SAMHSA Wellness Wheel

Leading this Activity

You can use the discussion questions below to help guide the conversation. This conversation aims for the youth to create a shared sense of purpose for this project.

WHY—Discuss why they think the youth team is even doing this at all. What is the reason? What is the purpose? By starting with defining your team ’ s “ why ” , your team should be motivated to act.

HOW—The “how ” doesn ’t necessarily refer to the actual steps of a CNA, but rather how a CNA is unique. Ask youth how they think this experience will go? What makes your team different? What are the strengths of the team? Is there a specific goal they have related to while participating in this project?

WHAT—This is the simplest component of the golden circle; your team will define what they will do during their CNA. However, different points of discussion could include: what are you hoping we do? What do you think you want my role to be (facilitator)?

The SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Wellness Wheel (see Figure below) can be used by your youth team to begin thinking about identifying issues related to health and wellness in the community. You might want to consider introducing the wellness wheel to them before engaging in brainstorming. This section provides you with an overview of the wellness wheel, to determine if you want to share it with your youth team. The examples within each dimension are not meant to be examples tied to the CNA. Instead, they are intended to provide you with an example of what falls within that dimension.

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Image adapted from SAMHSA Wellness Wheel.

Explanation of the SAMHSA Wellness Wheel

There are eight dimensions of wellness; emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual. A core concept of the SAMHSA wellness wheel is that “ wellness is multifaceted. ” These eight sections all connect to each other and by using the wheel, the youth team should be able to explore the various factors and impacts of a community-based issue.

Using the SAMHSA wheel allows you to expand connections on a topic through considering neighboring dimensions.

You may find the Wellness Wheel a helpful resource during the brainstorming process to promote discussion across dimensions.

Emotional:

Emotional wellness comes from fulfillment from relationships with other people and successfully getting by in life. This can include coping mechanisms, resiliency, confidence, and the things that may make someone happy in life. If we are considering the emotional dimension of a community, you would want to look at the emotional health of community members and how emotional factors affect the community itself

Spiritual:

Spiritual wellness refers to a sense of purpose and satisfaction that comes from having meaning. This can be associated with personal morals or values as well as positive practices such as volunteering, meditation, religious activities, or spending time outside. As long as it allows an individual or group of people to develop or build on their defined purpose and a sense of inner peace, it falls under this dimension of wellness. In a community sense, spiritual wellness can relate to relationships and what a community stands for.

Example: discussing financial insecurity in a community may lead you to acknowledge that financial issues are tied to occupational issues such as competitive industries or job scarcity.

Example: The community has a strong connection with the local university. There are traditions that locals participate in, there is a lot of school pride and spirit, and college game days are exciting and celebrated by community members. This fosters relationships between locals and allows them to bond while giving community members something to look forward to.

Example: Every Thanksgiving, there is an opportunity for community members to volunteer to prepare and serve a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless. They serve at least 100 people every holiday and get dozens of volunteers. Local businesses donate the food, school children create decorations and cards, and local musicians take turns performing. This community-wide event is looked forward to by many and is important to community members as a way to give back to the less fortunate.

Intellectual:

Intellectual wellness means to challenge one ’ s mind. Exercising the brain allows people to improve intelligence, hone their creative side, and broaden their skills. By developing intellectual wellness, one can build on their quality of life as they practice lifelong learning habits. Intellectual wellness in communities may look like valuing cultural events, promoting museums or exhibits, and supporting local public schools and universities.

Example: The local university puts on a community panel event where professors, guest speakers, and spotlight students participate in a selection of topics that community members express interest in. The event is free and open to the public and has a specific theme. One year it focuses on racial topics, another year on climate change and solutions, and this year it’ s focused on mental and physical wellness. Panel members include professors of kinesiology, public health, and psychology; guest speakers that are sports medicine doctors, physical therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health therapists; and students conducting research on these topics.

