DMS Empowers!
College life can be exciting and rewarding, but it also brings stress, transitions, and moments when students feel stretched thin. Empower Hours was created to provide intentional spaces where students can pause, recharge, and reconnect with reassurance and support.
These programs are low-barrier entry points into DMS, students can drop in, participate at their own pace, and leave with strategies and encouragement that help them keep going. Each Empower Hours program is built to strengthen persistence by combining reflection, stress management, and connection.
Empower Hours also links students to campus resources ensuring that participants have access to both empowering engagement and professional resources.
Empower Hours provides opportunities to:
- Reset and manage stress during high-pressure academic weeks.
- Strengthen self-awareness and reflection skills.
- Build social wellbeing through supportive peer interactions.
- Connect with staff and campus partners for guidance and encouragement.
Empower Hours includes three signature programs:
De-Stress with DMS
Deadlines, exams, and busy schedules can quickly take a toll on students’ focus and wellbeing. De-Stress with DMS creates space during the semester’s most stressful times to relax, refresh, restore balance, and have some fun!
Students engage in mindfulness practices, guided relaxation, and restoring techniques. Staff and peer facilitators are present to encourage reflection, share strategies, and connect students to resources.
By intentionally stepping back, students learn that caring for themselves is a vital part of persistence. De-Stress with DMS reduces pressure, boosts focus, and provides a supportive environment where students leave feeling energized and better prepared to face academic challenges with confidence.
Let’s Talk
Sometimes the best first step toward support is simply talking with someone who will listen. Let’s Talk is a collaborative initiative between DMS and University Health Services (UHS) that provides informal, drop-in conversations with licensed mental health clinicians.
Students can stop by DMS for a Let’s Talk session any week throughout the fall and spring semester. Conversations are relaxed and supportive, offering practical guidance, problem-solving strategies, and, when needed, referrals to additional resources.
Let’s Talk removes barriers to help by making support approachable and accessible. Students gain connections to essential campus resources without the formality of scheduling a counseling appointment and leave with actionable next steps and a stronger awareness of resources available to help them thrive.
Vibe Check
In the middle of a busy semester, it can be easy to lose track of how things are going. Vibe Check encourages students to pause and assess their academic, social, and emotional wellbeing. Students participate in activities that prompt reflection on their current “vibe” by prompting self-reflection, identifying stress levels, celebrating successes, and setting intentions for what comes next.
Vibe Check helps students strengthen emotional awareness, connect with peers who may be experiencing similar challenges, and identify resources that will help them continue forward with confidence. Over time, these check-ins help students build resilience, stay motivated, and maintain social wellbeing throughout the semester.
Together, these programs help students pause, reflect, and persist, which are key steps in thriving at Texas A&M.