Supporting Well-Being in the Smith Community, March 26, 2020

Dear students, staff and faculty:

I am writing to you today to announce one new resource and one expanded service to support the well-being of students, staff and faculty.

First, we have purchased a license that will allow every student, staff and faculty member to enjoy a free subscription to Calm, a widely lauded relaxation and meditation app.

Here is how you can sign up:

www.calm.com/b2b/smith-college/subscribe or download the Calm app from the Apple iTunes store on iOS devices or the Google Play Store on Android devices. Create an account using your name and your Smith College email address. Once you sign up, you will automatically have access to your Calm subscription!

This FAQ is helpful for those who have used Calm in the past and need help connecting their existing account to their school subscription. It includes instructions and links for how to download the app and update their email addresses.

Second, we have greatly expanded access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a confidential and voluntary counseling referral service, provided free of charge to employees and members of their family household. Every employee—and every member of their family— is now eligible for twelve sessions per topic at no cost; note that there are no limits on topics. The EAP also offers legal and financial consultation and referrals. To use the benefit, call 800-828-6025 and identify yourself as a Smith employee or household/family member of a Smith employee.

If ever there were a time for self care, it is now. We can do some of this work on our own—yoga, dance, walks with physical distancing, and virtual gatherings with friends and family. May these two new resources help all of us take care of ourselves so that we can continue to care for one another.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McCartney
President

Note: the signup link, originally www.calm.com/signup, has changed since this letter was first published. This change has been made in the text.