Physical:

Physical wellness involves physical activity and healthy habits such as good eating and sleep patterns. Drinking enough water or moving your body at least once a day contributes to developing good physical health. To create physical wellness, an individual must practice mindfulness over their body. When one ’ s physical health is prioritized, it establishes a baseline for other areas of wellness. It makes it easier to have the energy and ability to focus on the other areas. Communities that value physical wellness may host events or create initiatives to promote physical health.

Example: A community hosts a city-wide annual fundraiser 5k run which the money is donated to back to city recreation. The community also focuses on city physical recreation by maintaining trails, campsites, and parks and promotes healthy physical habits.

Environmental:

Environmental wellness refers to the combination of social and environmental factors that surround someone or a community to contribute to other areas of wellness. The social or natural environment can play a large influence on how you physically feel, your mental health, the community events you participate in, who you interact with, your career, or what you do

in your free time. Furthermore, the environmental factors of a community such as pollution, city layouts, the number of green spaces, how much community members value sustainability, accessibility of recycling, waste systems, and even plastic bag bans are important in determining environmental wellness.

Example: The community hosts an annual trash pick-up in their biggest city park, where many community members participate. There is also a plastic bag ban in place in stores, a large fine for littering, and heavy regulations on pollution from companies in the area.

Financial:

Financial wellness factors include managing one ’ s finances, following a budget, practicing responsible spending habits, and being overall conscious about savings and spending. Financial security in the present tense, as well as preparation for future financial security, can provide mental security. As someone ’ s financial standing can determine many other aspects of their life, financial wellness allows someone to practice being practical and responsible and therefore set them up to succeed. When a community aims for financial wellness, they are not only looking out for their future, but also the security of their community members.

Example: Every semester, the local high school invites accountants, financial advisors, and analysts to talk to the high school seniors about making smart financial decisions, the stock market, taxes, and other important topics for soon-to-be adults. It is a special day of assemblies, panels, and classes that many community members see as essential knowledge for the seniors to have.

Occupational:

Occupational wellness deals with the satisfaction an individual gets from their work or career. Our work can reflect how we feel, our goals, and our values. When someone enjoys their work, they will probably feel enriched in life as it contributes to a sense of purpose. This aligns with emotional and intellectual wellness, as an occupation can provide a means for those dimensions of wellness. When an individual feels challenged by their work and engaged with their responsibilities, they will enjoy their time and therefore, enjoy the work in their life. Outside factors can affect occupational wellness, such as not having a job in the field you are interested in or changes in job responsibilities.

Example: Businesses come to job fairs at colleges and universities and can network with students. If a community contributes to this or actively supports these kinds of events, they are directly supporting young employees in finding satisfying work that will fulfill them.

Social:

Social wellness is to feel connected to others, to have a sense of belonging, and to feel supported. Social wellness largely stems from our relationships and interactions with other people. It can include a variety of relationships, whether it’ s coworkers, friends, family members, or the barista that serves you every day. This dimension of wellness also includes all the qualities and skills that come from social interactions and relationships, such as healthy communication, setting boundaries, spending time with others, forming friendships, and being socially conscious. In a community sense, just being involved with the community and giving back means an individual is socially connected, emotionally invested, and therefore can develop their social wellness. Relationships and social connections allow us to feel secure and reinforce positive emotions to contribute to all other wellness areas.

Example: Participating in community events such as concerts, exhibits, volunteer opportunities, farmers ’ markets, cultural activities, or sporting events contributes to relationship building and social interactions. Likewise, social wellness can be fostered when an individual attends events that the community values and therefore sponsors.

Leading this Activity

When using the SAMHSA wheel in a CNA, if it is applicable to your group, it should be approached with the community in mind. While in this step, you should be looking for an issue to guide your CNA, and this wheel can help develop a well-rounded idea.

You can find additional resources online to use as visual resources and talk your youth team through the Wellness Wheel and what fits under each. Encourage them to try to come up with their own ideas of what might fit under each domain.