The pandemic posed risks to psychological wellbeing by requiring people to physically distance and by separating loved ones. The Well-being Watercooler (WBWC) was a virtual support group created by Louisa Jewell, MAPP, in March 2020 that met twice a week for 30 minutes for 6.5 months. Each session Jewell shared positive psychology-based wellbeing tips and tools and gave participants an opportunity to make face to face online social connections while learning. The WBWC was designed to teach people practices they could implement immediately to increase resilience, reduce stress and improve wellbeing. A program evaluation to understand the impact of the experience was conducted, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data.
Some of the preliminary statistical findings were that 75% of the participants found this experience “extremely helpful” and 25% “very helpful.” In addition, 92% endorsed that the WBWC improved their sense of wellbeing, helped them focus on work and/or other meaningful activities and 83% felt less isolated and reported improved mood.
A thematic analysis of the qualitative data was conducted to find out what was helpful or meaningful to participants. Three themes emerged: 1. Learning new knowledge and skills to “immediately implement,” 2) Developing a sense of community and shared experiences, and 3) Transforming the “negativity of the day” to “something to look forward to.”
In this session we will share the design of the intervention, topics explored in the WBWC (over 50), best practices for engaging an online audience and more of the evaluation results. The aim is to share specific tools taught in the program, the format that proved effective and inspiring stories of how virtual strangers supported each other through the crisis. The findings may be generalized for developing programs designed to enhance wellbeing and build resilience in other settings including higher education, workplaces and community health programs.