Health and Wellness
The Health and Wellness unit at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ provides intentional collaboration for the promotion of overall wellness encouraging students to be involved, healthy and well. The university uses a holistic approach to support student wellness and has a variety of facilities, programs, and services in place to support a healthy and balanced lifestyle. The elements of wellness encompass the full student experience—from class activities to informal recreation, physical and psychological health to social development. Students are encouraged to think of wellness as a lifelong goal. We embrace the dimensions of wellness created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). We use this framework to guide the development of our programs, services, and resources.
The dimensions are defined as:
Emotional: Identifying our emotions and coping effectively with them
Spiritual: Expanding the sense of purpose and meaning in our life
Intellectual: Engaging in activities to expand our knowledge and creativity
Physical: Tending to the needs of our bodies, including nutrition, sleep and physical activity
Environmental: Ensuring the spaces we inhabit support our wellbeing and caring for spaces that care for us
Social: Fostering a sense of connection and belonging through interpersonal relationships
Occupational: Generating personal satisfaction and enrichment through our work
Financial: Developing knowledge and skills for managing finances
Health & Wellness Services
Located in the heart of campus, the mission of Campus Recreation & Wellness is to foster a campus-wide culture of recreation and wellness through a comprehensive array of programs and services that educate, empower, and engage individuals to pursue and sustain healthy, balanced lifestyles.
We offer quality facilities and programs that support the university community in achieving a balanced quality of life. Students enrolled at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ have access to all Campus Recreation & Wellness facilities and programs. Students just need to use their Cat Card to enter the Campus Recreation Center. Hours for the facility are posted on the department website.
Professional medical staff provides friendly, efficient, and effective healthcare for you while you are a student, as well as help you gain confidence and knowledge in how to manage your health. Health Services is staffed by physicians, physician extenders, and nursing staff with many years of experience in college health.
Although students must have medical insurance when visiting a community health care provider, any student who pays the Student Health Fee is eligible for health services on campus. Students can log into the patient portal (on the Health Services website) to schedule an appointment.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides services that empower students to engage in and be successful in a range of academic, social, and cultural endeavors through fostering psychological wellness.
CAPS' staff provide individual and group counseling to students on a short-term basis. They also provide emergency services when a student is experiencing a mental health crisis. Students can make an appointment at the CAPS Main Desk in Bird 225 or by calling (828.227.7469).
Wellness Promotion is responsible for creating and implementing educational programs pertaining to alcohol and other drug prevention and harm reduction, community, healthy relationships, nutrition, stress management, sexual health, sleep hygiene, illness prevention, and more.
Wellness Promotion also oversees the Catamount Wellness Ambassadors, a group of student leaders passionate about promoting wellness at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½.
Crisis Support
If you are experiencing a life threatening or serious emergency, call 828.227.8911 (Cullowhee) or 911 (all other locations).
Mental Health Emergencies
During regular business hours, students can call the CAPS main line (828.227.7469) or go to Bird 225 to meet with a clinician.
For after hours support, call the CAPS main line (828.227.7469) and follow the prompts to be connected to the crisis counselor.
Other crisis support:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 (phone or text)
Appalachian Community Services: 888.315.2880
Medical Emergencies
For on-campus emergencies, call 828.227.8911.
For any off-campus emergency, call 911.
Elements of Wellness Videos