Support & Well-being

Graduate study is a time of growth, challenge, and discovery—and no one should navigate it alone. At UNH, we are committed to supporting you both personally and professionally through every stage of your journey. Your mental and physical wellbeing are essential to your success, and so is having access to meaningful mentorship and community.

The Graduate School and the broader UNH network offer a range of resources designed to foster a healthy and supportive environment for your studies. Whether you’re seeking guidance from mentors, striving to become one yourself, or looking for ways to sustain balance and wellness, we’re here to help you thrive. Explore our support and discover what it means to grow as both a scholar and a person.

  • Mental Health Book by Zoe J. Ayres
    Mental Health in Graduate School

    This book explores the PhD experience as never before and provides a "survival guide" for current and prospective PhD students. The book investigates why mental health issues are so common among the postgraduate population, going beyond the statistics, looking at lived experience. Access the e-book through the UNH Library. 

  • Well-being wheel
    The Well-Being Wheel 

    The new Well-Being Wheel expands wellness to encompass the roles that the places we live, work, and love play in our well-being. It can be used as a tool to check in with your wellness to better understand what is going well and what may be challenging.

  • Nathan Harris
    What does mentorship mean to you?

    "Mentorship is my guiding light, especially when there is fog. Mentorship has provided calm when times are turbulent. Good mentorship is a blessing." - Nathan Harris, Graduate Assistant and Ph.D. Student in Education

Upcoming Events

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Teaching Support

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The Teaching Assistant Support Series offers guidance on several essential topics for TAs, with diverse panels of faculty, former TAs, and other experts. The workshops are tailored to first-time instructors, but open to all. Learn more and register here.

The Educational Excellence & Effectiveness (E3) team offers several resources for teaching support, including one-on-one consultations with a Teaching & Learning Specialist. They maintain a webpage with a rich collection of resources for ongoing teaching and learning support.

The Learning Development & Innovation (LDI) offers several resources for teaching development, especially in the areas of instructional strategies and new technology. They maintain a teaching resource hub on their webpage.

There are teaching related resources for graduate students through the Teaching & Learning Resource Hub, the UNH Library, and under Modules Section 6 of the "UNH Graduate School Durham" page found on your myCourses Dashboard.

Current or aspiring K-12 educators can find customized graduate courses for teachers that support unique learning opportunities with individualized mentorship and classroom coaching. Please contact Candice.Morey@unh.edu for more information.

Massive Open Online Courses or "MOOCS"  focused on teaching and learning in diverse classrooms are offered by Cornell University through the web-based platform edX. MOOCS are usually self-paced and can be enrolled in a any time.

Mentoring Support

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The UNH Library maintains an online guide for mentors and mentees at all stages of their graduate school journey. This guide provides a variety of resources for mentorship and education across all disciplines and experience levels.

The Graduate School has offered a three-part series where faculty, current and former graduate students, and academic advisors from the Graduate School talk about good mentoring and how to establish and maintain this relationship. You can go to the Mentorship Series to find three video recordings and all related documents.

Wellness Support

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Open to UNH students, faculty, and staff, UNH Health and Wellness is your source for medical services, wellness education & promotion, and public health expertise on campus. The Grad School and Health and Wellness collaborate to host events each semester specifically for graduate students. Look for upcoming events on the Master Calendar feed above, or click "view all events" to see what's happening throughout the semester!

Students at UNH Manchester should visit the Student Wellness webpage to find information on counseling and other services available to them.

The Granite YMCA offers a Wildcat Wellness option for Manchester students in graduate degree programs at a significant discount! Membership at The Granite YMCA is more than just extracurricular activities. Discover the unique community in your combined campus and all that the Y and UNH has to offer. We deliver comprehensive healthy living, learning, and fun experiences for members of all ages. 

PACS is a team of psychologists, social workers and psychology trainees who are highly skilled at addressing the unique needs of college students, and are committed to enhancing students' ability to benefit from the university experience. If grad school is impacting your mental health, you are not alone. Grad students can go to PACS for urgent same-day counseling, individual counseling and group counseling—grad only groups are available. Learn more about the services offered by PACS.

PACS facilitates group counseling sessions specifically for graduate students to discuss concerns including creating a work/life balance and strategies towards thriving in graduate school. 

SHARPP provides services to victims/survivors of sexual violence, relationship abuse and stalking regardless of gender, age, health status (including HIV-positive), physical, mental, emotional ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, socio-economic status, race, national origin, immigration status, or religious or political affiliation.

Campus Recreation provides outstanding educational experiences through a variety of recreation opportunities that enhance healthy lifestyles in our UNH community. Facilities include the Hamel Rec Center, Whittemore Center Arena, Swasey Indoor Pool, Outdoor Pool, Outdoor Fields, and Mendums Pond. Programs include Group Exercise, Intramurals, Outdoor Adventures, and more. Access to these facilities are covered by mandatory fees. Students need only show UNH ID to enter.

One of the 8 dimensions of the well-being wheel is social wellness. Your social wellness is supported by building positive relationships and engaging with your community. Keep an eye on the Master Calendar for upcoming social events hosted by the Grad School, and check out the Thrive Guide for other ways to get involved in our UNH community and in the greater Seacoast area.