During the 2024 Fall semester, the University of Detroit Mercy offered a four-week mindfulness class to help students who are struggling with anxiety.
The Wellness Center has seen an increase in students at UDM coming in with feelings of anxiety, and the faculty wanted to find a way to assist with the issue.
“During the program, students learn 10 different skills to support mindfulness practice, practice 10 minutes daily and record a reflection in a logbook, engage with a gratitude practice and select a daily mindful activity,” said Erika Budson, a personal counselor at the Wellness Center.
The Wellness Center decided to pilot the course as part of a first-year experience program through the Titan Mentor Program. This is a program for first-year students who may feel tense during their first semesters at college.
This class is a way for students to decompress and take much-needed breaks from their high-volume courses that may be causing a significant amount of stress.
According to the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults (MIEA), if students take part in this class, they will feel calmer and more rested. Studies from MIEA also show that students had greater self-compassion while also improving their mindfulness.
As a result of MIEA’s trials, their mindfulness curriculum, which is what UDM’s mindfulness course follows, became the leading evidence-based mindfulness curriculum for emerging adults.
This specific course offered at UDM is an evidence-based program that was studied in an RCT with university students and developed at Duke University’s counseling center.
Principles of social justice and community building are integral to the curriculum, and a trauma-informed (person-centered) approach is taken in all activities. MIEA’s curriculum is also uniquely designed for college-aged adults, addressing their specific needs and challenges with practical skills.
In the RCT, students were shown to feel less self-judgment and less stress, were more mindful, slept better and promoted resilience. These are only some of the benefits mentioned of taking a course like this.
Students also receive teaching on mindfulness principles in the four class meetings and via the accompanying text associated with the course, “The Mindful Twenty-Something.”
Class discussions and online coaching between sessions are held via the app that students download. Along with this, students receive support, which enhances the class experience.
“Class and coaching encourage self-reflection and understanding,” Budson said. “Along with this, it aims to help students learn to look within and trust themselves.“
The evidence-based curriculum and diversity focus that is offered in this course can be beneficial to all students. Mindfulness and meditation are found to be incredibly adventitious for the mind, emotions, and even the body. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity and to conduct research on how mindfulness can be of assistance throughout students’ time at UDM.
The intention is to offer this course to students in future semesters. Students are encouraged to contact Budson if they are interested in the course.
“The more students show interest in participating, the more likely I will be able to offer it in the future,” Budson said.
