Creating healthier campuses: Recovery and wellness leaders convene at UNH
Forty-five higher education professionals from across New Hampshire gathered at the University of New Hampshire in June to learn innovative strategies for supporting student wellness and recovery on college campuses. The hands-on event combined practical substance use education with wellness activities, giving participants tools and ideas they can adapt for their own campuses. Throughout the day, attendees engaged in self-care activities while learning strategies to support student well-being and recovery.
UNH's collegiate recovery programs, Wildcats for Recovery and Panther Peers, facilitated interactive sessions on stigma-free language, adverse childhood experiences, protective factors, and recognizing feelings and needs. Participants also connected with four recovery community organizations that offered wellness activities, including ear acupuncture, AromaTouch hand massage, mindfulness exercises, and substance use trivia.
Additional sessions included Narcan training led by Recovery Friendly Workplace and bystander education provided by the SHARPP Center for Interpersonal Violence Awareness, Prevention, and Advocacy.
Attendees explored ways to adapt these activities for their own campuses and strengthen partnerships and collaboration across campus and community organizations, including The Partnership @Drugfree NH, NAMI NH, and other behavioral health organizations.
"Young people in New Hampshire deserve a space where they can come as they are, support each other in navigating life's challenges, and grow into themselves. Collegiate Recovery provides that space, offering opportunities to connect and reflect without substances being a factor." Shared Heather Morris, the UNH Supportive Recovery Campus Coordinator with Wildcats for Recovery, when asked about the importance of collegiate recovery in New Hampshire.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with all attendees reporting increased knowledge and new ideas they could implement on their campuses. Organizers hope to make the event an annual opportunity for colleges and universities to share resources, best practices, and innovative approaches that support student well-being.
The event comes at a time when colleges and universities are increasingly recognizing the need for recovery-focused supports for students. Emerging adulthood is a developmental period associated with an increased risk of substance use disorders driven by factors like social influences, academic pressures, and limited access to recovery-oriented support services. UNH launched New Hampshire's first collegiate recovery program in 2023, and additional colleges and universities across the state are beginning to expand recovery supports for students.
"This group gave me a foundation to grow into the person I hoped to be. I find I'm less dependent on the group for mental and emotional stability and more capable of building a supportive network of my own—which was exactly my goal." - Student who engaged in Wildcats for Recovery during the 2025-26 academic year
Learn more about the University System of New Hampshire Collegiate Recovery Programs
