Wellness Education at Castleton
Castleton believes in educating and inspiring the whole person. This philosophy unites health prevention and promotion with academics and student life through the Wellness Center.
The Wellness Center provides information, education, and opportunities to learn about how to develop a healthy and well-balanced life. Programming, campaigns, and presentations are informed by the results of surveys taken by Castleton students and by current national health education trends.
- Stress management and healthy coping mechanisms are a focus of education each year because a national survey of college students reports stress as the number one hindrance to academic performance.
- Healthy Sleep strategies can be difficult in college and 36% of students surveyed described daytime sleepiness as a problem. Assisting our students in finding ways to obtain valuable and restorative sleep is a continuous pursuit.
- Living in close quarters can increase a student’s chance of contracting an illness like the common cold or the flu. Presentations and campaigns addressing illness prevention strategies and self-care techniques are offered throughout each year.
- Castleton emphasizes harm reduction strategies related to alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use. We educate and empower the student body regarding safe and responsible substance use, positive decision making, autonomy, and available resources on and off campus.
- Shame and stigma around substance use can only live in silence; Castleton is breaking the silence and ending the stigma. We hold space for people on campus to share their stories, bring light to these topics, and share hope of recovery.
- Sara Stearns is the Prevention and Intervention Specialist on campus whose role is to be a support and resource for students. Sara also provides educational events and activities on campus and is responsible for the administration of the Health and Well-Being Survey and following up with students after they complete the survey.
- The Health and Well-Being Survey is a brief, confidential survey sent annually to students and used to examine their wellness, safety, mental health, and substance use. The Health and Well-Being Survey is used to reduce the impact of substance use among young adults through screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment.
- Safer sex education is a priority at Castleton and helps ensure that our students have access to affordable protection and information regarding reproductive health, intimate relationships, and personal/sexual agency.