VSPA Wellness Resources

Wellness Programs

The VSPA invites you to join your fellow scholars for informal, fun activities throughout the year. Because we believe that wellness encompasses your physical, emotional, intellectual, and social lives, we have designed a series of offerings for you to join, at a pace and schedule that are comfortable for you.

Please see below for details. Registration for these activities is available on the VSPA Events Calendar. 

VSPA Designing Your Life in the United States: Courses and Coaching

Scholars sitting around table at a local cafe

International scholars sitting around a cafe table   

International scholars and their partners are invited to participate in free classes courtesy of the VSPA to support their transition to life in the United States. These sessions help participants understand American values, navigate culture shock, strengthen coping strategies, and build confidence. Attendees will also gain networking tips and tools to help them redefine their sense of identity in a new place. Individual and group counseling is also available. Both resources are offered multiple times throughout the academic year. Sessions are remote, and the end-of-course get-together is in-person. The course facilitator is Rita Brown, an Integral Master Coach™ & Intercultural Trainer with specialities in cross-cultural communication, adaptation, and integration, and in expatriate families. 

Testimonials from past participants
  • I’m becoming more aware of American culture and values such as individualism. I learned how to deal with stress in a new environment and being more mindful. ~ Chinese course participant, Spring 2025
  • Sharing and getting guidelines from Rita taught me that I am not alone in many of my problems and many other participants also had suffered from the same problems and resolved them in some stages of their lives. In fact, I learned to see the challenges as opportunities and defamiliarize my view of the challenging circumstances. I also learned strategies for managing anxiety, stress, adaptation challenges, and culture shock, developing somatic awareness, and embracing difficult personal traits, such as introversion, as well as practical methods to overcome obstacles. ~ Iranian Visiting Student Researcher, Spring 2025
  • What impressed me the most was the importance of remembering our main goal as a newcomer and a foreigner, especially when we feel lonely. Also  memorable were the several stages of adapting to a new culture, and the useful tips used at each stage. ~ Chinese Visiting Scholar, Fall 2025
  • I have learned about coping psychologically with the new environment in Berkeley and American culture. Also, how to prepare my term and the crucial abilities to improve my skills. ~ Cameroonian Postdoc, Fall 2025

VSPA Feel Good Friday 

Group of scholars sitting in the stands at the Oakland As baseball game

Keep an eye on the VSPA newsletters and Event Calendar to join your peers for lunch or fun activities! Make new friends and reconnect with visiting researchers from all over the world. Past events have included free tickets to Oakland A's and Cal basketball, volleyball and football games, as well as the Alameda County Fair.

VSPA Visiting Researcher Fall Welcome Reception

Group of scholars posing around table with Oski the Bear

Kick off the new academic year with a delicious breakfast provided by VSPA while connecting with fellow visiting researchers from across campus. The Fall Welcome Reception is held once each year and brings our community together over coffee, tea, breakfast treats, music, and raffle prizes. 

Berkeley Spouses, Partners & Parents Association (BSPPA)

Group of partners gathered at a Berkeley park on a sunny day sitting on grass  Group of partners gathered at a Berkeley park on a sunny day sitting on grass  

BSPPA is a support network for spouses and partners of postdoctoral scholars, visiting scholars, and visiting student researchers, offering informational sessions, social events such as happy hours, pizza picnics, and family gatherings to foster a sense of community.