Student Resources

Better Coping Skills Workshop Series

• This series of workshops, offered by the Office of Student Life, is designed to help graduate students develop coping skills to better meet the demands of university, work, and personal life. The workshops cover the following topics: balanced thinking, behavioural change, emotion regulation, and balanced living.

Better Breath Workshop

• This workshop, offered by the Office of Student Life, will focus on the benefits of restorative breath. Try new techniques for relaxation such as muscle tension reduction and learn new tips for taking time to pause and recharge.

Wellness Counselling

• Wellness counselling appointments are available to graduate students at the School of Graduate Studies (63 St. George Street). The Wellness counsellor will offer brief counselling services tailored to the challenges presented by graduate-level university life. The focus of counselling is on strengths, resiliency, and skills-building.

Student Health & Wellness

• The on-location service is a brief counselling service that aims to connect students with a counsellor in a timely fashion in order to get the support that they need. The counsellors are trained to provide personally tailored treatment specific to what you’re experiencing. The on-location counsellors are also familiar with other campus and community supports and can help you find and connect with other supports, if needed. 

Additional relevant workshops and events are offered by the  Office of Student Life, Health & Wellness Centre, and University of Toronto Graduate Student Union.

Mental Health Issues Facing the Black Community

• At Sunshine we offer a comprehensive program from our inpatient rehab centers to intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) as well as sober living homes. Our addiction counselors work hard to develop unique aftercare programs for each patient we come across. Whether you live in the state of one of our centers or travel for treatment, we can find support groups, therapists and outpatient programs in any area our patients return home to.

Own Your Financial Future Workshop

• This workshop will teach you how credit works and what debt can do to your financial plans, plus practical ways to take control of your finances. The workshop is offered by the Hart House Finance Committee in partnership with Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. The workshop if often held multiple times per year, so look out for updates on the Hart House website.

Financial Planning Calculator

• This calculator will show you how much money you will need to cover tuition and fees, housing costs, food and everything else for the upcoming academic year. You’ll provide some background and income information, and the calculator will show you a budget summary and direct you to some useful resources to help you save money.

Financial Advising

• Financial advising can help relieve your financial stress, resolve your immediate financial problems and help you plan for the future. Meet with a financial advisor who can assist with all aspects of financial management, including planning a budget and debt load management. Advising is available in person, via email, or via telephone from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday.​

Family Care Office

• The Family Care Office provides confidential guidance, resources, referrals, educational programming and advocacy for the University of Toronto community and their families.

Health Services

• Offer a variety of services ranging from immunizations to tobacco cessation to sexual health

Housing Services

• Provides you with housing details ranging from available housing prospects to spotting housing scams

Athletic Centre

• Students have access to various athletic facilities including the Athletic Centre, Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, and Hart House

Centre for International Experience

• The Centre for International Experience is a meeting place for a diverse community of international students coming to U of T and domestic students looking to go abroad. Come and visit us at Cumberland House to find information and make new friends.

Career Chats

• This series of drop-in group advising sessions covers a variety topics in relation to career exploration and education (e.g. networking, exploring career options, exploring further education, job search motivation, etc). The sessions happen weekly on Thursdays from 12:00 - 1:00 PM at the Student Success Centre. Log into the Career and Co-Curricular Learning Network and visit the Events and Workshops Calendar for more details,

Resumes and Cover Letters

• Workshops on how to create resumes and cover letters are regularly offered at the Career Centre. Log into the Career and Co-Curricular Learning Network and visit the Events and Workshops Calendar for more details.

One-on-one, drop in consultations are also available through the Office of Student Life

Mentorship

• The Office of Student Life offers a variety of mentorship training workshops to any student who is or wishes to be a peer mentor.

Graduate Professional Development (GPD) Program

• The GPS Program, an initiative of the School of Graduate Studies, is designed to help graduate students develop skills beyond those conventionally learned within a disciplinary program, which may be critical to success in careers within and outside of academia. The program can help you to communicate better, plan and manage your time, learn entrepreneurial skills, understand and apply ethical practices, and work effectively in teams and as a leader.

Mitacs Training Workshops

• A variety of professional development workshops are offered such as: networking, project management, time management, presentation skills, etc.

