New Wellness Concierge tool supports campus mental health 

Wake Forest faculty, staff and students now have a new tool to help increase access to mental health resources through Wayhaven’s Wellness Concierge. Developed by Christine Nicodemus (’15), the Wellness Concierge has been in a pilot phase since the summer and is now available to anyone on the Reynolda Campus with a wfu.edu email address. 

The tool can quickly direct the Wake Forest community to on-campus resources that support wellbeing based on the user’s specific interests. Nicodemus was on campus this week for the formal launch of World Mental Health Day, where she spoke about the tool.

“The tool provides responses related to wellbeing resources, opportunities for social connection, and can make quick connections,” said Warrenetta Mann, assistant vice president for Health and Wellbeing. “We have already had students using it and have received great feedback so far.”

The Wellness Concierge is not a substitute for the University Counseling Center, the Office of Wellbeing, or Care Case Management in the Office of the Dean of Students, but rather another pathway to care provided through the We Are Wake mental health initiative.  

Mann adds, “There is no one-size-fits-all way to provide support. The more options we provide, the more likely we are to reach a broad cross-section of our community. The Wellness Concierge brings all of the resources we have at WFU right to your fingertips.”

Nicodemus was inspired to develop the tool when she was struggling with her mental health in college. “I waited far too long to reach out, and by the time I did, I was in crisis,” she said. The Wellness Concierge is her solution to help students 24/7 in a capacity that suits them, whether in-person, on the phone, or through the app, so they can create an action plan. She hopes everyone in the Wake Forest community will use the tool early and connect with available resources and support before reaching a crisis point.

Many on campus were instrumental to Nicodemus in developing the tool, including:

• Shelley Sizemore, director of the Women’s Center 
• Warenetta Mann, assistant vice president for Health and Wellbeing 
• Ashley Hawkins Parham, director of Wellbeing 
• Marian Trattner, associate director of Wellbeing 

“Their perspectives on what students actually need, and where they get stuck, have directly informed how the tool’s conversations are designed,” added Nicodemus.

Wake student groups, including members of Student Government, Campus Life Fellows and student advisors, student-athletes, and Center for Entrepreneurship classes, also provided valuable input. According to Nicodemus, each group helped pressure-test the app and generate new ideas to improve the tool’s usability.

One example of helpful feedback was when students told Nicodemus that one of their biggest hurdles was feeling isolated and lonely, and finding it hard to connect in the first year of college. Using this feedback, campus event recommendations were created in the tool based on a student’s interests. 

“Between the students, staff and faculty, the tool reflects Wake’s actual campus ecosystem, inclusive of the idea that faculty and staff may use this as a tool to remember where they can direct students as the campus works to build a complete community of care,” said Nicodemus.

Learn more about the Wellness Concierge tool online, or get started through the Wayhaven app at go.wayhaven.com using your wfu.edu email address.