How can the University of Michigan best support its graduate students in their journey to greater well-being?

To wrap up the season, this episode will provide an overview of well-being at Michigan for graduate students with Elizabeth Rohr, Rackham's Well-being Advocate. Explore the behind-the-scenes approaches Rackham takes to graduate student well-being and what the future may hold for graduate wellness.

Resources

• Resources on the Graduate Advisor Relationship
• Resources on Cultivating a Sense of Belonging
• Michigan Doctoral Experience Survey
• Transition Points: Well-being and Disciplinary Identity in the First Years of Doctoral Studies - Paper based on Michigan Doctoral Experience Survey
• Okanagan Charter: An International Charter for Health Promoting Universities & Colleges
• Well-Being Collective

Visit the GradWell website for more!

Reach out to Elizabeth with any questions: erohr@umich.edu

Email us about the podcast: rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu

Stay in touch by joining Gradwell's MCommunity group!

Guest Bio

Elizabeth Rohr is the Well-Being Advocate and senior manager of the Well-Being Advocate Program of the Rackham Graduate School, partnering with Rackham graduate program faculty, staff, and students to identify and address structural issues that impact graduate student mental health and well-being.

Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work, with an emphasis in interpersonal practice and mental health. She also holds a BS in Sociology with a minor in History from Northwestern University.

Elizabeth has had an eclectic professional journey. She's worked in the private sector as a corporate project and event manager; was a Public Allies Americorp member in Chicago working with HIV+ women and children, an intimate partner and sexual violence prevention peer educator in San Francisco, and helped conduct research and develop new programs for nontraditional graduate students at the Center for the Education of Women (CEW+) here at U-M. Prior to joining Rackham, she worked directly with undergraduate students to develop their mindful leadership skills at the LSA Barger Leadership Institute for 5 years.

How could we better navigate our mental health if we thought of it as a spectrum rather than in absolutes?

In this episode, Dr. Patricia Deldin, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, shares insights from the alternative intervention to traditional mental health care that she created, Mood Lifters. Listen in and learn why a solutions-focused program works as an alternative to talking out our problems and explore strategies that can help reduce your anxiety, depression, and stress while in grad school.

Resources

• Indianapolis YMCA Mood Lifters - Virtual Program (Click drop-down menu under "Chronic Disease Prevention Programs")
  • The next cohort starts the first week of December 2025
• Granite YMCA Mood Lifters

Please scroll through the following pages to find resources on the various dimensions of well-being that Dr. Deldin mentioned in this episode

• Physical Wellness Resources
• Social Wellness Resources
• Social Wellness Resources pt2
• Resources on the Graduate Advisor Relationship
• Emotional Wellness Resources
• Resources on Finding Meaning and Purpose

Visit the GradWell website for more!

Reach out to Dr. Deldin with any questions: pjdeldin@umich.edu

Email us about the podcast: rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu

Stay in touch by joining Gradwell's MCommunity group!

Guest Bio

Dr. Patricia Deldin is a transformational and creative leader in the mental health space. After teaching at Harvard for several years, Dr. Deldin was hired by the University of Michigan to serve as both the Chair of the Clinical Area and Director of Clinical Training in Michigan's Clinical Psychology program. During her tenure at Michigan, Dr. Deldin also helped shape the structure of the University's Depression Center, formerly serving as its Deputy Director, and helped to launch the National Network of Depression Centers.

In 2014, she began to shift her research focus from understanding psychopathology to developing a new, more accessible, evidence-based mental wellness program, Mood Lifters. Since its inception, Mood Lifters has served over 2,000 people and worked with over 30 organizations. In December 2022, Mood Lifters was acquired by Color Health.

How can getting our needs met academically help us bring wellness to the other aspects of our lives?

This episode features Kat Nic, senior disability access coordinator for graduate students in the Services for Students with Disabilities at Michigan. Explore how taking a single step towards getting just one need met can put us in forward motion towards greater well-being. And learn how SSD provides exploratory support to help you find the resources and strategies that can best enhance your time in grad school, both inside and outside of official accommodations.

Resources

• Services for Students with Disabilities Office
• Accommodations through SSD
• Academic Support and Access Partnerships
• Scholarships, Awards, and Funding through SSD
• CAPS
• Uwill - video, phone, chat, and message sessions with licensed mental health professionals
• Wellness Coaching
• International Center
• Spectrum Center

Visit the GradWell website for more!

Reach out to Kat with any questions: katnic@umich.edu

Email us about the podcast: rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu

Stay in touch by joining Gradwell's MCommunity group!

Guest Bio

Kat has worked in the higher education disability access field for six years. After several years of working in K-12 educational non-profits, all while grappling with their own disability identity after getting sick and being diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses, Kat attended Bowling Green State University, where she was a graduate student assistant in the Accessibility Services Office for three years. Afterwards, Kat accepted a position at the University of Michigan, and just celebrated three years in the Services for Students with Disabilities office.