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 Fall 2025 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. We know many GW faculty/staff have attended REACH sessions in the past, so we made an effort to create innovative sessions for this semester. We will still be repeating a few sessions, so if you've attended one of those in the past and you want that to count towards the incentive program, email wellbeinggwu [dot] edu.

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.

Fall 2025 REACH SESSIONS

Level One Presentations

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 (recorded for future reference)
Focus: Who, what, where, when, and why of GW support services

Student Health Center Medical Services

Learn about the comprehensive medical services available to all students at the Student Health Center, how students can access care, and the basics of the Student Health Insurance Plan. This will be interactive so come with any questions! Presented by the Student Health Center.

Dates offered:

Monday, September 22, 12-12:30pm

Tuesday, November 11, 12:30-1pm

Campus Safety

This presentation will cover all GW Campus Safety teams, resources, and frequently asked questions. Presented by the Office of Emergency Management.

Dates offered:

Thursday, October 2, 12-12:30pm

Wednesday, October 29, 12-12:30pm

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, October 15, 12-12:30pm

Wednesday, November 19, 12-12:30pm

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.

Dates offered:

Wednesday, September 17, 12-12:30pm

Wednesday, October 15, 12:30-1pm

Title IX

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. Presented by the Title IX office.

Dates offered:

Monday, September 15, 12-12:30pm

Monday, November 10, 12:30-1pm

Military & Veteran Services

This workshop will share resources with staff and faculty on how to best support student veterans and military-affiliated students at GW.Presented by Military & Veteran Services.

Dates offered:

Wednesday, September 10, 12-12:30pm

Monday, November 10, 12-12:30pm

Supporting Students with Disabilities in Higher Education

Faculty and staff will learn about the definition of disability, disability identity, and how students with disabilities may be impacted in higher education. This session will focus on resources students with disabilities can access during their time on campus, including Disability Support Services (DSS). Presented by Disability Support Services.

Dates offered:

Wednesday, September 24, 12:30-1pm

Wednesday, October 29, 12:30-1pm

Conflict Education & 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. Presented by the Office of Conflict Education & Student Accountability.

Dates offered:

Tuesday, September 23, 12-12:30pm

Thursday, November 6, 12-12:30pm

Basic Needs Resources & Services

From food insecurity to housing challenges, access to basic needs can make or break a student’s ability to succeed. Join us to learn what these issues look like on our campus, what support systems are in place, and how each of us can play a role in making sure every student has the chance to thrive. Presented by Student Outreach & Support.

Dates offered:

Tuesday, September 30, 12:30-1pm

Tuesday, October 28, 12:30-1pm

How to Access Confidential Support and Advocacy After Experiencing Sexual Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Domestic Violence, or Stalking

This training will provide an overview of available resources for students impacted by sexual violence, domestic violence, IPV, and stalking. This would include a brief overview of on campus resources (OAS, Title IX, CARE, the GW Student Health Center and CAPS) as well as off campus resources such as Volare and DASH). Presented by the Office of Advocacy and Support.

Dates offered:

Wednesday, September 24, 12-12:30pm

Wednesday, October 1, 12-12:30pm

Office of Access and Opportunity

This presentation will introduce the university's new Office of Access and Opportunity (OAO) and provide an overview of the federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination and the university’s Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Non-Retaliation Policy (EO Policy). Policy reporting obligations and procedures for discrimination and harassment complaint intake, review, and response will be discussed and examples provided of behavior that could fall under the EO Policy. Presented by the Office of Access and Opportunity.

Dates offered:

Tuesday, September 9, 12-12:30pm

Wednesday, November 12, 12-12:30pm

Digital Accessibility

Are you striving to improve students' ability to access and engage with your course materials? In this 30-minute workshop, we’ll talk about basic tenets of digital accessibility, usability, and Universal Design for Learning. You will learn how to make your materials more effective and accessible for students using easy tools and tricks that can be implemented in five minutes, one hour, or with more time. Presented by the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Dates offered:

Tuesday, September 23, 12:30-1pm

Tuesday, October 28, 12-12:30pm

Level Two Presentations

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

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:

Monday, October 6, 12-1pm, USC 405

Thursday, November 13, 12-1pm, USC 404

Thursday, November 20, 12-1pm, Virtual

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.

Dates offered:

Friday, September 5, 1-2pm (Virtual)

Tuesday, September 30, 2-3pm (Virtual)

Emotion 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.

Presented by Counseling and Psychological Services.

Dates offered:

Wednesday, October 8, 12-1pm, USC 402

Wednesday, November 5, 12-1pm, Virtual

One GW: Creating an Inclusive Community for All

This session will focus on our university value of inclusive excellence and our collective role in making GW as inclusive as possible for all members of the community. In alignment with the strategic framework, we will identify our roles in fostering OneGW. During this session, we will explore inclusive excellence in practice. We will discuss skills for faculty and staff to develop inclusive spaces, practices, and learning and working environments.

Dates offered:

Tuesday, October 14, 10-11am, USC 403

Tuesday, November 18, 2-3pm, USC 405

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. Presented by the Office of Advocacy and Support.

Dates offered:

Thursday, November 6, 2-3:30pm, Virtual

Monday, November 10, 2-3:30pm, Virtual

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.

1) Participants will increase their understanding of cultural norms and how those norms can impact communication and conflict.
2) Participants will learn methods for identifying when a conflict may be culturally rooted and how to address that.

Presented by the Office of Conflict Education & Student Accountability.

Dates offered:

Monday, September 29, 3-4pm, USC 310

Thursday, November 13, 3-4pm, Virtual

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. Presented by the Office of Conflict Education & Student Accountability.

Dates offered:

Tuesday, September 2, 1:30-2:30pm, Virtual

Friday, December 5, 10-11am, Virtual

How to Become a GW Career Champion

The Career Influencers Program equips faculty and staff to support GW students’ career readiness and success through conversations about internships, careers, and post-GW plans. Most faculty and staff are already having these conversations with students. The goal is to help enhance these conversations by providing actionable skills, resources, and support when navigating career-related questions. Participants will:

Gain insight and engage in dialogue on how to have have more productive conversations with students about careers
Translate learning objectives into career competencies
Receive access to the Career Champions Toolkit

Presented by the Center for Career Services.

Dates offered:

Thursday, October 9, 2-3pm, Virtual

Wednesday, November 19, 3-4pm, Virtual

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 wellbeing
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

Presented by Student Outreach and Support.

Dates offered:

Wednesday, September 24, 1-2pm, USC 310

Wednesday, November 12, 1-2pm, USC 405

Communication in Conflict

Conflict is inevitable—but how we communicate shapes what happens next. In this workshop, explore how conflict arises, learn to communicate effectively through it, and build practical skills for collaborative problem-solving. Whether at work or at home, you’ll gain the tools to navigate difficult conversations with clarity and empathy.

Presented by the Office of Conflict Education & Student Accountability.

Dates offered:

Thursday, September 25, 2-3pm, USC 403

Monday, November 3, 11-12pm, USC 403