| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.93 |
| Liaison | Emily Zabanah |
| Submission Date | Feb. 1, 2024 |
Seneca Polytechnic
PA-14: Wellness Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 1.00 |
Paula
Echeveste Sustainability Specialist - Engagement & Outreach Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have a wellness program that makes counseling, referral, and wellbeing services available to all students?:
Does the institution have a wellness and/or employee assistance program that makes counseling, referral, and wellbeing services available to all academic staff?:
Does the institution have a wellness and/or employee assistance program that makes counseling, referral, and wellbeing services available to all non-academic staff?:
A brief description of the institution’s wellness and/or employee assistance program(s):
Seneca’s Employee and Family Assistance Program provides employees and their families with free 24-7 confidential support services, including short-term counselling, programs and resources to employees and their immediate family members for help with work, health and life issues.
Does the institution prohibit smoking within all occupied buildings owned or leased by the institution?:
Does the institution restrict outdoor smoking?:
Does the institution prohibit smoking and tobacco use across the entire campus?:
A copy of the institution's smoke-free policy:
The institution’s smoke-free policy:
1. Smoking outdoors is restricted to designated smoking areas and is prohibited at all times inside any Seneca-owned or -leased facility or vehicle. This regulation is subject to applicable municipal bylaws, e.g., the City of Markham’s Cannabis Bylaw, which prohibits cannabis smoking/vaping in public places.
2. Seneca recognizes and accepts that traditional Aboriginal events or ceremonies may involve the use of tobacco, smudges or other materials (as provided under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act) and permits the use of these materials for these purposes.
3. Smoking areas will be designated by easily recognizable signage and include combustible waste receptacles.
4. Smokers must use the designated smoking areas and the provided combustible waste receptacles.
5. Smoking procedures aimed at achieving the objectives of this policy will be implemented by Seneca. The procedures define locations and situations where smoking is permitted or prohibited, signage requirements and processes and penalties for dealing with violations of the policy.
The complete smoke-free policy can be found here:
https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/smoking-restrictions-policy.html
Website URL where information about the institution’s wellness programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
STUDENT LIFE
Student Life has a Peer Wellness Program designed for students, by students to engage, support and encourage one another on the benefits of self-care and wellness.
On the students’ MySeneca intranet space, the program offers different resources. In addition, they promote different wellness tips through social media.
https://students.senecapolytechnic.ca/spaces/219/get-involved-with-student-life/peer-wellness
ATHLETICS AND RECREATION
Athletics and Recreation host several events focused on wellness such as wellness weeks, walks outdoors and yoga.
In addition, they have a wellness library with videos of different wellness topics – The material can be found through the MySeneca student intranet space and hosted on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfchQY-5_KbtTDpGpF9g1O5SMsDHcXcXM
https://students.senecapolytechnic.ca/spaces/107/athletics-recreation/OYoga
ACCESSIBLE LEARNING SERVICES AND PERSONAL COUNSELLING
The Personal Counselling Services offer a range of support available to students at Seneca Polytechnic. There may be times when students face challenges that interfere with their ability to engage fully in their academic program, Personal Counselling Services are there to offer assistance and support during your academic journey at Seneca Polytechnic.
One at a Time Counselling
The OAAT session focuses on working with a student to resolve a current issue during a single session. This session might be the only one that a student has with a counsellor, however, the student is able to return for another OAAT session at a later time and date.
The OAAT sessions are booked on an as-needed basis. The student needs to call, or drop into, the PCS office at one of the campuses and schedule an appointment with a counsellor (usually within a week). This is a great option for a student who isn’t sure if they need to engage in, or commit to, ongoing counselling but wants to meet with a counsellor to talk about a pressing issue.
Often this one session is enough to help with the immediate problem, but there is always the option of booking a future session if necessary.
Brief Counselling Support
This service is available for students who are seeking support with an ongoing issue (i.e. mental health concern, adjustment issue, gender identity, relationship challenge, sexuality, etc.) and would benefit from a series of sessions with the same counsellor.
Brief counselling support begins with a first appointment to gather a brief history, identify goals and mutually agree on a treatment plan. Follow-up sessions will then follow that plan, assess with the student how well the plan is working and adjust as needed.
If it is determined that longer term support is required, the counsellor will work with the student to identify appropriate resources in the community to meet the identified need.