BCH2024H Professional Development Course

• This is a graduate level course focused on developing the academic and professional skills required to succeed during and beyond graduate education in basic biomedical sciences such as biochemistry.

Moderator Sessions

• The workshop provides tips for being a successful moderator of a scientific talk or a panel. RSI students will get to practice the skill of moderating during the Leadership Rehabilitation Rounds.

SGS Graduate Supervision Guidelines: Student Edition

• These guidelines discuss the responsibilities of a graduate student and their supervisor, as well as how a student should address problems with their supervisor.

Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC)

• GCAC offers a variety of free courses (generally 3-5 weeks long), drop in workshops, and one on one consultations to help you cultivate the ability to diagnose and address weaknesses in your written and verbal communication. This includes topics such as how to become a better editor of your work, writing grant proposals, improving your graduate writing, etc.

UofT Libraries Workshops

• UofT Libraries hosts a variety of workshops on navigating citation management tools and strategies (Refworks, EndNote, etc). Visit the UofT Libraries event calendar for further details. 

Citation Management Softwares available through UofT 

• Zotero, Mendeley, RefWorks, and EndNote Web are offered through UofT. Comparison and help guides are available as well.

Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Student Union

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University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU)

• The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) represents over 18,000 students studying in over 115 departments. We advocate for increased graduate student representation and act as a voice for students by lobbying national, and provincial issues on your behalf.

In the event a student has encountered discrimination, violence or harassment, they are encouraged to do one (or more than one) of the following: 

• In situations where his/her safety is at immediate and serious risk, s/he should contact 9-1-1 and seek emergency assistance. After calling 9-1-1, and as circumstances permit, contact Campus Police at 416-978-2222.
• In situations where there is less immediate or serious risk of harm, the following resources are available:
  • Review the above referenced documents above and make a disclosure or file a formal report in accordance with the procedures set out in the applicable document;
  • Consult with the University’s Community Safety Office for safety planning assistance and support: 
  • Bring the concern(s) to the attention of your Director, Associate Director, Graduate Coordinator, and/or John Peever, Vice-Dean Students, School of Graduate Studies
  • If the concern relates to sexual violence or sexual harassment, students are encouraged to contact the University’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre,  which can help students understand, access and navigate supports such as counselling, medical services, academic accommodations, financial aid and legal aid; and/or
  • Contact an equity officer at the University’s Sexual & Gender Diversity Office or the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office.

If students decide to comment in this survey on egregious behavior of their primary supervisor (e.g. sexual harassment, discrimination, violence), the University is obligated to investigate such alleged behavior. In the course of such an investigation, a student’s name and the name of the supervisor may be required to be revealed in confidence to the appropriate University official(s).  
 

Office of the Ombudsperson

• As part of the University’s commitment to ensuring that the rights of its individual members are protected, the University Ombudsperson is devoted to ensuring procedural fairness and just and reasonable outcomes. The Ombudsperson offers advice and assistance and can recommend changes in academic or administrative procedures where this seems justified.
  
  In recognition of different campus cultures and practices, and to make our services more accessible to clients, there is an Ombuds Officer based at each of the three campuses. Contact us.

UTGSU Advocate

• Grad students can also connect (email is best) with the UTGSU Advocate: Gail Fernando for appeal advice & support. See Contact Info.

Graduate Academic Appeals

• Graduate students registered in the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), may appeal substantive or procedural academic matters, including grades, evaluation of comprehensive examinations and other program requirements; decisions about the student’s continuation in any program; or concerning any other decision with respect to the application of academic regulations and requirements to a student (SGS General Regulations 11.1).

AODA Office

• The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is a piece of legislation in the Province of Ontario aimed at making the places you work, live and learn as accessible as possible.
  Several standards assist in fulfilling this goal: the Customer Service Standard and the various standards within the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation. Below you will find tip sheets, training modules, resources, relevant policies and our building access notices.

Service Animals & Support Resources

• The University has developed new guidelines on the welcoming of service animals on our campuses in order to reflect and clarify the law. They provide University-context specific guidance on how all members of the University community can welcome service animals. It also clarifies how community members wishing to be accompanied by service animals can do so.
• Support persons are welcomed at the University to accompany persons with disabilities in order for them to access the University services. Communication and service should be focused on the individual as opposed to the support person.