Zenstudies 3: Making a Healthy Transition to Higher Education – Facilitator’s Guide

Zenstudies prevents depression and anxiety. The first part of the course is taught by professors, while the second part consists of two short workshops. The third part is taught by professionals and consists of 10 sessions for students with preclinical symptoms.

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The Zenstudies: Making a Healthy Transition to Higher Education program aims to prevent depression and anxiety among first-year students in post-secondary school. It includes three modules, or prevention levels, Module 3 of Zenstudies, presented here, is a targeted-indicated prevention program consisting in 10 small-group sessions (no more than 12 students) led by two mental health professionals.

This is the guide for Module 3, the targeted-indicated prevention program. It presents the 10 small-group sessions (6 to 10 students) that will be led by two mental health professionals. The sessions include 15 components and are tailored to first-year students experiencing anxious or depressive symptoms. The goal is early intervention, aimed at preventing mental health disorders in at-risk students. It has been shown that the presence of symptoms is a strong predictor of a future mental health disorder, which is why intervention is vital at symptom onset.

By reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, the program also facilitates the transition from high school to college or university, thereby lowering the risk of dropout. It also raises awareness about anxiety and depression—which are both internalizing disorders—and equips students with different preventive strategies.


The Rossy and Bell Foundations made the translation of the Zenétudes program in English possible.