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.

How can understanding the dynamism of resilience help us better navigate the successes and challenges in our lives?

In this episode, Sunghyun Hong, a Ph.D. candidate in social work and developmental psychology, discusses her research surrounding a strengths-based framework of resilience. Listen in to learn how to develop our resilience in a way that will help us better manage our stress, take care of all the parts of our lives, and give ourselves the grace we deserve.

Sunghyun also shares advice on how to find a therapist that can best help us navigate our academic journey.

Resources

• CAPS Counselor Embedded at Rackham
• CAPS Counselors Embedded in Michigan's Schools and Colleges
• Wellness Coaches
• CEW+ Virtual Mindfulness Sits
• Self-Compassion Group Therapy
• MARI at UMich
• Campus Mind Works
  • Wellness Groups
  • Wellness Resources
  • Well-Being Management Checklists
• Wolverine Support Network
• Mindfulness Videos (CAPS)
• Stressbusters app
• Nature Rx App

Visit the GradWell website for more!

Reach out to Sunghyun with any questions: hshong@umich.edu

Email us about the podcast: rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu

Stay in touch by joining Gradwell's MCommunity group!

Guest Bio

Sunghyun Hong is pursuing her Ph.D. through an interdisciplinary lens that combines social work, developmental psychology, and neuroscience at the University of Michigan. She also holds a limited license in social work and is working toward full licensure by practicing as a therapist at a local nonprofit agency. Sunghyun is dedicated to translating her research into strength-based practices and policy strategies aimed at enhancing psychological well-being.

What are the tools that can help us manage impostor feelings in graduate school?

In this episode, Dianna Alvarado, a Ph.D. candidate in developmental psychology, discusses her research on the protective strategies that students of color utilize to navigate impostor feelings. Listen in and learn how to grow the abilities that can help us ease our doubt, calm our self-criticism, and expand our perspective.

Resources

Michigan-based

• Rackham Impostorism Workshop - available a few times a year - search Happening @ Michigan for its next occurrence
• Email us for the Companion Workbook for Impostorism Workshop
• Research-based Strategies for Combatting the Impostor Phenomenon in Higher Education
• CAPS Counselor Embedded at Rackham
• CAPS Counselors Embedded in Michigan's Schools and Colleges
• Wellness Coaches
• CEW+ Virtual Mindfulness Sits
• Self-Compassion Group Therapy
• MARI at UMich
• Campus Mind Works
  • Wellness Groups
  • Wellness Resources
  • Well-Being Management Checklists

Outside the university

• The Impostor Academy

Visit the GradWell website for more!

Reach out to Dianna with any questions: adianna@umich.edu

Email us about the podcast: rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu

Stay in touch by joining Gradwell's MCommunity group!

Guest Bio

Dianna Alvarado (she/her) is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in psychology, specifically in the area of personality and social contexts. Her research focuses on how students from marginalized backgrounds navigate challenges such as the impostor phenomenon and institutional barriers, and how cultural assets can help them thrive in higher education. Dianna currently serves as vice president of Puentes, a U-M graduate student organization focused on fostering community and professional development among Latinx scholars. After completing her graduate training, she aspires to become a faculty member at a Hispanic-Serving Institution, where she hopes to mentor and train the next generation of scientists.

Why can it be easy to feel like a fraud in grad school?

In this episode, Danielle Rosenscruggs, a Ph.D. candidate in developmental psychology, shares her research on the impostor phenomenon in higher education. Listen in and learn how the energy we spend trying not to be perceived as an "impostor" keeps us from achieving our full potential in graduate school. Explore ways to reframe how we see success, failure, and everything in between, and the resources at Michigan that can support you on this journey.

This episode is part one of a two-part series on the impostor phenomenon.

Resources

Michigan-based

• Rackham Impostorism Workshop - available a few times a year - search Happening @ Michigan for its next occurrence
• Email us for the Companion Workbook for Impostorism Workshop
• Research-based Strategies for Combatting the Impostor Phenomenon in Higher Education
• CAPS Counselor Embedded at Rackham
• CAPS Counselors Embedded in Michigan's Schools and Colleges
• Wellness Coaches

Outside the university

• The Impostor Academy

Visit the GradWell website for more!

Reach out to Danielle with any questions: drosens@umich.edu

Email us about the podcast: rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu

Stay in touch by joining Gradwell's MCommunity group!

Guest Bio

Danielle Rosenscruggs is a Ph.D. candidate in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the impostor phenomenon in higher education, with a particular interest in applied strategies to support the mental well-being of doctoral students. For her dissertation, she designed and piloted a multi-week intervention for U-M doctoral students in partnership with Rackham Graduate School, integrating cognitive reframing, mindfulness, and self-compassion practices.

Danielle is the founder of The Impostor Academy, an independent consulting business that offers research-informed workshops, talks, and strategic support to individuals and institutions seeking to understand and address impostorism. She also facilitates Rackham's impostorism workshops, has served as a wellness coach with Wolverine Wellness, and mentors both undergraduate and graduate students.