Past Events

The last four years of massive uncertainty and change has invited us to reevaluate the place of work in our lives. We’re rethinking what we want out of life, looking for the tools that can help us build a way of living and working that cultivates well-being and flow. The sometimes-elusive feeling “work life balance” sits at the intersection of boundary setting, concrete time management strategies, and the larger clarifying question of what does work life balance mean to you. To begin answering this question we must pause, step back from the momentum, consider what’s on our plate and what environment we’re in. In this workshop presentation, Amber Hunter-Crawford, LCSW-S from the Employee Assistance Program will help us unpack the latest research on what healthy boundaries are, signs you may need healthier boundaries and why you might have trouble setting healthy boundaries. We’ll look at some potential time management strategies to help focus our work hours. And then we’ll engage in reflective exercises to make space for you to seek to understand what you want work life balance to be for you by understanding your needs, identifying your values, clarifying what deserves your energy and exploring ways to prioritize what matters most.

“Moving with Nature: Embodied Mindfulness" presented by Rosemary Candelario, Associate Professor of Performance as Public Practice at the University of Texas at Austin and Dance Studies Association Vice President for Publications and Research introduces UT Austin staff and faculty to an embodied mindfulness experience of the UT campus. We will use all of our senses to open up our awareness to our campus environment and will explore new ways to engage with it. Participants will come away with simple activities they can incorporate into their everyday lives. Come prepared to move outside, weather permitting. 

“It's a PART-Y: Helping our parts work together in relationships and work life” presented by Ashleigh Gore, LCSW-S a licensed therapist and leadership consultant, on Wednesday, April 3rd at 12:00pm. Do you ever feel like you are at war with yourself? Well, that could be your internal monologues (yes, monologues) conflicting with one another. In this training participants will learn about Internal Family Systems and the importance of “parts” work. We will discuss the different “parts” of ourselves, how they can show up in our relationships, our workplace, our daily lives, and ways to have our “parts” working together and accepting one another in order to live with confidence, guided by curiosity and compassion.

To survive at UT you need to: See that you make a difference. Connect your work to the overall mission of the organization. Have control over projects with meaningful outcomes. Managing up is about getting things done when you don’t have the formal or institutional power. In this workshop, you will learn skills that can work even when the other person is resistant to negotiating and seems to be focused on very different goals.

Self-care sounds like a good idea, but obstacles like time, money, and having the focus on one’s self in a busy world often means that self-care falls by the wayside. In this presentation, participants will learn about the foundations of self-care, including how to select self-care activities based on needs and availability of time. The group and the facilitator will generate ideas for self-care so that participants can leave the presentation with self-care ideas that they choose to use. This presentation also touches on the limits of self-care.

This talk is for people who want to learn more about what neurodivergence is, how to navigate the process to diagnose, how to define and identify reasonable accommodations, and where to find info for the process for applying for reasonable accommodations in the workplace.

“Giving and Receiving Effective Feedback” presented by Sarah Porter, PhD, a licensed psychologist and founder of a workplace training and consulting practice on Wednesday, March 20th at 11:00am. This presentation will focus on best practices for not only successfully communicating praise and constructive criticism at work but also responding well during these tricky conversations. Many of us have a love-hate relationship with feedback. As the giver, you want to strike a good balance between recognizing strengths and weaknesses, yet you sometimes struggle to get it right. As the recipient, you want to know how you’re doing but don’t always walk away feeling fully seen or clear on your next steps. Fortunately, there are proven strategies you can use to get the most out of your next feedback session. In this training, you will learn best practices for not only successfully communicating praise and constructive criticism but also responding well during these tricky conversations.

Join us for a lively event created for staff and faculty, Beats and Bonding: Uniting Through Music and Community', on Tuesday 3/19 at 11:30am. This gathering combines the universal language of music with engaging activities such as 'Name That Tune,' 'Musical Bingo,' 'DJ Trivia,' 'Finish the Lyrics,' and so much more. With a talented DJ curating diverse tunes, you are invited to celebrate the elevating power of music while vying for exciting prizes. It's more than an event—it's a community-building experience through the beats that unite us.

Other people can present you with conflicts or difficult behaviors that increase your stress level and affect work performance and job satisfaction. Whether it's customers or co-workers, your ability to respond effectively to challenging people and situations greatly impacts your success on the job. This workshop discusses types of difficult behaviors and effective response strategies. Join us to learn the principles of effective assertive communication through small group exercises.

Virtual Recharge Event on February 20th, 21st, and 22nd. Learn about FREE wellness resources, healthy eating, physical activity, and mindfulness to help you stay “fully charged". You can participate by attending one or two sessions or the whole event, whatever fits your needs and schedule.