WeBeWell’s Program
Why WeBeWell?
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Colleges and universities across the United States are experiencing an unprecedented increase in mental health issues and an overwhelming demand for services. According to the Healthy Minds Network, over 60% of college students had one mental health issue in the 2020-2021 academic year (Lipson, S. K., et 2022). Moreover, 67% of 18-24-year-olds with anxiety don’t seek treatment, according to the Active Minds organization
The Center for Disease Control found that “In 2021, more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health [and] more than 1 in 5 (22%) students seriously considered attempting suicide and 1 in 10 (10%) attempted suicide” (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011-2021)
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The social tolls of poor mental health are heart-breaking, affecting individuals, families, and society. The economic costs are dire as well, which may include therapy medications, hospitalizations, and opportunity costs.
For youth populations, mental health issues impede academic success and psychological and social development. At the college level depression is shown to double college dropout rates. And for adult populations, mental illness leads to significant reductions in earnings and many other issues as well. An article in the American Journal of Psychiatry demonstrated “a mean reduction in earnings of $16,306 in persons with serious mental illness.”
While we need more mental health treatment than ever before the need for prevention has never been greater.
Our solution
The WeBeWell program is based on groundbreaking research and methodologies developed by world-renowned psychologists Drs Ed and Carol Diener and the WeBeWell team. Our interventions and skill building education is drawn from positive and clinical psychology and is designed to help individuals create a thriving life. WeBeWell delivers this curriculum via an app and reinforces these concepts in peer support group settings.
Our curriculum empowers students to:
Understand well-being and mental health
Foster behaviors that increase well-being
Practice gratitude
Identify & apply character strengths
Set goals conducive to a flourishing life
Build healthy relationships & communication strategies
Practice mindfulness & meditation
Use positive affirmations
Understand the relationship between thoughts, emotions, & behaviors
Identify & restructure negative thought traps into helpful narratives
Activate healthy behaviors
Program Structure
WeBeWell’s content is highly relevant to everyday life. The lessons follow the “Learn, Practice, and Reflect” model of teaching. This approach turns the lessons into actual habits of thought and behavior. WeBeWell’s multi-session closed-group program implements this model with the following structure:
Students learn about a well-being topic on the mobile/web platforms at the beginning of the week.
Students receive in-app prompts to practice the relevant skills throughout the week.
Students reflect on the topic individually.
Students meet via Zoom for 60 minutes per week, for six to eight weeks to discuss the application of well-being skills and concepts. Students meet in the same cohort of approximately 10 students for the duration of the program.
Students engage in gratitude practices in their Zoom groups and on the app.
Proven Results
Increased
life satisfaction, physical activity, memory, attention, and well-being.
Decreased
depression, stress, anxiety, and number of sick days at work and school.
Funders and Partners
Schmidt Futures and the American Dream Ideas Challenge:
“WeBeWell has been granted $1,000,000 in support from Eric and Wendy Schmidt’s philanthropic venture, Schmidt Futures, which identifies and invests in, exceptional people and promising ideas. For more information, see a previous publication in @theU on WeBeWell here.” - Link to Article
The WeBeWell team (under its previous name, Well-being Elevated) launched its social enterprise in the American Dream Ideas Challenge. This national social impact competition was created by Eric and Wendy Schmidt and their philanthropic venture facility Schmidt Futures. The American Dream Ideas Challenge aims to find, fund, and develop compelling initiatives to improve the economic mobility of US households.
After competing in three rounds at the state level, WeBeWell was selected as the finalist in Utah.
In the final round, competing against several universities across the US, WeBeWell shared 2nd place and was awarded a total of $1,000,000 in total funding over the next two years.
There is a direct link between mental health, well-being, and economic mobility and WeBeWell aspires to empower thousands of students to thrive intellectually, emotionally, and economically, through strong well-being and mental health.
For High School Students: College On-ramp
The College Success On Ramp developed by the University of Utah, in partnership with WeBeWell, provides an affordable and accessible path to higher education. This curriculum is designed to prepare high school students for success in college and beyond. The WeBeWell course component guides students to identify strengths, values, and goals, to realize a fulfilling and purposeful life. Our evidence-based life-skill lessons also empower students to mitigate anxiety and depression, to nurture their well-being and mental health.
