of Social Work, oversees the project, which will provide students from her school to meet with law students for a variety of outreach opportunities aimed at mental wellness.  

Professor Stephanie Lyons, Director of Field Education/Clinical Associate Professor, along with Moore and others at the IU School of Social Work on the Indianapolis campus, spearheaded the project in collaboration with Dean Bravo. “We acknowledge law school life is stressful with all the responsibilities, changes in eating and sleeping habits, and time management challenges,” said Moore. “We want to meet the students where they are to provide help as quickly as possible and maybe even before a crisis situation.”

The Social Work students, supervised by IU Social Work faculty, will provide wellness coaching and education to students within the McKinney School of Law. The newly renovated space is on the second floor of the school and includes a room for private meetings, together with a larger attached suite for de-stressing and group wellness activities. Together, these spaces will make up what is currently called the Wellness Center. However, Moore and the law school administration hope to involve students in guiding the programming as well as the name of the space. An open house will be held on September 7 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., and all are welcome.

Moore says, “The premise is to create a safe, supportive environment for students to receive guidance, coaching, and linkage to resources in addressing mental health and wellness needs in three different components.” Those components are:

Wellness Drop-In Sessions

• Free informal, one-on-one sessions are offered either on-site or virtually.
• Centered around coaching on wellness and referral to additional resources as needed.
• Note: Individual therapy will not be within the scope of practice, but students may be referred to available resources such as CAPS and JLAP

Wellness Sessions

• Structured group activities that support student wellness such as guided meditation, yoga, art therapy, etc.

Wellness Tips

• Access to wellness tips, guides and/or resources via a variety of formats, including flyers, social media, school newsletter, etc.

“Our goal is to take away barriers to getting support when needed by being imbedded in the school and to be proactive in equipping students with tools and resources to get through difficult times,” says Moore.

Students can sign up for a One-on-One session on the website: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/McKinneyLawSchoolDropInWellnessSessions@indiana.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/

They can also contact the Wellness Center at 317-274 6781 or mckwell@iu.edu.