REACH Program
Designed for GW faculty and staff, the Raise Up GW REACH program seeks to build student Resilience by promoting Engagement with and Access to Campus Health and wellbeing resources. Faculty and staff have the opportunity to engage in workshops that will provide information about student wellbeing trends, availability of services, and how to make appropriate referrals to those services.
INCENTIVES
We will be offering a variety of different REACH workshops throughout the Spring 2026 semester. Attending these trainings will teach you the skills to confidently and effectively work with students in crisis and refer them to the appropriate support. As part of our thank you for supporting student wellbeing, we are offering an incentive program to participants.
Student Wellbeing Champions
If you attend 5 or more REACH sessions this semester, you will receive a "Student Wellbeing Champion" certificate and a catered lunch with other champions. We will measure attendance based on completion of post-workshop surveys. As a participant, you will receive a reminder to complete the post-workshop survey within 1-2 business days after the workshop has been hosted.
Spring 2026 REACH SESSIONS
Browse the menu of REACH session topics, and register to attend.
Start here! These sessions will provide an overview of key GW offices, services, and resources available to students, faculty, and staff.
- Format: 30-minute Zoom sessions during the lunch hour
- Focus: Who, what, where, when, and why of GW support services
- Office of Graduate Affairs
The Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs (OGPA) will provide an overview of resources and programming available to graduate students through OGSAF and OGA. Topics will include:
- An introduction to the Graduate Student Handbook
- A review of funding opportunities for graduate students at George Washington University, including fellowships, graduate assistantships, and health insurance subsidies
- An overview of the Graduate Teaching Assistantship Program (GTAP)
- Best practices for making funding opportunities accessible to students, with guidance for faculty and staff on how to promote these resources within departments
Dates Offered:
- Wednesday, March 11th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Wednesday, April 29th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Conflict Education and Student Accountability
This session will provide faculty and staff with an overview of the university’s Code of Conduct and Code of Academic Integrity, including what happens when students violate these policies. We'll cover the role of CESA in promoting a respectful campus environment, how cases are reviewed, and what your role may be in the process. The session will also offer practical insight and guidance to help you navigate student conduct issues with confidence and clarity.
Dates Offered:
- Monday, February 2nd from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Tuesday, March 3rd from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Campus Safety
This presentation will cover all GW Campus Safety teams, resources, and frequently asked questions.
Dates Offered:
- Thursday, February 12th from 12:30PM to 1PM
- Thursday, April 9th from 12:30PM to 1PM
- Mobility Safety
Navigating transportation in D.C. can be confusing and scary. This session will break down GW’s biggest mobility challenges and highlight transportation resources to help students, faculty, and staff move confidently, sustainably, and safely.
Dates Offered:
- Wednesday, February 18th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Wednesday, March 18th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Student Athletes
Jordan Butler, the Director of Student-Athlete Mental Health, will talk about the unique existence of college athletes.
Dates Offered:
- Wednesday, February 18th from 12:30PM to 1PM
- Wednesday, April 1st from 12:30PM to 1PM
- Title IX Basics
This session will review GW's Title IX Office, with a focus on support services available, how to connect with services, and the roles and responsibilities of faculty and staff as designated reporters.
Date Offered:
- Thursday, February 5th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Office of Advocacy & Support
This training will provide an overview of available resources for students impacted by sexual violence, domestic violence, intimate partner violence (IPV), and stalking. This will include a brief overview of available on and off-campus resources that students can be connected with for additional support.
Dates Offered:
- Monday, February 9th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Wednesday, February 25th from 3PM to 3:30PM
- Student Involvement
Participants will learn how to connect students with meaningful organization and leadership opportunities that boost retention and belonging. This session also covers essential protocols for maintaining a safe campus environment, specifically focusing on hazing prevention and reporting.
Dates Offered:
- Tuesday, February 10th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Thursday, March 5th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Supporting Students with Disabilities in Higher Education
Faculty and staff members will learn basic information about the definition of disability, disability identity, and how students with disabilities may be impacted in the world of higher education. This workshop will focus on informing faculty and staff members of resources students with disabilities can access during their time on campus, including, but not limited to, Disability Support Services. Additionally, faculty and staff members will learn about managing obstacles students with disabilities may face in the academic space.
Dates Offered:
- Wednesday, February 11th from 12:30PM to 1PM
- Wednesday, March 25th from 12:30PM to 1PM
- Supporting Students of Concern
This session will focus on introduction to basic helping skills for supporting students in distress and expanding participants knowledge of GW resources available through CAPS and Student Outreach and Support. We will discuss common situations you have encountered or imagine encountering, processing how to handle these to best support our students while also taking care of ourselves. Presented by Counseling & Psychological Services & the CARE Team.
Date Offered:
- Wednesday, February 11th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Student Health Center: Medical Services
Learn about the myriad of medical services available to students at the Student Health Center, how students can access health care, and the basics of the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).
