I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Universal Wellbeing Model. I have worked with other holistic wellbeing models, however the UWM provides digestible, tangible variables within each dimension of health to look at deeper and keeping an eye out for. It has changed the way I think about wellbeing and how we meet our wellbeing commitments within an education space – it has removed a lot of the vague aspects of wellbeing and given me concrete leads to better direct my support questions for a learner, as well as referrals for further professional support where needed.  

The UWM also helps to better inform our organisational wellbeing strategies, with tangible areas of wellbeing that we can be investigating further and providing more targeted, robust supports for. 

I believe the learning I have done in this course is already helping me to become a better Student Mentor for Wellbeing Services. I find myself keeping an ear out for different variables and breaking learner challenges/needs down into different dimensions of health. This helps to “clear some of the fog”, so to speak, in what a particular learner needs from us , and what further supports they may need help connecting with elsewhere (e.g. counselling, financial support, whānau counselling etc...). My learning in this module has really helped eliminate much of the vagueness around wellbeing, and will continue to help me transform my support approach into direct, measurable action. 

Interestingly, I have also been navigating my own wellbeing journey throughout this module. In the early days of the programme, I was still in the earlier months of a journey and the challenges that came along with that. My learnings about the UWM have helped me gain a deeper understanding of why I was feeling the way I was feeling, where the overlaps were (e.g. seeing connections between challenged variables in different dimensions of wellbeing), and specific areas where I had the power to start making changes (or at least holding space and having compassion/patience if I was unable to change them just yet). It served as a very timely reminder that, when multiple variables across different dimensions of health are challenged or under pressure, overall wellbeing is negatively impacted. And that, with time, by addressing the individual variables that need attention, you can slowly move your wellbeing from a negative to a positive state. 

I’ve gained a solid foundational understanding of the UWM model and how I can apply it in my role, in an educational setting. I’ve learned new things to be looking out for when working one-on-one with learners, as well as variables and other things to consider when developing wellbeing strategies for the wider organisation. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Susan. She has been very informative, and I love the collaborative approach to learning. She has also been very flexible and understanding when things have come up that clash with class and has set aside her own time to catch us up on things we’ve missed. A 10/10 learning experience! The paper has been well organised. Both classes and communication have been regular and reliable, and Susan has been very reliable and approachable when flexibility has been needed at short notice. Very pleased with the content of the paper. I have a lot of learnings and takeaways that I feel I can apply to my working and support experience with learners straight away, as well as to overall organisation wellbeing support strategies and initiatives. 

During the first sessions, I was thinking about how aspects of the Universal Wellbeing Model resonated with me and reminded me of the Te Whare Tapa Whā realms (or taha) of wellbeing, but also how much it expanded on this model. By the end of theses sessions I was thinking more deeply about each of the variables, and how they can overlap and intersect with other variables and cause change/flux within the parent dimensions. I thought about how complex this woven web could become, particularly when faced with the prospect of multple different variables falling over or being at odds with one another. 

I saw many connections in the UWM, both within the model and to my own work. It prompts a wider lens of consideration when working with learners who disclose challenges to wellbeing, and an ability to drill deeper into what seems to be affecting a wellbeing dimension (e.g., Social – we can go deeper than saying “whānau connections are impacting this learner’s Social dimension. We can say they are being impacted by the specific variables i.e., the family variable, the social safety variable, the social confidence variable etc and this can give us a more nuanced picture of what is going on for this learner and how we may be able to unpick some of the threads to remove or reframe the negative impacts to the students wellbeing. 

I thought about the complexities of the variables and how, while a bit overwhelming at first, they paint a more detailed picture of what wellbeing is made up of and how we as professionals should be thinking about wellbeing. I also thought about how I might be able to start incorporating some of these variables into the work I do, both with my learners directly and in helping to guide new processes and training. I anticipate that the UWM will eventually become second nature in my thinking around wellbeing and will broaden and deepen both my understanding of wellbeing and my response to support needs and issues.  

I am used to thinking in terms of wellbeing dimensions and what may fall into these realms of wellbeing, as well as ways to foster and develop elements within these dimensions to improve overall wellbeing. However, learning to zoom out even further to consider the many different variables, environments and inputs allows for a more concrete and detailed understanding of the aspects we need to acknowledge and reflect on when thinking about holistic wellbeing support.  

This model improves how we respond to learners who disclose wellbeing challenges and a need for further support and builds on our existing support services. 

My aim is to start incorporating some of this broader understanding into my work with learners. Using the Social dimension as an example, I have a more concrete understanding of how they can impact on a learner’s ability to study (Self-talk: I’m too stupid to learn this, Family: my family think it’s a joke I’m trying to study, Community/iwi: how do my studies translate into my community? Am I even contributing to my community with this? Social Confidence: I won’t  fit in with my classmates, they’re all much smarter and friendlier than me etc).  

It is encouraging me to start thinking beyond my past wellbeing model understandings e.g., Te Whare Tapa Whā which encompasses 4-5 different realms of health. This course was a  good first step into the complexities of the UWM and it’s mirroring of the complexities of holistic wellbeing; realizing how granulated the different realms and variables of wellbeing are and how, though there are many, they all have equal importance and weight in balancing good mental wellbeing. I’m looking forward to learning more!  

I have learnt the importance of entering a relationship with a learner with zero expectations, assumptions or driving thoughts. Instead, working to keep an open mind, stay curious, and explore ways of supporting different variables that I might otherwise have passed over or placed in the “too-hard basket.” 

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Universal Wellbeing Model. I have worked with other holistic wellbeing models, however the UWM provides digestible, tangible variables within each dimension of health to be looking deeper into and keeping an eye out for. It has changed the way I think about wellbeing and how we meet our wellbeing commitments within an education space – it has removed a lot of the vague aspects of wellbeing and given me concrete leads to better direct my support questions to a learner, as well as supporting referrals for further professional support where needed. The UWM also helps to better inform our organisational wellbeing strategies, with tangible areas of wellbeing that we can be investigating further and providing more targeted, robust supports for. 

I believe the learning I have achieved in this programme is already helping me to become a better Student Mentor for Wellbeing Services. I find myself keeping an ear out for different variables and breaking learner challenges/needs down into different dimensions of health. This helps to “clear some of the fog”, so to speak, in what a particular learner needs from us (supports within our power as an education provider), and what further supports they may need help connecting with elsewhere (e.g. counselling, financial support, whānau counselling etc). My learning in this programme has really helped eliminate many of the vague aspects of wellbeing, and will continue to help me transform my support approach into direct, measurable action. 

Interestingly, I have also been navigating my own wellbeing journey throughout this programme. In the early days of the programme, I was still in the earlier months of challenges that came along with that. My learnings about the UWM have helped me gain a deeper understanding of why I was feeling the way I was feeling, where the overlaps were (e.g. seeing connections between challenged variables in different dimensions of wellbeing), and specific areas where I had the power to start making changes (or at least holding space and having compassion/patience if I was unable to change them just yet). It served as a very timely reminder that, when multiple variables across different dimensions of health are challenged or under pressure, overall wellbeing is negatively impacted. And that, with time, by addressing the individual variables that need attention, you can slowly move your wellbeing from a negative to a positive state. 

I’ve gained a solid foundational understanding of the UWM model and how I can apply it in my professional role, in an educational setting. I’ve learned new things to be looking out for when working one-on-one with learners, as well as variables and other things to consider when developing wellbeing strategies for the wider organisation. It’s been helpful to have professional code of conduct from the get-go, so everyone knows is aware of conduct expectations.