Happy Holidays!
Online Scheduling for Well Dukes Coaching will resume on January 6th
A purposeful one-on-one conversation, empowering students to live the life they want to be living.
Well Dukes Coaching takes a positive approach, focusing on student strengths and working in partnership to support desired change.
Well Dukes Coaching is available for free for JMU students during the academic calendar. Scheduling for the Fall semester is open now. Scheduling for the spring semester will open mid-January.
What to Expect
- Coaching sessions are facilitated by honest and genuine professionals who care about your well-being.
- Students meet with their coach for an initial visit and together identify the benefit of additional visit and/or additional campus resources.
- Well Dukes Coaching visits are typically between 45 and 60 minutes.
- Most importantly, you can expect a thoughtful conversation focused on what is important to you.
- Referral to additional campus and community resources can be provided, if desired.
- Coaching visits are private. Being honest with yourself and about your experiences will never result in disciplinary action. If a student indicates an intention to harm themselves or others, or a court order is issued, identifiable information may be disclosed.
Common Topics/Areas of Support
- Building Connections: Social and Relationship Well-Being
- Sleep Habits
- Alcohol Use
- Cannabis Use
- Nicotine Cessation
- Stress Management
- Intimate Relationships & Sexual Health
- Digital Thriving
Should I see a coach or a counselor?
There are some parallels as well as some differences between Well Dukes coaching and mental health counseling. Both options will empower you to build and maintain a positive mindset and student experience. Both services ask for your input and perspective rather than giving advice or telling you what to do.
A main difference is based on where your focus needs to be to live fully and meet your potential as a student at JMU.
If you have pain or hurt that aches or is significant enough to affect your daily functioning or impact your quality of life, then counseling is likely a better fit right now. Some people start with counseling and move to coaching as they heal mentally and emotionally.
If you are functioning okay and are focused on setting goals or changing behaviors to build a healthier lifestyle and minimize risk, then coaching might be a more appropriate starting point.
| Well Dukes Coaching | Counseling |
|---|---|
| Goal is to enhance well-being | Goal is to decrease distress and improve functioning |
| Focuses on changing behavior, maximizing strengths, and setting goals | Focuses on emotional and mental healing |
| Is about results, guiding you to identify your own solutions | May explore underlying influences |
| A coach cannot act as a counselor | A counselor can also be a coach |
Meet our Coaches
Paige Hawkins
Assistant Director for Personal Well-being
Jonathan Gillette
Graduate Assistant for Well Dukes
Contact Us
For information about Well Dukes Coaching at JMU or to talk about how you can refer a student to coaching, please contact Paige Hawkins, Assistant Director for Personal Well-Being.