Practical Steps to Help Build Meaningful Social Connections
Join us for this reward-eligible webinar, part of the monthly series of emotional well-being webinars presented by FEAP and Hoos Well, and co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost's Faculty Guide program.
The Surgeon General has declared loneliness a public health epidemic given how widespread the experience is and the challenges of establishing strong social connections. While there are no easy answers to this complex problem, this talk will discuss practical steps to increase the likelihood you can make new, meaningful connections and deepen existing relationships. We’ll consider ways to manage the common fears of being evaluated negatively when 'putting yourself out there' and ways to overcome the tendency to withdraw and avoid social connection opportunities.
Learning Objectives
- Start to identify what you feel is working well about your social connections and where there are gaps.
- Learn how to recognize different social goals you might have across situations and how to more effectively meet your goals.
- Learn how to address fears of negative evaluation and reduce avoidance of social connection opportunities.
About Your Presenter
Bethany Teachman is a Professor and the Director of Clinical Training at the University of Virginia in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Teachman is Director of the public web sites MindTrails, a web-based research infrastructure that has offered digital interventions to reduce anxious thinking to thousands of visitors around the world, and Project Implicit Health, an educational web site that allows visitors to assess their implicit associations tied to mental and physical health topics. Dr. Teachman has been awarded an American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Early Career Award, multiple national mentoring awards, and she is a Fellow of multiple associations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Teachman was the inaugural Chair of the Coalition for the Advancement and Application of Psychological Science, and she received a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association.
This event will be recorded by audio and video means. By participating, you grant the University of Virginia the right to use your voice/likeness in any depiction of this event. Video is not required to participate in this event.