Idrissa Presley

Geeky Gators: Wellness Workshops

I co-founded a workshop series on wellness education, game-based learning, and geek therapy.

Project Overview

The Project: A series of wellness workshops created on behalf of Counseling and Wellness, utilizing geeky interests to enhance student mental health on campus.

My Role: I worked with faculty to design and promote workshops. Additionally, I led training sessions on game-based solutions to use in a clinical or outreach setting.

The Client: University of Florida: Counseling and Wellness Center, Outreach Department

My Focus: Holistic Learning, Game-Based Learning, Geek Therapy, Professional Training

100%
Evidence-Based Therapy
12+
Workshop Sessions
2
Delivery Formats
5+
Activity Types


Geeky Gators Website
The Challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic created a student mental health epidemic. Students suffered from low motivation and lack of social connection on campus. Student retention rates fell. Counseling workforce shortages hampered efforts.

My Approach

I brought the issue to the attention of faculty by directly engaging with students and gathering feedback. With a faculty member, we proposed a solution of geek therapy in a group setting to mitigate the lack of help for students.

The Outcome

The program served as a safe way to connect students to others and address mental health concerns. We stayed responsive to risk of infection, by providing online workships in addition to in-person.

Example Minecraft Workshop

Click To Load The Minecraft Project

Duties & Design Principles

Duties
Led Faculty Training Session Marketed on Reddit, Discord, Twitter Co-Planned Events and Activities Created A Student-Safe Hub on Discord Organized a Minecraft: Education Workshop Created Workshop Documents and Media
Design & Learning Principles
Holistic Learning Digital Wellness Active Learning Geek Therapeutics Game-Based Learning