Student Support and Intervention Specialist (SSIS) Service
This is a service that is available for students who may not need counselling but require help in sorting through a difficult situation. The SSIS staff provide support to students with personal concerns or those who may be in distress about something that is happening or facing a critical incident in their lives.
The SSIS works collaboratively with students to develop a plan of action to address problem areas or the causes of concern, such as: short term situational challenges; students who may require higher levels of support i.e. housing, financial; recent discharge from hospital; interpersonal difficulties that are impacting communications among students, staff and faculty; and, students who are facing challenges identifying or connecting with Seneca or Community resources.
These services can be accessed in a timely manner when contacted through the PCS office.
Groups and Other Activities
Every semester PCS offers a range of groups, workshops, activities and presentations on a variety of topics. Some of the topics relate to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Other sessions offer excellent information on taking care of yourself, managing relationships and coping with stress. Many students find it helpful to meet in a group format to learn more about a topic that they are interested in.
The schedule is updated regularly on the PCS website and will be available in the PCS offices.
STUDENT LIFE
Student Life has a Peer Wellness Program designed for students, by students to engage, support and encourage one another on the benefits of self-care and wellness.
On the students’ MySeneca intranet space, the program offers different resources. In addition, they promote different wellness tips through social media.
https://students.senecapolytechnic.ca/spaces/219/get-involved-with-student-life/peer-wellness
ATHLETICS AND RECREATION
Athletics and Recreation host several events focused on wellness such as wellness weeks, walks outdoors and yoga.
In addition, they have a wellness library with videos of different wellness topics – The material can be found through the MySeneca student intranet space and hosted on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfchQY-5_KbtTDpGpF9g1O5SMsDHcXcXM
https://students.senecapolytechnic.ca/spaces/107/athletics-recreation/OYoga
ACCESSIBLE LEARNING SERVICES AND PERSONAL COUNSELLING
The Personal Counselling Services offer a range of support available to students at Seneca Polytechnic. There may be times when students face challenges that interfere with their ability to engage fully in their academic program, Personal Counselling Services are there to offer assistance and support during your academic journey at Seneca Polytechnic.
One at a Time Counselling
The OAAT session focuses on working with a student to resolve a current issue during a single session. This session might be the only one that a student has with a counsellor, however, the student is able to return for another OAAT session at a later time and date.
The OAAT sessions are booked on an as-needed basis. The student needs to call, or drop into, the PCS office at one of the campuses and schedule an appointment with a counsellor (usually within a week). This is a great option for a student who isn’t sure if they need to engage in, or commit to, ongoing counselling but wants to meet with a counsellor to talk about a pressing issue.
Often this one session is enough to help with the immediate problem, but there is always the option of booking a future session if necessary.
Brief Counselling Support
This service is available for students who are seeking support with an ongoing issue (i.e. mental health concern, adjustment issue, gender identity, relationship challenge, sexuality, etc.) and would benefit from a series of sessions with the same counsellor.
Brief counselling support begins with a first appointment to gather a brief history, identify goals and mutually agree on a treatment plan. Follow-up sessions will then follow that plan, assess with the student how well the plan is working and adjust as needed.
If it is determined that longer term support is required, the counsellor will work with the student to identify appropriate resources in the community to meet the identified need.
Student Support and Intervention Specialist (SSIS) Service
This is a service that is available for students who may not need counselling but require help in sorting through a difficult situation. The SSIS staff provide support to students with personal concerns or those who may be in distress about something that is happening or facing a critical incident in their lives.
The SSIS works collaboratively with students to develop a plan of action to address problem areas or the causes of concern, such as: short term situational challenges; students who may require higher levels of support i.e. housing, financial; recent discharge from hospital; interpersonal difficulties that are impacting communications among students, staff and faculty; and, students who are facing challenges identifying or connecting with Seneca or Community resources.
These services can be accessed in a timely manner when contacted through the PCS office.
Groups and Other Activities
Every semester PCS offers a range of groups, workshops, activities and presentations on a variety of topics. Some of the topics relate to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Other sessions offer excellent information on taking care of yourself, managing relationships and coping with stress. Many students find it helpful to meet in a group format to learn more about a topic that they are interested in.
The schedule is updated regularly on the PCS website and will be available in the PCS offices.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.