Therapy Dog Mavis at a recent event Miami University’s Suicide Prevention Team (SPT) and the Student Counseling Service (SCS) will sponsor a weeklong campaign to spread awareness about suicide prevention as well as stress management, self-care, and well-being.

Stress Less Week, held April 1-5, 2019, primarily targets students and will include a Garden of Hope, a Circle of Sound drum session, free fitness classes, peer-led dissemination of information, and a Stress Less Day fair in which students will learn about managing stress, including maintaining a healthy mind, an active lifestyle, good nutrition, and community connectedness.

 All activities, held at various locations across the Oxford campus, are free and open to the public.

Highlighted activities include:

• Circle of Sound Drum Session. Join Liz Wu, professional drum facilitator, for a stress-less jam session. Instruments will be provided, or bring your own. Take a stress break, join the jam, or just listen in. No drumming experience needed. Tuesday, April 2, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Armstrong Student Center Marcum South Court (Rain location: Shade Stage).
• Stress Less Day. This stress management fair will feature therapy dogs, opportunities to share messages of hope to peers in distress, giveaways, free swag, create coping cards, stress management information, free therapeutic massages, and healthy snacks. Connect with health providers in the campus and community, learn how to manage stress improve self care and more! Thursday, April 4, 4:00-6:30 p.m at Armstrong Pavilion A/B. 
• Free Group Fitness classes. All day on Friday, April 5 at the Rec Center. 
• Tabling and swag. Student representatives from Associated Student Government and Active Minds will be tabling and handing out stress management information and free swag throughout campus.
• Garden of Hope. The Mindfulness & Contemplative Inquiry Center is partnering with SPT and offering a “Garden of Hope.” Students can drop by Student Counseling Service anytime during the week and write words of hope on a rock from a rock garden.

Garden of Hope will be held all week To view a complete list of available activities during Stress Less Week, check out the Student Counseling Service website.

The Suicide Prevention Team consists of representatives from the Student Counseling Service, the Office of Student Wellness and the Office of Residence Life, as well as Miami faculty, staff and students from various mental health-focused departments and organizations. The team’s mission is to educate the campus community about suicide prevention efforts to reduce and prevent suicide and mental health concerns among students and the community.