Dates Offered:
- Tuesday, February 24th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Friday, March 6th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Demystifying the Academic Integrity Process
This overview of the academic integrity process and relevant policies at GW will prepare staff and faculty to more effectively support students who are navigating an academic integrity concern, as well as educate faculty on expectations for reporting and addressing concerns of academic misconduct.
Dates Offered:
- Thursday, February 26th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Thursday, March 12th from 12PM to 12:30PM
- Center for Interfaith & Spiritual Life: Fostering Religious Pluralism
Discover how CISL nurtures religious, secular, and spiritual life at GW. This session will introduce our team, Chaplaincy services, key partners, and student leadership, while highlighting prayer and meditation spaces, religious holiday policies, and programs—from Interfaith Week to weekly Chaplain’s Corner. Learn how CISL fosters religious pluralism, community engagement, and milestone ceremonies like the first-year Candle Lighting and Interfaith Baccalaureate at Commencement.
Date Offered:
- Tuesday, February 2nd from 12:30PM to 1PM
Ready to build your skills? These sessions are designed for participants seeking practical strategies to support students more effectively.
- Format: One-hour, interactive in-person or virtual workshops (not recorded)
- Focus: Skill development, skill practice, role playing, scenarios
- How to Support Students in Recovery
Learn how to support individuals in your life who may be in, or even who may be considering, recovery. By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Define substance use disorder.
- Identify a variety of pathways and conceptualizations of recovery.
- Understand the role of stigma and its impact on health outcomes.
- Learn what it takes to become a recovery ally.
- Develop non-stigmatizing language to incorporate in their vocabulary.
- Learn how to identify and address potential microaggressions to persons in recovery.
Presented by: Office of Health Promotion and Education
Dates Offered:
- Friday, February 6th from 12PM to 1PM
- Wednesday, February 25th from 12PM to 1PM
- Skillfully Supporting First Generation Students through Compassionate Engagement
Our First-Gen workshop equips participants with practical tools to support first-generation college students facing academic, social, and personal challenges. Using real student scenarios, participants will build confidence in communication, referrals, and student-centered support strategies.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify common challenges first-generation students face and their impact on well-being
- Apply trauma-informed and motivational communication strategies in student interactions - Practice effective and empathetic responses to real-world student scenarios
- Strengthen referral skills to GW support services
Dates Offered:
- Wednesday, March 25th from 1PM to 2PM
- Wednesday, April 15th from 1PM to 2PM
- Emotional Resilience: Supporting Students by Managing Our Own Responses
This session equips staff and faculty with foundational strategies for understanding and managing their own emotional responses, particularly in high-stress or emotionally charged interactions with students. Through a mix of psychoeducation, reflection, and practical techniques, participants will explore the importance of self-awareness and emotional resilience as essential tools for creating supportive, safe, and effective student environments.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Define what emotional regulation is and explain its relevance to our work.
- Identify common emotional triggers in interactions with students and understand your own typical responses.
- Apply at least two practical emotion regulation techniques (e.g., grounding, reframing, breathing strategies) in real-time situations.
- Recognize the impact of regulated versus dysregulated responses on student wellbeing.
- Commit to one personal strategy for maintaining emotional balance during challenging student interactions.
Dates Offered:
- Wednesday, February 4th from 12PM to 1PM
- Wednesday, April 15th from 12PM to 1PM
- QPR: Suicide Prevention Training
Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying "Yes" to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor.
Dates Offered:
- Thursday, February 5th from 12PM to 1PM
- Tuesday, March 31st from 12PM to 1PM
- Trauma Informed Care
This training will lay the foundation for practices in trauma-informed care when supporting youth. It will also discuss trauma at the individual level, interpersonal, and community level. as well as the impact of secondary trauma on staff and faculty. Participants will develop skills to engage in supportive, non-judgmental, and effective communication when receiving disclosures of violence.
Dates Offered:
- Thursday, February 26th from 12PM to 1PM
- Thursday, March 19th from 1PM to 2PM
- Navigating Cross Cultural Conflict
We all bring our cultural perspectives to conflict situations. This workshop will help you understand how your own cultural positionality might impact your experiences and strategies regarding conflict.
Date Offered:
- Friday, March 13th from 12PM to 1PM
- Managing Disruptive Behaviors in Learning Environments
This workshop will outline GW’s policies for managing disruptive student behavior, including in an academic environment. Topics will include pro-actively outlining expectations, as well as responding and documenting disruptive behavior. The workshop will also address how culturally inclusive pedagogy can be a tool to promote more effective student participation in learning environments.
Date Offered:
- Tuesday, March 24th from 12PM to 1PM
- Transitioning Residential Education Back to a Resident Advisor Model
Residential Education is preparing to transition back to a Resident Advisor (RA) model to better support student engagement, community building, and on-campus wellbeing. This shift will reintroduce a structured, in-community student leader role aligned with our departmental and Division for Student Affairs goals.
Dates Offered:
- Monday, April 6th from 12PM to 1PM
- Monday, April 20th from 12PM to 1PM