Upcoming mental health webinars
Money Mindfulness for the Holidays
Thursday December 11, 2025, at 10:30 to 11:30 am PT. (virtual)
We are happy to welcome you to this one-hour session for VIU employees, hosted by Tracy Theemes, Financial Advisor.
Even the most disciplined can get swept up in December’s holiday frenzy; parties, guests, extra meals, and gift giving can strain both time and budget. How can we enjoy the season without a January hangover of debt and stress? Join this engaging discussion to learn 5 ways to protect your budget, 2 tips to maintain your sanity, and 3 steps to avoid long-term financial pitfalls.
Register for Money Mindfulness
New from MindWell:
Medicine Wheel: Connecting with Friends and Family
Special Workshop – Tuesday December 9, at 10 am PT
This workshop explores the Medicine Wheel as a tool for reflection and connection. Through mindful breathwork, you'll learn to foster deeper connections with yourself, your friends, and your family, enriching your most important relationships this season.
One-time 45-minute session
Well-being self-assessment
New on MindWell platform
This interactive tool provides individuals with a personal snapshot of their well-being across 12 key dimensions, including physical activity, nutrition, mood, thoughts, and social connection.
Participants can retake the Self-Assessment over time to track progress and see how their well-being evolves. We’ll be in touch soon with customized resources to help you share the tool across your organization and maximize its impact.
Empathic Leadership in Action: Strengthening trust through vulnerability
In recognition of World Mental Health Day, we're excited to share this special session MindWell hosted last week with you: The Better Brain Diet: Eating for Mental Health and Peak Performance. Renowned Canadian mental health pioneer Dr. Bonnie Kaplan and MindWell Founder, Dr. Geoff Soloway, walk you through simple, science-backed nutrition strategies that support mental clarity, lower stress, and improve performance. We've gathered all the session resources in this convenient link for you:
Homewood HealthTM EFAP is pleased to release the Q4 2025 edition of their Vitality article, “Empathic Leadership in Action: Strengthening trust through vulnerability.”
On demand webinar: Diabetes: The Basics
According to the Statistics Canada, nearly 1 in 10 Canadians aged 20 years and older has been diagnosed with diabetes. Join Dr. Serena Natale in this webinar to gain a foundational understanding of diabetes, its types, causes, and management strategies. Learn about:
- The different types of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes)
- Symptoms and risk factors associated with diabetes
- Effective management strategies, including diet, exercise, and medication
Play recording (56 mins)
Recording password: uDwzie9?
Self-paced wellness sessions
From Homewood Health: You’ve heard about the monthly live wellness sessions under our Speaker Series for Employee Well-Being. Now some of Homewood Health’s most popular Wellness Sessions have been condensed and made available as a self-directed service! Jam-packed days? These sessions are 15-30 minutes, and you can stop and start as desired. To find the sessions:
- Log into Homeweb, using VIU’s invitation code: BCI714 (note: 3 capital letters, 3 numbers).
- Then navigate your Dashboard:
- Browse Homeweb:
- Then click on the Wellness Sessions button online to find the following sessions:
- The Science of Happiness
- The Journey to Wellness: One Step at a Time
- The Fundamentals of Change and Transition
- The Art of Relaxation
- Managing your Time and Energy
- Improving Workplace communication
- Building Working Relationships
- Building Resilience
- Beyond Stigma
Physiotherapy services at VIU
Need help getting back to feeling your best? VIU offers physiotherapy services to students and employees, including education, exercise programs, and manual therapy. Book an appointment at the Health & Wellness Centre (Nanaimo campus, building 200, Floor 3) or call 250.740.6416 to learn more.
Your wellness, your voice!
Your voice matters! VIU is committed to supporting the health and well-being of our employees, and we want to hear from you.
Please take a few minutes to complete the Employee Wellness Survey, designed to better understand how you're engaging with current wellness initiatives and where we can do more. Your feedback is anonymous and will directly help shape future wellness programming, services, and supports.
Let’s work together to create a healthier, more connected workplace.
For more information on this and other well-being events, visit the RENEW pages. Questions? Email Benefits@viu.ca.