The Mankato Clinic Foundation has awarded Gustavus Adolphus College a $5,000 grant to support the development and implementation of an innovative peer-group wellbeing coaching initiative at the College.
The grant will allow several members of the College’s Student Life staff and interested faculty to collaborate with healthcare professionals from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. They will work together to develop a unique peer group health
coaching model, a training curriculum, and evaluation and assessment tools. In addition, Dr. Robert Gazzola, a physician at the Daniels Clinic in St. Peter, and other Mankato Clinic staff will have the opportunity to train along with Gustavus personnel and assess the value for future clinic and community-based programs.
“This pilot initiative will use on-campus group health coaching for students, with specific attention to sophomores, to promote and ensure psychosocial wellbeing,” said Gustavus Associate Dean of Students Dr. Stephen Bennett. “We feel this program will improve the health and wellbeing of our students and better equip them with the skills and capacities to lead lives of leadership and service.”
The group health coaching initiative is a key component of a new comprehensive campus-wide Wellbeing Initiative that the College plans to implement beginning in the Fall of 2012. The group health coaching initiative is believed to be the first of its kind at a higher education institution in the country.
The Mankato Clinic Foundation provides resources to organizations and endeavors that effectively promote and improve community health and wellness. Since the primary focus of the Foundation is to support the health and well-being of the community, projects and programs supported include education and scholarship initiatives focused on health care, health education, and wellness.
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