Hundreds of University of Iowa supervisors are voluntarily taking the new Well-Being and Mental Health course to better equip themselves with tools to support the well-being and mental health of their staff.

Launched in the summer of 2023, the new course was designed in collaboration with the Well-Being and Mental Health Campus Collaborative to support the UI Strategic Plan 2022-2027 priorities around holistic well-being and success.

To date, nearly 700 individuals have either completed or enrolled in the on-demand Well-Being and Mental Health course. It is designed for new and longstanding supervisors and is intended to improve their knowledge and skills around understanding and identifying mental health concerns.

Goals of the course include:

• Promote a culture of well-being at the University of Iowa
• Enable supervisors to identify and respond to workers who require support related to their mental health and well-being
• Increase managers' confidence to engage and support team members who may be dealing with mental health concerns

Employee well-being and success are central to the university's strategic plan, as demonstrated in trainings like the Well-Being and Mental Health course and Supervisor Training@Iowa.

"By improving your knowledge and skills in identifying mental health concerns, you will be more equipped to support your staff, which can dramatically increase well-being among employees," said UI Employee Assistance Program director Bronwyn Threlkeld-Wiegand, an author of the course.

Organizational Effectiveness, liveWELL, and UI Employee Assistance Program—units of University Human Resources—developed the Well-Being and Mental Health course to complement the Supervisor Training@Iowa program for administrative supervisors.